CHAPTER 203: CHAPTER 203 IGNORING JAY AND JACE

Her stomach flipped, half with embarrassment, half with... something she didn’t want to name. That’s why they’re teasing me like vultures circling their prey.

She gripped the fridge handle a little tighter, her face still warm. Ugh... so embarrassing. I’m not giving them the satisfaction.

Straightening her back, she walked out holding a glass of water, head high, not even glancing at the couch where Jay and Jace were whispering like conspirators.

"Bella Bell—" Jay started, but she breezed right past him as if he were just another piece of furniture.

"Hey—are you ignoring us now?" Jace called lazily, amusement dripping from his voice.

She sipped her water, eyes forward, pace steady. Yes. I am going to ignore you both until you get bored and find someone else to torture.

Behind her, Jay clutched his chest dramatically. "Oh no, she’s really doing it. She’s giving us the silent treatment."

Jace chuckled under his breath. "Must’ve been quite a morning if she’s this determined to run away."

Bella didn’t turn around. But the tips of her ears were a dead giveaway—they were bright red.

When Leo came downstairs, the first thing he noticed was Bella sitting alone at the far end of the couch, sipping her water with an expression of forced calm. Jay and Jace, on the other hand, were lounging opposite her, their eyes locked on her like hawks tracking prey. They weren’t even subtle about it — their smirks said we know something.

Leo’s jaw flexed. Without saying a word to either of them, he strode to the dining table and took a seat at the head chair. A moment later, the soft sound of slippers on the floor made him glance up — Bella was following him, carefully placing herself in the chair beside his.

That’s when he realized.

She hadn’t spared Jay or Jace so much as a glance. Not even a fake smile. She was ignoring them completely.

A slow, dangerous kind of excitement curled in his chest. Well, well... she’s only looking at me today? His lips almost curved. I should take full advantage of this.

He leaned back in his chair, letting his arm rest lazily along the back of hers so that the space between them suddenly felt a lot smaller. "Good morning, wife," he murmured low, his tone warm enough to melt butter.

Bella’s cheeks instantly colored, but she didn’t move away. "Morning..." she muttered, eyes on her plate.

Across the room, Jay’s eyes narrowed. "Wife? Since when are you this polite?"

Leo didn’t even look at him. Instead, he tilted his head toward Bella, his voice low enough that only she could hear. "Ignore them. Just look at me."

She blinked at him, startled, but the deep rumble in his voice made her heart do a strange flip. "I... I wasn’t looking at them anyway," she said defensively, but the corners of her lips twitched upward.

"Good." His thumb brushed the edge of her chair as if to anchor her there, his expression lazy but his gaze far too intent. "I like it when you listen."

Jay made a face. "What are you two whispering about?"

"None of your business," Leo answered smoothly, still watching Bella. Then, in a tone that was pure provocation, he added, "You two can eat somewhere else if you can’t stop staring."

Jace chuckled, shaking his head. "Wow... possessive much?"

Leo finally looked at them, his eyes cool and sharp. "I’d call it protecting what’s mine."

Bella froze, heat rushing to her ears. What’s his?!

Jay groaned loudly. "Ugh, I’ve lost my appetite."

Leo just smirked and went back to buttering Bella’s toast for her — slowly, deliberately, like he had all the time in the world.

Jay still couldn’t make sense of it. The last time he’d checked, Leo and Bella barely tolerated being in the same room together. And now...look at them.

And Leo’s eyes—God, Jay could swear they looked different, darker somehow, like a predator that had just decided you might be worth hunting.

"Jay," Leo said at last, his voice low and smooth but carrying a Chillness that made the room feel colder. "When are you planning to go to Sahravine?"

Sahravine was a small country, dry and hot, where the sun burned all day and even a short walk could steal your breath.

Jay shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "I’ll... go later."

"No." The single word was like a blade across glass—quiet, but impossible to ignore. Leo’s gaze pinned him in place. "You’ve been avoiding this trip for three months. You need to report to headquarters."

Jay swallowed, trying to laugh it off. "Bro, I can’t adjust to that environment... it’s so dry and hot there, what if I faint or something?"

"Then take him with you." Leo’s eyes flicked toward Jace, his tone flat and unyielding.

"What? No—" Jace’s protest cut short as Leo’s attention turned fully on him.

"No?" The word rolled off Leo’s tongue almost lazily, but his expression shifted—sharp angles and a dangerous stillness settling over him. "You’re living under my roof. Eating the food I provide. Breathing the air I allow you to breathe. If you don’t do as I say..." His voice trailed off into silence, the kind that left too much room for the imagination. But the glint in his eyes promised something Jace wanted no part of.

Jay felt his stomach knot. Bella stiffened at the sound of that voice, her gaze snapping toward Leo. She realised, with a small chill, that he had been holding himself back around her all this time.

Jace’s shoulders sagged. "Fine," he muttered.

Jay forced a shaky smile. "Bro, we’ll leave... hahah, I mean—we’ll leave overnight."

Leo didn’t answer.

*****

"You actually called me here just to meet me?" Alexa slid into the seat opposite Stella, crossing one leg over the other with deliberate grace.

"I’ve heard a lot about you," Stella said, her smile soft but her eyes glinting like polished steel as they lingered on Alexa.

"I know," Alexa replied, tipping her head with a slow roll of her eyes. "I am popular."

Stella’s smile didn’t waver, but Alexa caught the faintest twitch at the corner of her lips—a tell she was already biting back a retort.

"Let’s skip the small talk," Alexa continued, leaning forward just enough for her shadow to spill across the table. "I don’t have patience like you."

"Then I’ll come to the point," Stella said, matching her movement so they were almost mirror images. "We share enemies. That could make us friends... or at least allies."

Alexa’s mouth curved upward, the expression carrying more menace than warmth. "Isabella?" she asked softly, the name rolling off her tongue like a dare.