CHAPTER 395: CHAPTER 395 GROUP

Meanwhile, Leo let out a soft breath of laughter after Jay stormed off, his shoulders shaking a little as he rubbed his forehead. The video call was still open, his parents and Nonna staring back with wide, blinking eyes, completely unsure of what had just happened.

Leo did not bother to hide his irritation. His expression settled back into the cool, unreadable look he used in business meetings, calm and bored enough to make anyone hesitate to speak. Without saying a single word, he reached out and clicked the call off.

Faces disappeared.

The screen went black.

Silence filled the room.

Bella blinked at him from the stool beside him, her lips forming the softest little pout. "At least you should have let me say goodbye," she complained, her voice warm and small as if she were genuinely saddened by the abrupt end.

Leo did not even pretend to care. He turned his chair toward her and rested his elbow on the table, leaning closer with a lazy, dangerous calm that came naturally to him. "They have seen you plenty," he muttered, brushing his knuckles lightly against her cheek as though she were a kitten sulking for attention. "They will survive without another goodbye."

Bella huffed and crossed her arms, her cheeks puffing up adorably in protest.

Leo’s eyes softened instantly.

He raised his hand and tapped her forehead gently with one finger. "Do not pout," he said in a low voice, a hint of playful warning curling through it. "You look too cute when you pout. People will think I bullied you."

Bella blinked again, startled, and her pout vanished into a shy little smile.

And Leo, who had been irritated only moments ago, felt something warm settle quietly in his chest.

Her brief shyness faded as quickly as it appeared. A small frown creased her forehead as she straightened on the chair, brushing her hair behind her ear and looking at him with a seriousness that made her seem far too responsible.

"You did not bully me," she said firmly but softly. "But you should have let me say goodbye. They will misunderstand and think we are being rude."

Before Leo could even open his mouth, she was already unlocking her phone with determined little taps, sitting straighter as though preparing an official apology letter for a school mistake. Her fingers moved fast, writing heartfelt lines to Alessandro, Lina, and Nonna, each message warm, polite, and full of gratitude.

Leo watched her in complete disbelief.

She typed, "Sorry I could not say goodbye properly. Thank you for the call. I really appreciate your support."

She typed again, "Nonna, I miss you too. Take care."

She even added, "Mom, Dad, please rest well."

Leo stared at her speechlessly.

"Bella," he finally said, voice flat.

She hummed in acknowledgment, not looking up for even a second as she fixed what she believed he had ruined.

Leo dragged his palm down his face slowly. "I disconnected the call in one second," he muttered. "And here you are writing a novel."

Bella did not stop typing. "Because that is manners," she said simply.

Leo inhaled sharply through his nose, helpless.

He leaned back in his chair, watching as she adjusted her messages again and again, adding a smiley face, deleting it, adding it back, and then changing her punctuation three times.

After finally finishing her message edits, Bella slipped her phone into her hand with a relieved exhale. Leo, who had watched her type and retype every sentence as if she were handling a diplomatic crisis, finally reached the limit of his patience.

He leaned a little closer, speaking in a tone caught between exasperation and fondness. "You are a hacker, right? Make a program that sends replies for you. One goodbye is enough."

Bella blinked at him, her expression an adorable mix of indignation and innocence. "Good idea," she said honestly, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "But it needs to sound genuine."

Leo stared at her for a beat.

Then another.

"Of course you want that," he muttered softly, almost to himself.

But Bella did not notice his suffering at all. She brightened as the replies from Alessandro, Lina, and Nonna came in. "Take care, sweetheart," "Rest well." Each message made her smile slowly bloom like a soft flower.

"See? They did not misunderstand anything," she said proudly.

Leo gave her a long, defeated look. "Because you wrote six paragraphs," he whispered to himself.

She did not hear it.

Finally, she hit send on her last message, closed her phone with a satisfied nod, and hopped off the chair like a child finishing homework. Leo rose too, stretching his shoulders as they made their way toward the stairs.

They walked side by side, the quiet rhythm of their footsteps echoing softly through the hallway. When they reached the third floor, Leo paused and brushed a hand lightly across her lower back.

"I have some work," he said, nodding toward his study. "You should rest."

"Oh," Bella said, looking up. "Okay."

He turned and walked toward his study, posture tall and intimidating, his presence filling the corridor even as he stepped away.

Bella watched him disappear inside the room.

Then she sighed softly and walked into their bedroom.

She was not sleepy at all.

Her body felt light, her mind strangely awake after her long nap. She headed into the bathroom and showered again out of habit, letting the warm water clear the last traces of drowsiness from her skin. When she stepped out, her favourite soft clothes clinging comfortably to her, she picked up her phone and curled into the blankets, ready to distract herself with something simple.

Bella settled deeper into the soft covers, scrolling lazily through her notifications, until one particular pop-up made her blink.

"You have been added to a new group."

Her brows lifted.

Another notification arrived.

Then another.

Then another, faster than she could read.

Curious, she tapped the notification... and the moment the chat opened, messages were already flying across the screen like fireworks.

Dom: Hello dearr friends*asss*

Jason: Why did you make a group all of a suddennn, dooomi?

Dom: I was feeling bored so I made a friends group, it is too troublesome to log in to Hackerverse...yk

Jason: Wow, good idea

Scar: How are you all? I was thinking about meeting again

Isabella looked at the messages and then typed her reply.

Bella: Good idea, I would love to meet all of you

Dom: No, sorry Bella. If I stay near you, your husband will find me

Bella: *Sad emoji* Please do not worry. Just give him the money you owe him. He is kind

Dom: I believe you, but I do not believe him

Jason: Tell him, Dommyy. It would be fun. I believe Leo will let you go

Dom: I do not believe you, little idiot

Jason: I do not care. By the way, where is Zeke