Chapter 31 ~ The Terrifying Man

Jeslyn blinked slowly, her eyes adjusting to the dim lighting in the room. A masculine scent—foreign yet strangely familiar—filled her senses. She shifted slightly, attempting to roll away... but her body was pressed against something warm and solid.

Her entire body tensed.

She opened her eyes fully and was met with a face she knew all too well. Leonel.

He was lying beside her, eyes closed, his breathing steady and calm.

But the most shocking part? Jeslyn realized her arm was wrapped around his bare waist, and her face was resting dangerously close to his naked, warm, and beating chest.

She jolted back instantly, pushing herself upright against the headboard. The thin blanket tumbled onto her lap as her face turned crimson.

Oh my God... Since when did he get here? How did he even get in? And why the hell is he sleeping here—with me—in the same bed? her thoughts raced in panic.

Jeslyn clutched her head, overwhelmed with confusion. She had meant to end this secret entanglement with Leonel, and yet, here he was—again. Her supposed future brother-in-law came and went as he pleased. But this... this was too intimate.

Leonel still had his eyes closed, but a deep murmur left his lips.

“Jessy... don’t go far...”

Jeslyn froze. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest.

She looked at Leonel, who now seemed so... human. The usual smugness on his face was gone.

Her inner voice waged a war—part of her wanted to scream at him, but another part... couldn't deny the comfort she felt, a comfort she had never known from anyone else.

“I should go freshen up...” she mumbled, trying to slip off the bed.

But then, Leonel’s arm reached out, circling her waist and pulling her back into his embrace.

“L-Leonel... let me go!” Jeslyn struggled.

“It’s still morning. Let me hold you,” he mumbled, not even opening his eyes as he tightened his hold.

Jeslyn pushed against his chest, but he was like an immovable stone. Her fingers gripped the blanket, torn between resisting and... surrendering.

“Leonel…” she whispered, trying to sound firm.

But instead of responding rationally, Leonel nuzzled his face into the curve of her neck. His breath grazed her skin, sending involuntary shivers down her spine.

“I need this... just for a moment,” he murmured, his voice thick, almost like a plea.

Jeslyn fell silent.

There were so many things she wanted to say—about boundaries, about how wrong this was, about the feelings she had tried so hard to suppress.

But every word dissolved into the rhythm of two heartbeats, beating side by side.

Slowly, Jeslyn closed her eyes.

She didn’t return the embrace... but she didn’t fight it either.

She just stayed there—wrapped in a warmth that was wrong... yet far too comforting to reject.

At least... for this morning.

But beneath the stillness, her mind screamed.

This can’t go on... she whispered inwardly. Leonel doesn’t belong to me. He’s supposed to become my brother-in-law.

“Leo—”

Jeslyn gasped as Leonel began softly tracing kisses along her neck, causing goosebumps to rise across her skin.

“Leo—don’t...” her voice trembled, but it wasn’t a command.

It sounded more like a hesitant whisper—lacking strength, conviction.

Leonel exhaled against her skin, and without opening his eyes, whispered,

“You know I can’t stay away from you, Jess... Don’t push me away this morning.”

Jeslyn shut her eyes tight, trying to resist the sensations flooding her body every time his lips brushed her neck.

Her hands gripped his arm—uncertain whether to pull him closer or push him away.

“This is wrong, Leo... We shouldn't be doing this…” she finally said, voice breaking, caught between guilt and a desire she despised.

Leonel slowly opened his eyes, looking at her with weariness—but also honesty.

“Then tell me—what’s right, Jes?”

“We’ve already crossed the line. I don’t want to be rejected now.”

Jeslyn bit her lower lip.

“You belong to me, Jessy. Stop pretending you don’t feel the same,” he said firmly.

“But... I’m going to be your sister-in-law,” she whispered. “This relationship... it has no future.”

Leonel moved in closer, tilting her chin so she had no choice but to look at him.

“Oh? So you do want a future with me?” he asked, his voice full of intensity.

“There’s nothing I can’t take, Jessy. Including taking you away from Jefran.”

Jeslyn stared into his eyes.

“Just say the word. If you want to be with me, I’ll take you from him—today.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she muttered, pulling away and sitting up on the bed.

Leonel followed, sitting beside her.

“This engagement won’t be easy to break. Even if it could, the consequences would affect my family—especially our business ties,” Jeslyn explained.

“So what? You don’t think I’m capable of supporting your family’s business?” Leonel countered.

“It’s not that simple, Leo.”

“Oh? Then tell me—what’s so complicated?” he raised an eyebrow.

“You’ve fallen for Jefran?”

Jeslyn said nothing.

“Oh, right... that night. I remember you told Jefran not to even look at another woman. You demanded all his attention. So… did you really fall for him?”

His voice was calm, but somehow, it radiated something dark—terrifying.

Jeslyn swallowed hard.

That question pierced the deepest corner of her heart.

She knew he wasn’t just teasing. His gaze was too intense. Too deep. Too dangerous.

“I... don’t know,” she finally whispered.

“That’s not an answer,” Leonel narrowed his eyes.

Jeslyn looked away, her eyes landing on the window as morning light began to seep in.

She tried to calm her breath, to organize her chaotic thoughts.

“My feelings… they’re a mess, Leo. I don’t know if it’s love, confusion, or just loneliness.”

“Ah, so that’s it,” Leonel murmured.

“But don’t you dare call what we shared a mistake, Jessy.

I may not know exactly how I feel about you… but I’ve never claimed someone without meaning it.”

He paused.

“You may still be hesitant to let go of Jefran—I won’t force that. But don’t reject me. I hate that more than anything.”

Jeslyn tensed.

His tone had shifted—not just possessive now, but authoritative...

There was an underlying threat in his voice that made her blood run cold.

“You hear me?” Leonel repeated, his voice low, yet each word fired like a bullet straight into her chest.

“Don’t ever reject me, Jessy.”

Jeslyn turned to look at him.

Leonel’s handsome face looked calm… but his eyes burned like embers.

The aura emanating from him was overwhelming, a reminder that he wasn’t just an ordinary man.

“I… I don’t mean to reject you. It’s just—” her voice trembled.

“Just what?”

Leonel leaned closer, lifting her chin again in one decisive motion.

“Don’t you dare talk about a future with another man while I’m still alive and standing right here.”

Jeslyn held her breath.

Her heart pounded so loud, she thought he could hear it.

“Your engagement to Jefran is just a silly arrangement between two power-hungry families.

But me, Jessy… I’m not a man who plays along with games I don’t like.”

Leonel’s face was dangerously close. His words were whispered into her ear—low, dark, and utterly intimidating.

“If I wanted to, I could end things between you and Jefran in a blink. I could take you from him in the open. That’s nothing to me.

But I haven’t done it—because I want you to choose me.

Not because you’re forced to.

Because deep down, you know… I’m the only man who makes you feel alive.”

Jeslyn froze.

Her breath hitched—not just from fear… but from the magnetic, dark pull that Leonel had over her logic.

“Leo…” she whispered—barely audible.

***