CHAPTER 193: CHAPTER 193 VISIT

Bella laughed again, shaking her head. "Well, you did live under a bridge..."

"By choice!" Jace interrupted, raising a finger like a lawyer making his final point. "It was free rent. And very scenic. The pigeons were my neighbors."

She burst out laughing, almost spilling her juice. "You’re unbelievable."

"Unbelievably handsome," he corrected with a wink.

Bella groaned and shoved a small plate of biscuits toward him. "Here. Eat. Before I regret letting you in."

"Too late," Jace said with a smirk, taking a biscuit. "I’m staying now. And maybe... I’ll even win over your scary husband."

Bella choked on her juice at that.

***

Meanwhile, Leo sat in his office, the glow of his laptop screen casting a pale light across his face, but his eyes weren’t moving over the documents in front of him. He was supposed to be finalizing details for a weapons shipment—something that normally kept his full attention—but today his mind was a thousand miles away, stuck back at home with Bella... and him.

The thought alone was enough to make his jaw tighten. With a sharp exhale, he reached into his desk drawer and tapped the small control panel hidden inside. One of the monitors on his wall flickered to life, showing the living room feed from the cameras he had installed for "security purposes."

At first, the sight eased him slightly—Bella was on the couch with a plate of snacks, the maids moving quietly in the background. She was smiling, and for a moment, he almost allowed himself to relax.

Until that man—Jace—leaned in, grinning like he owned the place, and tugged at her cheeks playfully.

Leo’s hands curled into fists on the armrests, his knuckles turning pale. His chest tightened with something he refused to name, and he could feel the heat rising at the back of his neck.

"Breath in... breath out..." he muttered under his breath, forcing himself to lean back in his chair.

His gaze stayed locked on the screen for a moment longer, watching Bella swat Jace’s hands away with a laugh that was just a little too bright for Leo’s liking. He tore his eyes away and forced his attention back to the open laptop in front of him.

Weapons, contracts, shipment routes—cold, familiar territory. That was what he needed to focus on. Not the way her smile looked when she was talking to another man.

But even as he scrolled through the files, he could still imagine her laugh echoing in the back of his mind, and it only made his grip on the mouse tighten until it creaked.

**

After office hours, Leo didn’t drive home immediately. Instead, he turned his car toward St. Clarion General Hospital. Emilio DeLuna had always treated him with respect, and after everything that happened, Leo felt it was only right to visit.

The VVIP ward on the third floor was quiet, its air heavy with the faint scent of antiseptic. When he stepped into the room, Reyna DeLuna’s face brightened the moment she saw him.

"Leonardo?" she said warmly, her smile carrying both fatigue and relief. She was still recovering from her own injuries—her arm in a soft sling, faint bruises along her temple but the deeper wound was the one in her heart, watching her husband in this condition. Even so, there was no regret in her eyes when it came to cutting ties with her daughter.

"Aunt, how is Uncle’s condition?" Leo asked as his gaze shifted to Emilio. The man lay still on the bed, his body wrapped in clean white bandages. An IV line dripped steadily into his wrist, and a small device was clipped near his temple and eye to monitor his vitals. The slow rise and fall of his chest was a reassuring sight, though the stillness around him carried its own weight.

Reyna’s smile softened, tinged with sadness. "He’s... stable now. Sometimes he wakes for a short while. But when he does..." Her voice broke slightly. "He calls for the angel who saved him."

Leo’s brows drew together. "Bella?"

"Yes," Reyna nodded, her lips trembling between guilt and affection. "To be honest, I want to see her myself. But I feel ashamed after hearing from my aunt... what my daughter did to her." Her voice lowered with the weight of her own disappointment. "Slapping the very person who saved your parents—how can a mother not feel humiliated?"

"Aunt, don’t think like that," Leo said gently, setting down the fruit basket he had brought. "Bella doesn’t blame you. She never once thought it was your fault."

"Thank goodness," Reyna breathed out, her shoulders relaxing a little. "Do you think I could meet her? Just once?"

"I’ll ask her," he replied, and Reyna’s smile brightened.

"I’m already excited to meet her," she admitted with a small chuckle, almost shy at the thought.

Leo’s lips curved faintly. "She’s... someone worth meeting."

"I’m sorry about Alexa," Reyna suddenly said, her voice dipping low.

Leo’s expression hardened slightly, his mouth pressing into a firm line. "Aunt, you don’t need to apologize for her. She wasn’t in the right state of mind," he said evenly, though privately his thoughts were far sharper—state of mind or not, some actions are beyond forgiveness.

Reyna sighed. "Right. I’m tired of correcting her. She’s stubborn. But... I still believe that one day life will teach her the lesson she needs. When it does, she’ll find the right path again. I have faith in God for that."

Leo almost told her the truth—that Alexa had walked so far down the wrong road there might not be a path back—but seeing the mist gathering in Reyna’s eyes, he kept his words to himself.

"I thought it was better to keep my distance from her," Reyna continued, "and... I’ve been thinking about opening an orphanage."

That caught him off guard. "An orphanage?"

"Yes," Reyna smiled, though her voice softened. "I love children, Leonardo. I thought... why not use the savings I put aside for Alexa to help kids who truly deserve it? Better living conditions, better care... You remember the land on the west side?"

Leo nodded. "Of course."

"My cousin is helping me with the project," she said, her eyes lighting up a little.

"That’s good work," Leo said sincerely. "If you ever need funds, I’m always ready to help."