CHAPTER 428: CHAPTER 428 ALAN WANTED HER

"I don’t want," Bella insisted, her voice tiny and flustered, her cheeks warm all the way to her ears.

Leo leaned a little closer, lowering his head until she could feel his breath near her cheek. "Bunny, you’re so shy. We’ve kissed many times. You’re already experienced... natural..." His lips curved into a slow smirk. "So why are you acting like you don’t want it when you clearly can’t stop staring at my lips?"

Bella froze as if someone had caught her stealing cookies.

Her eyes widened.

Her mouth fell open.

And her whole face turned a deeper shade of red.

Feeling exposed and betrayed by her own eyes, she roared with the frustration of a tiny lion cub. "No! I don’t want! You, you, you just want kissy missy!"

And without another word, she spun around and ran.

Leo blinked once.

Twice.

Completely stunned.

Then he sighed helplessly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Kissy missy? Bunny... what does that even mean..."

But she was already halfway down the hallway, her gown swishing behind her like she was fleeing a crime scene.

Leo followed her with long, unhurried strides. Strides that somehow overtook her running. His legs were too long, and Bella’s frustrated little steps were no match.

"Bunny, stop running," he said, almost laughing.

"No!" she shouted without slowing down, her voice high and adorable.

Leo reached her in three steps.

He slid one arm around her waist from behind, effortlessly lifting her off the floor. Bella squeaked, her feet kicking in the air as he picked her up like she weighed nothing.

"Put me down! I’m angry!" she said, crossing her arms as he turned her to face him.

Leo gently set her onto the carpet but didn’t let go of her waist. Their faces were close, her blush still burning brightly. She pouted up at him with her lips pushed forward, her eyebrows scrunched, and her tiny nose wrinkled in the most dramatic angry expression.

He stared at her for a moment in disbelief.

Because she wasn’t intimidating at all.

She looked like an upset bunny trying to scare a wolf.

"You..." Bella growled, trying her best to stay fierce, "...don’t tease me."

Leo brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek, his touch soft, his eyes warm in a way that made her stomach flip. "I wasn’t teasing," he murmured, leaning in just a little. "I was simply telling the truth."

Bella glared harder, though her pout only grew cuter, her hands balled into tiny fists near her chest.

"You’re impossible," she muttered.

"And you’re adorable," he replied without hesitation.

Bella looked away quickly, her blush blooming all over again.

Leo chuckled under his breath, unable to help himself, and gently tightened his hold on her waist. "Come here, bunny... at least look at me."

"No," she whispered, still pouting.

"Then I’ll make you," he said softly, tilting her chin up with a single finger.

Bella’s breath caught.

And her pout melted into something softer, something shy and warm, as she finally lifted her eyes to meet his.

Up close, his eyes looked nothing like the icy, unreadable ones she had first known. They were still deep and stormy, like a night sky heavy with clouds, but something inside them had changed. They weren’t distant anymore. They weren’t cold. They weren’t empty.

They were looking only at her.

Bella felt her breath tighten when she saw the way the light reflected in them, clear and glassy and gentle, almost shining with an affection he no longer knew how to hide. Anyone else would have been intimidated by those sharp eyes and the strong brows that made his face look even more masculine, but she could only see the softness he kept just for her.

She swallowed, her chest tightening with emotions she didn’t know how to express.

Is this really the same man?

The same Leo who once looked at the world with no warmth at all?

The same man whose eyes revealed nothing, no matter what he felt?

Now he stood in front of her with a gaze so full of feeling that her cheeks warmed and her heartbeat stumbled.

His thumb brushed lightly over her waist, grounding her.

Her fingers curled into the fabric of his jacket without her realizing it.

She felt small, held, and completely overwhelmed.

"L-let’s go..." she whispered, turning her face slightly to hide her blush. Her voice trembled, and she hated how obvious it was.

Leo didn’t move.

He just looked at her, his expression softening as he watched her try to escape the intensity between them. Then he leaned down slightly, close enough that she felt his breath brush her cheek.

"Why?" he murmured, his voice low. "We’re not in a hurry."

Bella’s heart fluttered painfully. She felt so shy.

She lifted her hand to adjust her hair, but her fingers trembled, betraying her.

"I... I feel strange," she admitted under her breath.

Leo’s brows lifted slightly. "Strange?"

Bella nodded quickly, her eyes lowering. "...Your eyes look different. They’re warm. They’re... too much."

A small chuckle escaped him, soft and breathy, and he dipped his head closer so only she could hear it. "They look like this only for you."

Bella blinked up at him, stunned.

He smiled faintly, a warm little curve of his lips that made her chest tighten again.

She pressed her hand lightly against his chest, her face turning red. "L-let’s really go, Leo..."

He finally gave in, gently taking her hand and lacing their fingers together. "Alright," he whispered, giving her hand a soft squeeze, "let’s go."

...

Alan stood alone near the back of the ballroom, his eyes following Bella restlessly. He held his wine glass loosely, but his fingers trembled every few seconds. Every time she smiled, every time she touched her hair shyly, he felt something twist inside him. Something sharp and painful, yet strangely hopeful.

He just needed one chance.

Just one small moment where he could stand close to her, speak to her, tell her everything.

He didn’t care that she was married.

He didn’t care that Leo kissed her in front of everyone.

He didn’t care that she seemed happy beside him right now.

In Alan’s mind, none of that mattered. What mattered was the tiny hope stubbornly sitting in his heart, the belief that Bella would love him back after his confession.

He didn’t think Leo deserved her.

Leo was cold, serious, difficult, closed off. How long could Bella stay happy with a man like that? She would get tired eventually, he told himself. She would look for someone who understood softness, someone who knew how to make her feel cherished every day. After all, Leo was a cold, dry man. He wasn’t capable of confession or coaxing or pleasing or gifting women, things Alan believed he was skilled at with his own experience.

Alan swallowed hard, eyes locked on her delicate smile.

He imagined her choosing him one day. He imagined taking her hand and pulling her close. He imagined whispering things that would make her blush and hide her face. He imagined her leaning on him, trusting him, loving him.

The thought alone made his heartbeat quicken. It made his mind drift to places where Bella stood beside him instead of Leo. He felt a strange confidence rising, the kind that convinced him he could make her happy if she just gave him a single chance.

"She will come to me," he thought, smiling quietly to himself, his eyes softening as he watched her. "One day... she will understand."

His grip on the wine glass tightened again, his breath turning uneven as longing and jealousy tangled inside him. And he kept staring, waiting, hoping, believing that Bella would be his.