Chapter 128: Chapter 128 Why did you do that?
He shifted slightly closer, his shoulder brushing hers again...just a little. Under the table, his thumb traced along the edge of her seat as if to remind her that he was right there.
Bella’s wide eyes darted up at Leonardo, her lips parting in soft surprise. He sat there beside her, close enough for his shoulder to brush hers every now and then but his face was an unreadable mask. Not a hint of warmth, not a hint of a smile. Just that quiet storm, bottled up behind those gray eyes.
She bit her lip, her fingers fiddling with the edge of her napkin as the maids stepped forward, gently placing warm plates in front of everyone. The delicious scent of the meal drifted up, but Bella barely noticed, her mind still tangled in the shock that he’d chosen to sit by her.
Across the table, Alessandro’s calm, deep voice broke her drifting thoughts. He was looking right at her, his hand resting on the table beside Lina’s. "Bella, have you ever thought about continuing your studies?" he asked, his tone warm and patient.
Bella blinked, her lips forming a tiny "O." The question stunned her more than she expected. School... education... She’d buried that idea long ago, when every day was just surviving in that cold house with her uncle.
Just the thought of sitting at a desk again, learning again, felt like a warm, unfamiliar dream.
"I... I don’t know..." she whispered truthfully, her fingers twisting tighter in her napkin. She looked down, embarrassed by how small her voice sounded.
Jay leaned closer, grinning. "Bella, you’d be the cutest college student. We’ll all drop you off like bodyguards!" He winked at her, trying to lighten the mood.
Bella let out a tiny laugh, her shoulders relaxing just a bit. But Alessandro’s serious, gentle eyes stayed on her. "Think about it," he said. "There’s no rush. You deserve to choose what makes you happy."
Bella’s throat tightened at that word: deserve. No one had ever spoken to her like that before. She peeked shyly at Leonardo, wondering if he’d say anything. But his eyes were locked on his food yet under the table, she felt the faintest nudge of his knee against hers.
It made her chest feel tight and fluttery all at once...
When the others left the dining room, the house fell into that comfortable hush — just the soft echo of their steps up the grand staircase. Bella walked beside Leonardo, her small hand clutching the railing while he kept a steady pace at her side.
She kept stealing nervous little glances at him under her eyelashes. Her cheeks were pink, her lips pressed together, as if she was trying to gather courage for something big.
Finally, she huffed out a tiny breath. "Why did you do that?" she blurted, her voice small but filled with accusing heat.
Leonardo didn’t even look at her — his gaze stayed forward, his sharp jaw lit by the golden lights on the wall. "What did I do?" he asked, tone flat as always. He took another calm step, his hands tucked in his pockets, every inch the cold mafia boss.
Bella stomped up one step to keep up with him, her soft hair bouncing over her shoulders. "You—" She puffed her cheeks, glaring at the floor, then peeked up at him again with a frustrated pout. "Under the table... your knee kept... touching me."
She froze. The moment the words left her mouth, her eyes widened, her face went bright pink. She clutched the railing so tight her knuckles turned pale. "I—I mean— It’s—it was—"
Leonardo stopped walking just before they reached the second-floor landing. Slowly, he turned to look at her, his gray eyes glittering under his dark lashes. His mouth twitched, almost like a ghost of a smirk but his expression stayed unreadable.
"I didn’t do anything," he said calmly, voice low and smooth, like he was explaining the weather.
Bella’s mouth fell open. "You did!" she insisted, her anger flaring again. She looked so small and fierce, standing on that step, trying to glare him down. "I know it! You— You kept doing it on purpose—"
Leonardo tilted his head slightly, studying the flush spreading from her cheeks to the tips of her ears. He stepped closer — just close enough that she had to tilt her head back to keep eye contact. His hands stayed in his pockets, but his body heat wrapped around her like a net she couldn’t wiggle out of.
"Maybe," he said, voice so low she almost didn’t hear it over her racing heartbeat. "Maybe you were just imagining things."
Bella gasped, eyes wide. "You— You—!" She clenched her fists, so angry yet so flustered she could barely get words out.
Leonardo’s eyes glinted with amusement, drinking in every tiny change in her expression — the pout of her lips, the soft tremble of her lashes, the way her shoulders rose and fell with her breath.
It was too entertaining, watching his innocent little wife burn up over something so small. He leaned down a little, his nose almost brushing hers. "Don’t get distracted while eating next time," he murmured, voice velvet-smooth.
Then he stepped away first, walking ahead with that calm, cold mask, leaving Bella standing on the stairs, clutching the railing with her face burning hot, her heart drumming wildly in her chest.
Bella ran to her room. Her heart was thumping so loudly she wondered if Leonardo could hear it from his room.
The moment she stepped into her room, she kicked the door shut behind her and dashed for her bed like a startled bunny. Stupid stupid stupid! Her mind replayed that moment — the way his deep voice had brushed her ears, the glint in his cold eyes, the way he’d leaned so close she could feel the warmth of his breath.
"Aaahh!" she squeaked into her pillow, face burning. She grabbed poor Berry–her soft strawberry rabbit plushie and squished it tight to her chest. "Berry! He— he— he did that on purpose! I know it!" she mumbled, voice muffled in Berry’s fluffy fur.