Chapter 89

Leonel’s steps halted at the edge of the door leading to the rooftop. His gaze froze as he saw Jeslyn crying in Jefran’s embrace. His breath caught, as if a harsh hand were choking his throat. His heart felt both crushed and burned by jealousy and pain.

Jeslyn didn’t notice his presence, nor did Jefran. Only the faint shadow of Leonel’s figure was illuminated by the rooftop lights.

“So this is… the truth?” Leonel thought. His eyes burned red—not just from the cold snow but from the pain spreading rapidly through his chest.

“I love Jefran.” Jeslyn’s words echoed in his mind again, like a knife piercing directly into his heart.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. “Jeslyn…” he whispered softly. “I’ve been waiting for you all this time. My feelings for you never changed—the woman who gave me warm chocolate, who gave me warmth when I was lost and confused,” Leonel thought bitterly.

“Why? Can’t you love me?” he asked himself, unaware that tears were forming in his reddened eyes.

Then came the sound of a helicopter descending slowly, making Jefran and Jeslyn release their embrace. They both turned toward the helicopter.

“Sir?” Blade’s voice came from behind Leonel. “The helicopter has landed.”

Leonel snapped out of his trance, nodded briefly, and walked forward. Jefran and Jeslyn watched him, their gazes meeting for a brief moment.

Jeslyn saw Leonel turn his face away, as if she and Jefran didn’t exist. He walked toward the landed helicopter, where a man was already opening the door for him.

The snow whirled violently, stirred by the helicopter blades, intensifying the tension. Jeslyn stood frozen, her heart pounding as she watched Leonel pass by without looking back. That brief glance had already erected an impenetrable wall between them.

“Leonel?” Jeslyn whispered softly, her voice drowned out by the roar of the helicopter.

Jefran furrowed his brow, sensing the coldness in Leonel’s gaze before the man turned away. Something had changed—something piercing—as if Leonel had just buried all his feelings.

Blade stood upright by the helicopter, bowing respectfully as Leonel entered the cabin. The metal door closed slowly, creating a cold echo in Jeslyn’s ears.

As the helicopter lifted off, Jeslyn could no longer hold back her tears. They fell relentlessly, blurring her vision of Leonel’s figure as he gradually disappeared behind the glass. A strange pain surged in her chest, a mix of regret, fear of loss, and an incomprehensible wound.

“Jeslyn,” Jefran called softly, trying to calm her, but she only shook her head.

Inside the helicopter, Leonel leaned back, his jaw clenched tightly. His hands gripped the seat with white-knuckled intensity. Through the glass, he could faintly see Jeslyn crying. His body felt empty, as if all the heat inside him had been drained.

“From now on, I won’t let anyone pierce my defenses again. Not even her!” Leonel thought, staring coldly at Jeslyn.

The helicopter tore through the night sky, carrying Leonel away—not only from the rooftop but also from the heart he had just frozen.

“What do you mean, Jeslyn?” Adrian asked, shocked by her words.

Jeslyn stared at her parents intensely. “May I know… why did Leonel kill Julio?” she asked, her gaze icy.

“You don’t trust your own father, Jes?” Adrian’s anger flared.

“No. I just want to know. No matter how cruel a person is, they’re not insane. They wouldn’t kill without a reason. So tell me—why did Leonel kill Julio? What’s the reason?” Jeslyn asked, her eyes brimming with tears.

The living room fell silent. Only the ticking of the clock pierced the heavy atmosphere, counting each second with sharp precision.

Jeslyn’s mother lowered her head, her fingers clasped anxiously in her lap. Adrian, Jeslyn’s father, was red-faced, holding back his emotions.

“Jeslyn! Don’t ever speak that name in this house again!” he shouted, fists clenched on the table. “You know nothing about Leonel! He—he’s taken the most precious person from us. And now you dare ask why?”

“But Father,” Jeslyn’s voice trembled, yet her gaze remained sharp. “That’s why I’m asking. If Julio died at Leonel’s hands, I have the right to know why. I need to know the truth. Don’t just tell me what happened without giving me the reason.”

Tears fell from Jeslyn’s eyes, but she kept her head high. “I lost Julio. I was destroyed when it happened. If Leonel killed Julio for business reasons, I would hate him. I swear to you, Father, I would throw him in prison myself! But,” she hesitated, “if the evidence is wrong and Leonel never killed Julio, I will apologize to him. I cannot live my life under such uncertainty. I love him, I cannot deny it. But if he really did kill Julio, I will turn this love into a weapon to destroy him!”

Adrian went silent, his breath heavy, fists clenched until his knuckles whitened. His face trembled, caught between anger and worry.

“Jeslyn! Do you realize what you just said?” he exploded, more out of fear than anger.

Jeslyn’s mother quickly turned, tears in her eyes. “Jeslyn, don’t speak like that, my child. You don’t know how dangerous it is to provoke him. You just need to stay away.”

Jeslyn shook her head violently, tears streaming down her face. “Precisely because I don’t know, I want to know! Mom, Dad, I’m no longer a child you can protect with lies. If Leonel is truly guilty, I want to see the evidence with my own eyes.”

Adrian slammed his hand on the table, making the vase on top shake. “Leonel is a killer! He took your twin brother’s life—that’s a fact! Do you think your father is lying?!”

Jeslyn stared back at him, eyes red and wet. “I’m not saying Father lied. I’m saying I never heard the reason! Julio wasn’t an angel, Father. I know that. He had a dark side you hid. Does that connect to Leonel? What did Julio do that made Leonel have to kill him?”

The room fell silent again. Jeslyn’s mother covered her face with her hands, shoulders trembling. “Adrian, that’s enough. We can’t keep hiding it anymore.”

Adrian turned sharply, his voice low but threatening. “What do you mean? Don’t speak.”

But her mother lifted her face, tears flowing freely. “Jeslyn has the right to know the truth, about who Julio really was. And about the reason why Leonel—” Her voice broke, “why Leonel ended up doing it.”

Jeslyn held her breath, her heart racing. “So it’s true? There’s a reason?!” she exclaimed, almost in disbelief.

Her mother looked at her with grief-filled eyes. “Yes, Julio wasn’t the victim you thought he was, Jeslyn. He was on another mission. Your father and Mr. William Clovies sent Julio and his team to kill Leonel while he was in Brazil.”

Thump.

“So?” Jeslyn asked, tears streaming.

“Maria, stop!” Adrian shouted.

“Julio died because of his own actions. He planted a time bomb in Leonel’s residence, unaware that Leonel was clever. He trapped Julio and his men there, and they died because of the weapon they set up themselves,” Maria said, sobbing.

Hearing this, Jeslyn’s body went limp, her spirit shattered, unable to speak after learning the shocking truth.

***