His innocent wife is a dangerous hacker.-Chapter 479

Meanwhile, Bella sat curled comfortably on the couch, her tablet resting on her knees. The house felt unusually quiet, almost peaceful. In the morning, after everyone had seen that she was fine again, she had been wrapped in tight hugs one after another, soft voices reminding her to take care of herself before they finally left.

Jay and Jace had gone off to work early. Alessandro and Lina had taken Nonna with them to visit a traditional doctor they had recently found. Today was the long awaited appointment. The house had slowly emptied, leaving Bella alone with the familiar warmth of home.

It had been a long time since she had worked properly, so she focused on maintaining her digital shop, Bella Zone, checking orders, updating listings, replying to messages. Her fingers moved smoothly over the screen.

Her thoughts drifted for a moment.

She wondered how that customer who had messaged her before was doing, SweetTooth. If she remembered correctly, he had once confided that his wife was ignoring him and had asked for advice. Bella hoped things were better between them now, that whatever distance had existed had softened with time.

She had also replied to Theo recently.

He had said he was coming, but something had delayed him. Bella found herself smiling faintly at the thought. She really could not wait to see him again.

Lost in her work, she did not notice the movement at first.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw him.

Leo.

He walked in from the hallway, dressed in a dark suit so crisp it looked like it had been tailored just this morning. Bella’s fingers stilled on the screen.

Today, he looked different. Not just handsome. Dangerously so.

The suit pants fit him like a second skin, hugging the lean lines of his long legs and narrowing perfectly at the ankles. His dress shirt was a stark, clean white beneath a charcoal gray vest, unbuttoned at the top, revealing the strong column of his throat. The jacket was slung over one arm, as if he had just taken it off, and the way the fabric of his shirt stretched across his shoulders made her breath catch.

He moved with a relaxed, almost lazy grace, one hand smoothing back his dark hair. His hair fell just right, slightly tousled, as if he had been running his fingers through it. His jaw was clean shaven, sharp enough to cut glass, and his stormy gray eyes held that familiar intensity, even as they softened when they landed on her.

Bella felt warmth spread from her chest to her cheeks.

She had not meant to stare like a creep, but she could not look away.

He looked so fine that her heart did a slow, heavy flip in her chest. There was something about the way he carried himself, confident, effortless, completely at ease, that made the air in the room feel thinner, warmer.

And then he looked up and caught her watching.

A slow, knowing smile touched his lips, and Bella felt her face flush even deeper. She quickly dropped her eyes back to her tablet, but the image of him, standing there and looking like that, was already seared into her mind.

"What are you doing, bunny?" Leo asked as he sat down beside her casually, the movement effortless and unhurried. One arm stretched along the back of the couch behind her, not touching her, yet close enough that his warmth settled around her like a claim.

Bella swallowed.

"I’m working on my digital shop," she answered softly, her cheeks warming despite herself. She took a slow breath, suddenly very aware of him. How did he always smell so good? Clean, sharp, unmistakably him, that subtle mix of cologne and something naturally masculine that made her heart feel restless.

"Hmm," he murmured.

He leaned a little closer, eyes flicking to her screen with calm interest. His sleeve brushed her arm just barely, enough to make her skin tingle. Then his gaze paused.

SweetTooth.

A slow smile curved his lips. He had almost forgotten about that username.

His username.

He tilted his head slightly, feigning casual curiosity, his voice smooth and controlled. "Who is she?"

Bella blinked, then shook her head quickly, smiling without suspicion. "No, she," she corrected herself, "it’s a he."

She glanced up at Leo, bright and pleased. "He’s a customer. He bought all my products."

Leo hummed again, low and amused, his eyes focused on the name for just a second longer before lifting back to her face.

"Is that so," he said quietly, the corner of his mouth lifting.

"I’ll take my leave, bunny," he said as he stood up, smoothing the front of his suit with that calm, unbothered elegance that always made him look powerful without trying. He leaned down slightly, his shadow falling over her for a brief second. "I have a few meetings to attend, and I’ll be late. There’s a dinner with some clients as well."

Bella looked up at him, her eyes following the sharp line of his jaw. She nodded softly, fingers curling together in her lap. "Okay," she said gently. "Take care."

For a moment, Leo did not move. His gaze lingered on her face as if he wanted to carve this image of her into his mind before leaving. Then he reached out, brushing his thumb lightly over her knuckles, a touch so brief yet so intimate it made her heart flutter.

"I will," he said quietly. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

And with that, he turned and walked away, leaving behind the faint scent of his cologne.

"Phew," Bella let out a long breath after he left, sinking back into the couch. She pressed a hand lightly to her chest, as if trying to calm the strange flutter there. "Sometimes he feels so intense," she muttered to herself, cheeks warming, "and so different."

She shook her head with a small smile and turned her attention back to her tablet, fingers moving across the screen as she resumed her work.

But her focus did not last long.

Her lips pressed together slowly, then curved into a shy smile. A thought slipped into her mind, soft and embarrassing and impossible to ignore. She hesitated for a second, then reached for her phone.

Scarlett.

Bella stared at the contact name, her thumb hovering before she finally tapped it. The phone rang once, twice.

Bella felt her face grow warm. She bit her lower lip, eyes sparkling a little as she remembered Scarlett telling her she would take her shopping, buy her sexy clothes, and help her.