MasukI couldn't stop staring at Leonardo."No wonder you reacted the way you did when you saw me dancing with him.”He nodded. "I didn't like seeing him near.”The honesty in his voice made my chest tighten and I looked away. "You could've told me.”"I wanted to." His answer came immediately. "But I wasn't sure why he approached you.”“Well, fair enough.”"We're going to find out why those men came after your family." His voice had become cold and determined. "We'll find out who sent them.”My heart skipped. A strange sense of hope stirred inside me. I'd spent fifteen years trying to figure out why my parents died. For the first time, I had someone standing beside me, someone who understood what it felt like to lose everything.I opened my mouth to respond when my eyes landed on the food containers sitting untouched on the table and already cold. "Oh no."Leonardo followed my gaze to the food and pointed accusingly at me. "This is your fault.""My fault?""You're the one who started talkin
I slowly placed my phone aside, then reached into my bag. "I still have something they left behind."I pulled out a silver chain. The metal had faded over the years, but I kept it polished as much as possible. "My parents gave it to me before they died.”Leonardo studied it carefully.I wrapped my fingers around the pendant."I don't even remember most of that day anymore.” My voice shook. "I was too young.”Then Leonardo quietly asked, "What happened?”"My parents supposedly died in a car accident." My voice trembled. "But my uncle didn't believe it.”Leonardo remained silent, listening."Then two days later, they came for him."Leonardo's eyes narrowed. "They?"I nodded. "Three men, they came asking for a key."Leonardo frowned. "A key?"I nodded again. "They kept saying my parents gave him a key.”I laughed weakly. "The problem was... my uncle didn't know what they were talking about.”I stared at the chain in my hands. Lost in memories I spent years trying to bury."My uncle hid m
"Wow," I muttered. "You switched personalities fast."Adrian ignored me. Leonardo glanced between us suspiciously. "What did I interrupt?""Nothing," Adrian answered so quickly it sounded suspicious.I bit back a laugh. "Absolutely nothing," I agreed.Leonardo looked unconvinced. Before he could question us further, Adrian spoke."We have a problem.”Leonardo's expression hardened. "What happened?”"The shooter poisoned himself this morning before we could question him.”"What?" Leonardo asked quietly."He had a capsule hidden in one of his teeth. By the time the guards realized what happened, it was too late.”A muscle ticked in Leonardo's jaw. "So whoever sent him made sure there won't be a loose end.”I suddenly felt cold, because that meant someone powerful was involved."What about Iris?" Leonardo asked. "Still refusing to cooperate."Adrian sighed. "She won't tell us who funded her but we traced the account used to transfer the money to her.”Leonardo immediately looked up. "An
The first thing I heard was the steady beeping of a machine.My head felt unbearably heavy. A dull throbbing spread through my entire body, making it feel impossible to move.I tried opening my eyes, but everything was blurry. The bright light above me hurt and keeping my eyes open felt impossible.I tried blinking several times until the room slowly came into focus. The ceiling above me looked unfamiliar. White and bright.The moment I attempted to move, a sharp pain shot through my shoulder and upper chest. A groan escaped my lips before I could stop it."Don't move." The deep voice instantly caught my attention.I slowly turned my head. Leonardo was sitting beside my bed and for a second I thought I was hallucinating. He looked terrible, his shirt was wrinkled, his jaw was covered in stubble. Dark circles sat beneath his eyes and he looked like someone who hadn't slept in days. The powerful, perfectly composed Leonardo Blackwood looked completely worn out.Relief flashed across his
Iris stood frozen beside the storage room door. Then slowly… she laughed, until she was practically shaking. The sound echoed through the warehouse.Not because anything was funny. It was the laugh of someone who had finally been caught and no longer cared.Damien frowned then glanced at me. "Okay, she's officially lost it.”Iris stopped laughing and her eyes locked on mine. "You want an explanation?" she asked. “Fine.”She folded her arms. "I've worked for Blackwood Enterprises for seven years.”Nobody interrupted. The warehouse had gone completely silent."For seven years, I stayed late at work, sacrificed my weekends, worked harder than everyone else, and did everything I was asked.”Her voice grew sharper and her eyes became wet with tears. "And when the PA position became available…”My stomach tightened. I already knew where this was going.I thought it was finally my turn.” Iris laughed again. "But then you showed up out of nowhere.” She pointed directly at me."No experience,
The worker was still talking on the phone. “No, I’m not panicking,” he whispered harshly. “I’m saying they found something.”I heard a woman’s muffled voice through the speaker but I couldn’t make out the words.Then the worker snapped. “Well maybe you should come deal with it yourself.”The call ended and the moment he turned and saw us standing there, his entire body froze. Panic flashed across his face before he quickly tried to hide it.“What are you doing here?” he asked.Damien folded his arms. “Interesting question.”The worker straightened. “I was just leaving.” He tried stepping past us.Damien moved into his path immediately. “No, you weren’t.”The worker forced out a laugh. “What do you mean?”I looked directly at him. “You were talking to Iris?.”For a split second, his expression cracked.Then it disappeared. “What?” he scoffed. “No.”“We heard you say her name.”“You heard wrong.” He held up his phone. “I was talking to my mom.”“Your mom’s name is Iris?” Damien asked d
The rest of my conversation with Damien felt normal. He stayed beside me, talking about random things while occasionally making fun of my dramatic relationship with staircases. “You really should avoid anything with steps,” he said casually. “That was one time.” “You fell down an entire stairca
By the time morning came, I somehow ended up back in the garden again with Damien. “You know,” Damien said, lounging lazily across from me, “at this point, I’m starting to think this garden belongs to you.” I rolled my eyes. “Maybe I just enjoy peace.” “You came to the wrong house for that.” A
I immediately looked away. “Nothing.” “That,” he said, pointing toward the direction Leonardo had disappeared, “did not look like nothing.” I grabbed my cup quickly, mostly to avoid eye contact. “You’re being dramatic.” Damien narrowed his eyes. “You just called Leonardo Mr. Blackwood.” I shrug
The words wouldn’t leave my head. Girls like her don’t last around men like Mr. Blackwood. Sooner or later, he’ll remember where he belongs. I hated how much those words stayed with me. Because the worst part? A small, annoying part of me believed them. Every time I closed my eyes, Clarisse’s vo







