CHAPTER 20: CHAPTER 20 NO MERCY FOR TRAITORS

Meanwhile, far from the bright world of luxury malls and innocent smiles, Leonardo was standing in the cold, dim basement of an abandoned warehouse.

His jaw was tight, his sharp gray eyes staring down coldly at the man tied to the chair before him. Blood dripped from the man’s mouth, staining the concrete floor below. The air was thick with the smell of iron, sweat, and fear.

Leonardo, dressed in a dark dress shirt with rolled sleeves, black gloves covering his strong hands, looked like a devil carved straight out of shadow.

There were specks of blood on his sleeves, but he didn’t seem to care.

In fact, he looked even more dangerous like this.

Cold. Silent. Deadly.

The man on the chair whimpered, trembling. "P-please, boss... it—it was a mistake... I didn’t mean—"

Leonardo tilted his head slightly, his voice smooth and deadly quiet.

"A mistake?" he repeated, his lips curving into a sharp, humorless smile.

"You call selling confidential information to my rivals... a mistake?"

The man shook his head rapidly. "I-I needed the money! My family—"

Leonardo cut him off, his tone low and slicing like a knife.

"Your family won’t need anything when you’re six feet under."

The man’s breathing became erratic, his eyes darting toward the exit as if he could somehow run.

Leonardo stepped closer, the sound of his boots echoing in the silent basement.

He crouched down to the man’s eye level, his dark gloved hand grabbing the man’s chin roughly, forcing him to look up.

"I can forgive mistakes," Leonardo said softly, almost kindly. "But betrayal?"

His eyes darkened into something far more terrifying.

"Never."

The man sobbed, tears mixing with the blood on his face. "I-I’ll fix it! I’ll do anything—"

Leonardo leaned in closer, his breath cold against the man’s skin. "You already did something," he whispered.

"And actions," he said, standing up slowly, fixing his bloodstained glove, "have consequences."

He nodded once to the man standing behind him—a tall, shadowy figure in black.

Without a word, the man moved forward.

Leonardo didn’t spare the traitor another glance as he wiped his gloves clean, his movements graceful, precise. The blood didn’t bother him. Lies bothered him. Disloyalty bothered him.

As he walked away from the chair, his mind was already coldly closing that Chapter.

No mercy for traitors.

That was the law in Leonardo Moretti’s world and he enforced it personally.

With blood, if necessary.

After finishing his business in the basement, Leonardo returned to his car, now dressed in a fresh dark shirt tucked perfectly into tailored black pants. His black luxury watch gleamed faintly under the car’s soft lights, the metal cool against his wrist.

He slid into the backseat of the luxurious black car with effortless grace, his posture naturally elegant, one leg casually crossed over the other, his body relaxed but radiating silent power, like a king seated in his private court.

The driver started the engine smoothly, the world outside vanishing behind the deep tinted windows.

Leonardo pulled out his tablet, the slim device flickering to life in his hand, and began scrolling through reports—business expansions, confidential updates, investment movements. His sharp gray eyes moved quickly, catching details faster than any assistant could.

Everything was under control.

Until—

Ping.

His phone vibrated beside him.

Leonardo didn’t look immediately. He finished reading a line on his tablet first before calmly reaching for the expensive black phone sitting near his side.

He picked it up, frowning slightly when he saw the notification flashing across the screen:

Transaction Alert:

Amount: $83,700 Debited from Your Account.

Description: Exclusive Laptop Purchase.

Leonardo’s finger stilled on the screen.

His eyes narrowed.

Eighty-three thousand, seven hundred dollars.

Laptop purchase.

For a second, he simply stared at the glowing message.

He hadn’t bought anything today. He wasn’t even within miles of a shopping mall.

And then it hit him—

Isabella.

His jaw tensed.

He leaned back into the leather seat, tossing his tablet onto the empty seat beside him with a bit more force than necessary.

That little bunny...

She bought a laptop.

A laptop worth the price of a limited-edition sports car.

Leonardo closed his eyes, inhaled slowly, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the armrest, trying to suppress the strange mix of irritation, disbelief, and something dangerously close to curiosity rising inside him.

What on earth did she buy? A laptop that could hack NASA?

The corner of his mouth twitched, but not in amusement.

No.

He was absolutely going to ask her about it tonight.

And she better have a very good explanation.

**

Isabella had no idea what was waiting for her back at the villa.

Right now, she was in her own little bubble of happiness—standing in the middle of a stuffed toy shop that looked like it had been built straight out of her childhood dreams.

Behind her, her serious-faced bodyguards followed dutifully...and regretted all their life choices.

They were men used to blood, guns, and dark warehouses—not aisles full of teddy bears, bunnies, and pastel unicorns.

Big, towering men dressed in black suits, sunglasses perched on their noses, standing stiffly among colorful shelves of toys.

The sight was so intimidating that even little kids started crying.

"Shhh! They’re not kidnappers!" one mom whispered nervously to her five-year-old son, pulling him closer.

The guards glanced at each other awkwardly.

Well... one of them thought dryly, we have kidnapped people before... just not children and lnoccent people.

Still, they stood there, loyal and silent, while Isabella bounced from shelf to shelf with shining eyes.

Her cheeks flushed a soft pink, glowing with excitement as she admired the rows of stuffed toys.

There were teddy bears in every size, soft crocodiles with floppy legs, bright plush dragons, and chubby penguins wearing tiny hats.

The sales assistant, a cute chubby girl with warm eyes, noticed her awe and asked sweetly, "Which one would you like, miss?"

Isabella turned, her brown eyes sparkling. "Can I look around first?" she asked politely.

"Of course!" the salesgirl beamed.

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