CHAPTER 228: CHAPTER 228 RIVALS

The silence that followed was deafening.

Leo’s eyes widened, disbelief flickering across his face before his jaw tightened hard. He leaned back slightly, but his gaze stayed locked on her like he was trying to read her entire soul. "Yes?" he repeated, his voice low, dangerous, as though the word itself didn’t belong in her mouth.

Bella tilted her head, blinking at him innocently. "Mm-hm," she hummed with a tiny nod. "When I was six, in kindergarten, a boy gave me his eraser and said he liked me. So I said yes."

Her lips curved into a sheepish smile as if it was a perfectly normal thing to confess. "But then..." She puffed her cheeks. "The very next day he liked another girl, so I broke up with him."

Leo stared at her, his face caught between shock and something else—relief, frustration, maybe even a flicker of amusement. For a long second, his gray eyes just stayed on her, searching, and then a deep chuckle escaped his chest. He leaned in again, his breath brushing her ear.

"That doesn’t count, Bella," he said, his voice low and hot, laced with something dangerous. "That was a child’s game."

Bella’s eyes went wide, her lips parting slightly as she looked up at him. "But... it still counts," she argued softly, puffing her cheeks again, too innocent to realize how close he was, how his stare burned.

Leo smirked faintly, his lips curving with a mixture of relief and something darker. "No," he said firmly, his hand brushing her hair back with deliberate slowness. "You’ve never had a man. Not a real one."

Her breath hitched at his words, her cheeks flushing deeper. She couldn’t even look at him, her heart hammering as his eyes stayed locked on her, gray and stormy, as if daring her to deny it.

"Alright... what about you??" Bella asked quickly, eager to turn the spotlight on him. Her wide eyes blinked nervously as she looked at his face.

Leo leaned back slightly, his lips curving into that faint, unreadable smirk. "I had one," he said simply.

Bella’s chest tightened. She didn’t like the thought—him with someone else, him loving someone else. Her smile faltered, her expression losing its brightness. "Y-yeah?" she asked quietly, trying to sound casual, but her voice betrayed her.

His gaze stayed steady on her, almost amused at how easily she reacted. "Mm," he hummed, and then his smirk widened. "But she turned out to be a cheater. So..." he paused deliberately, leaning closer, his gray eyes glinting with dark humor, "I killed her." A low chuckle rolled from his chest.

Bella froze, her whole body stiff. Her eyes widened as she stared at him in horror, her lips parting but no sound coming out.

Seeing her expression, Leo couldn’t help himself. A real laugh escaped him this time, deep and rich. He reached out and rubbed her head roughly, his palm warm against her hair. "Don’t worry, little bunny," he teased, his voice low and husky, "I won’t kill you."

Bella’s mouth fell open. "That’s not reassuring at all!!" she burst out, her cheeks flushing red as she puffed her cheeks, glaring at him.

Leo chuckled again, watching her sulk with obvious amusement. "You’re too easy to scare," he said, his gray eyes softening slightly as he looked at her.

Her pout only deepened, but inside her chest, her heart was thumping wildly—not just from fear, but from the way he was looking at her, like she was the only person in his world.

"I-i-i am going to sleep!!" Bella declared dramatically, snatching one of the pillows from the bed and dragging it toward the couch like a little soldier on a mission.

Leo frowned instantly. "No, you can’t sleep there.." he said flatly, the command in his voice raising the hairs on her arms.

Bella thought he wanted to sleep on the couch.

So she turned her head sharply, cheeks puffed. "No! You’re so tall, you can’t even fit on this couch. You’ll break it!" she argued, plopping the pillow down and crossing her arms stubbornly.

His gray eyes narrowed, lips twitching as if holding back a smile. "No, Bella. It’s cold at night. Neither you nor me is going to sleep on the couch."

She blinked, tilting her head, still hugging the pillow like a shield. "So... what do you mean? We should sleep together??" she asked, her voice shooting up at the end in disbelief.

"Of course," he said smoothly, without hesitation, his tone so certain it made her brain go blank for a second.

Bella just stood there, dazed, her eyes wide as if she couldn’t believe he’d said it so easily. Meanwhile, Leo walked calmly toward the wardrobe, pulling it open. His gaze lingered for a moment on the clothes inside—his expensive, pressed shirts hanging neatly alongside her soft dresses and fluffy sweaters. His lips curved upward, a rare genuine smile tugging at his mouth. Maybe he should build her a proper walk-in closet.

He selected his nightwear and disappeared into the bathroom.

When he emerged, he was wearing sleek black pajamas, the fabric clearly expensive, hugging his tall frame perfectly.

But the sight that greeted him made him smile lightly.

Bella had already curled up on the bed, fast asleep. Her small body was cocooned under the blanket, her cheek pressed against Moonbeam, while Snowball and berry guarded her like loyal knights.

Leo’s gray eyes hardened. He stared at the stuffed toys, his jaw tightening. Brats.

Without mercy, he scooped them up one by one and tossed them onto the couch. Moonbeam was snatched out of Bella’s arms, earning a soft sleepy whine from her, but Leo didn’t stop until the bed was cleared of all rivals.

Finally satisfied, he slipped onto his side of the bed. Slowly, carefully, he pulled Bella into his arms. She stirred slightly, adjusting, and then melted against him, her head pressing to his chest as if it belonged there.

A satisfied smile tugged at his lips. Her soft, warm body against his made the tightness in his chest ease, and for the first time in days, he felt a dangerous thought take root.

He didn’t want to let her go. Not now. Not ever.