CHAPTER 337: CHAPTER 337 DANGEROUS JOKE

Leo’s eyes narrowed instantly. He didn’t move for several seconds. His jaw flexed once, and the air around him turned heavier, darker, as if the temperature had just dropped ten degrees.

"He’s joking," Bella said quickly, her smile tight as she tried to defuse the sudden tension.

Across the table, Scarlett and Zeke exchanged helpless looks. Which friend digs a grave for his own buddy like that? Both of them silently agreed Jason and Dominic were professional backstabbers disguised as friends.

Meanwhile, Dominic, still pretending to sleep, was cursing Jason’s entire family tree. Great. Just great. Leo probably didn’t even know about the debt, but now he’s going to see me as a rival and try to kill me.

"Joking?" Leo’s voice was calm, but the kind of calm that made the hair on the back of Jason’s neck stand up. His gray eyes lifted slowly, pinning Jason in place like a knife through glass.

Jason’s grin faltered. "No, no, bro! I mean—uh—it’s not a joke! He actually said that! That’s why it’s funny, right? Right?"

Bella groaned and buried her face in her hands, her cheeks burning. Leo’s expression didn’t even twitch, but somehow the air around him grew colder, sharper, like a storm quietly gathering force.

"Leo..." Bella spoke softly, forcing a small yawn. "I’m feeling sleepy. Can we go home?"

The moment she spoke, the tension in his jaw loosened. His eyes softened instantly. Without a word, he stood up, extended his hand toward her, and said simply, "Let’s go."

Bella looked at his hand, large and strong, before placing her smaller one inside it. His fingers wrapped around hers protectively as he helped her up, his touch firm but gentle. With a final look that made every man in the room shift uncomfortably, he guided her toward the door.

Once the door closed behind them, silence lingered for three full seconds.

Then Dominic shot up straight like someone had poured boiling water down his back. "You little shit!" he shouted, lunging across the couch toward Jason. "Do you have a death wish? You want me to get killed?"

Jason yelped, dodging him by an inch. "I panicked! I panicked, okay? He looked at me like he could see my soul!"

"Good! Maybe he’ll come collect it when he’s done killing me!" Dominic roared, trying to grab him by the collar, but Jason ducked and ran in circles around the table. "You idiot! I already owe that man money, and now you’ve added murder motive to it!"

Zeke was doubled over laughing, tears in his eyes. "Oh my god, please, keep going. I’ve never seen a live execution rehearsal before."

Scarlett sighed, rubbing her temple. "And people say I’m dramatic."

Zion chuckled softly, leaning back against the couch, his sharp eyes following the chaos with mild amusement. "They’re going to break the furniture," he said casually. He didn’t understand why that guy had been pretending to sleep in front of Leo, but to be honest, it was both amusing and entertaining.

Scarlett turned to him, exasperated. "You’re not going to stop them?"

"No," he said with a smirk. "It’s entertaining."

"Unbelievable," she muttered.

Jason, now hiding behind a chair, yelled, "Scarlett, do something!"

"I’m thinking about it," she said dryly, crossing her arms. "Though watching you get strangled is very tempting right now."

Finally, Dominic tripped over the rug and landed beside the couch, glaring up at the ceiling in defeat. "That’s it. I’m dead. He’s going to find me, bury me, and use my bones as paperweights."

Zeke snorted. "You’d look great as modern art."

Scarlett sighed and turned to Zion again, trying to tune out the noise. "Do you want to have a drink together?" she asked softly, her tone hesitant but warm.

Zion’s sharp expression relaxed instantly, a rare smile touching his lips. "Yeah," he said quietly, his voice low and smooth. "I’d like that."

Scarlett smiled faintly in return as Jason and Dominic continued their screaming match in the background.

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The drive was silent, too silent. Only the sound of the engine filled the air, low and steady like a warning growl. Bella sat in the passenger seat, her small hands fidgeting in her lap, afraid to even breathe too loudly. The soft glow of the dashboard lights painted Leo’s face in shades of cold blue, and she could feel his anger, not loud or violent, but deep, controlled, and frighteningly quiet.

His gray eyes, usually calm and cool like silver, were now dark as a gathering storm. Every flicker of passing streetlight reflected off them like lightning flashes. His jaw was tight, a faint muscle ticking near his temple, and his lips were pressed into a line so sharp it looked carved from stone.

Bella, who had felt lightheaded and warm from the fruit wine minutes ago, was now completely sober. Her heart thudded softly as her gaze fell on his hands gripping the steering wheel. His knuckles were pale from the pressure, veins standing out against his skin. Every turn of the wheel looked like he was holding himself back, from words, from emotions, from something much deeper.

She wanted to speak, to break the heavy silence, but his presence was suffocating. He wasn’t shouting, he wasn’t scolding her, and that made it even worse.

When the red light stopped them, Leo’s hand shifted suddenly. He rested one arm on the door, the other still gripping the wheel, his head turning slightly toward her. His voice came low, rough, almost a growl. "You enjoyed yourself, didn’t you?"

Bella blinked, unsure what to say. "I did. They’re my friends, Leo. They mean no harm."

His eyes flicked toward her, unreadable. "Friends," he repeated softly, like the word itself tasted wrong. Then he turned his gaze forward again, tapping his thumb once on the wheel before gripping it tighter.

The red light washed his face in a dangerous glow. "Do your friends usually talk about marrying someone else’s wife?" he asked coldly.

Bella’s heart skipped. "That was just—"

"I know," he cut in smoothly, though his voice wasn’t calm anymore. It was too even, too measured, like he was speaking through clenched teeth. "A joke, right? That’s what everyone keeps saying."