CHAPTER 21: CHAPTER 21 BUYING PLUSHIE

And with that, Isabella wandered through the shop, touching the toys gently, admiring every one of them like precious treasures.

Her heart ached a little.

When I was little... I used to have six stuffed toys. Papa bought them for me, she remembered. But after Papa and Grandma...

Her chest tightened.

Her uncle had burned them.

Every single one.

She blinked quickly, forcing the tears away.

Not today. Today is a happy day.

Stopping by a shelf filled with colorful crocodile plushies, she picked up one and hugged it lightly to her chest. It was soft. Squishy. Smelled faintly of new cloth and safety.

She smiled sadly, then whispered softly, "Sorry, little guy... I’ll buy you next time."

She set the crocodile back gently, patting its nose.

After all she was free now.

She had a black card in her bag and a shiny new laptop.

And soon, she would earn her own money properly.

I’ll pay my husband back with interest! she thought with a cheeky grin, her heart bubbling with hope.

Maybe... today, she could buy a dream or two for herself.

Finally.

Isabella wandered through the shop a little longer, her eyes sparkling like a child’s in a candy store. She paused in front of a tall shelf where a big, fluffy unicorn plushie sat—its mane pastel-colored, its horn glittering, and tiny stars stitched onto its belly.

Her eyes widened.

"Oh my God," she whispered.

It was so cute.

She hugged it immediately, burying her face into its soft neck. It was like hugging a cloud dipped in sugar.

Then, just below it, she spotted something even more magical.

A soft pink strawberry bunny plushie, with floppy ears and sleepy eyes. It came with a little zipper that could transform it into a strawberry-shaped pillow when folded.

Isabella gasped. "You can transform?!" she whispered to the bunny like it was alive.

It was decided.

These two were hers.

She brought them to the counter with both arms full, her smile shy but excited. The chubby salesgirl was already melting from her adorable joy.

"They’re perfect choices," the girl said, wrapping them carefully in pastel pink bags with bows.

Isabella paid with the black card Leonardo had given her, still planning in her head how she’d return every cent to him. With interest. Maybe with homemade cookies on the side.

Once the bags were packed, Isabella turned and handed them to one of the guards.

He blinked. Then... accepted them without a word.

Now there he stood—six feet of muscle, dressed in full black, sunglasses still on indoors, holding a giant unicorn and a squishy strawberry bunny pillow with an utterly expressionless face.

The store went silent.

People stopped mid-step.

A little girl gasped.

A group of teenagers pulled out their phones.

One child whispered, "Mommy, that scary man stole the unicorn."

"Shh!" the mother replied quickly, dragging her child away. "He’s... helping it. Maybe."

But the guard didn’t blink.

He just stood there, holding the fluffy pastel toys like they were weapons.

And Isabella was too happy to notice the growing crowd of confused stares. She simply smiled and thanked him sweetly, her heart light.

Because for the first time in years...She got to choose something just for herself.

***

Leonardo sat at the head of a long table inside one of his high-rise meeting rooms. The atmosphere was heavy, professional, and tense. His top executives lined both sides of the table, each presenting updates, financials, and security reports.

His one hand rested on the tablet in front of him, while the other tapped slowly against the table’s edge..a habit he had when he was listening and thinking... or slowly losing patience.

Just as his head of international operations began reviewing the quarterly profits, Leonardo’s phone buzzed once beside his tablet.

He didn’t look right away.

But then it buzzed again—the vibration short, distinct.

His fingers paused mid-tap.

With a flick of his thumb, he picked it up and glanced at the screen.

Transaction Alert:

Amount Debited: $1,270.00

Description: Toy & Gift Store - Plush Unicorn & Strawberry Bunny Pillow

Leonardo blinked once.

Then slowly lowered the phone onto the table.

The executives around him kept speaking, unaware that their cold, calculating boss had just received an update that a giant unicorn plushie had been charged to his account.

Leonardo exhaled through his nose, leaned back in his chair, and rubbed his temple once with two fingers.

Strawberry... bunny... pillow?

He didn’t need an explanation.

He knew.

She’s in a toy shop.

Buying things with my card.

His expression didn’t change. Not even a twitch.

But inside He was already planning a very serious conversation with a certain little bunny the moment he got home.

After leaving the toy store, arms swinging lightly, Isabella strolled through the mall with a soft smile on her lips. The unicorn and strawberry bunny were now safely packed, carried by one of her loyal, ever-silent bodyguards—who still looked like a mafia enforcer babysitting magical creatures.

She looked around the mall again, wondering if there was anything else she needed... but honestly?

She didn’t know what to buy.

This was her first real day of freedom.

Her first time shopping like a normal girl.

But after the laptop and the toys, her heart already felt full.

So, she did the next best thing she could think of—

"Ice cream," she whispered to herself, her eyes lighting up like a child spotting treasure.

She quickly headed to the nearest fancy ice cream counter and looked at the colorful tubs lined up behind the glass. Strawberry, mint, pistachio, cookie dough, cotton candy... Her eyes sparkled like stars.

Before placing her order, she turned around and looked up at the towering guards behind her.

"Do you want any?" she asked sweetly, tilting her head.

The guards blinked, clearly not expecting that.

One of them awkwardly shook his head, murmuring, "No, thank you, madam."

The others followed, stiff as ever, trying to avoid eye contact.

Ice cream? While on duty?

Unthinkable.

Also... what would they even choose? Unicorn sparkle flavor?

"Okay," Isabella said with a small giggle, turning back to the counter. She ordered a double scoop—one strawberry, one cotton candy, with sprinkles on top.

As she sat on the bench nearby, licking her ice cream happily, her feet swinging above the floor, she looked like the happiest girl in the world.