Chapter 129: Chapter 129 Grounded
Leonardo stood under the pounding hot water, eyes half-lidded as droplets traced the hard lines of his shoulders, down his chiseled chest, streaming over the ridges of his abs and disappearing at the edge of his hips. His hair clung damp and dark to his forehead, a few beads of water dripping down the strong angle of his jaw.
A small, knowing smile curved at the corner of his lips. He could still see Bella’s flushed, stunned face in his mind — the way her soft little hands had balled into fists, her cheeks red as fresh rose petals. She was too easy to tease...
He ran his fingers through his wet hair, pushing it back as the steam curled around him, the low rumble of the shower almost like a growl vibrating through his chest.
When he finally turned the faucet off, he stepped out of the shower with that same calm, lethal grace he had when handling a gun. He grabbed a fresh white towel, slung it low around his hips — the fabric barely clinging to the edge of his sharp V-line, drops of water still trickling down his sides.
As he walked out of the steamy bathroom, his bare feet silent on the cold floor, his mind was already playing out more ways to push her buttons. Innocent little bunny... he thought, his eyes flickering with a hint of unknown emotions as he ran a hand over his neck.
The moonlight filtering through his window glowed across his defined muscles, the shadows accentuating the cut of his chest and the flat plane of his stomach.
Leonardo changed into his usual black pajama set, the fabric soft but fitting snug across his broad shoulders. He raked his fingers through his short, damp hair, air-drying it as he walked over to his bed. The mattress dipped slightly under his weight as he lay down, propping himself up with one arm and holding his phone in the other.
His sharp eyes narrowed as the screen lit up with multiple notifications. The name Alexa popped up again and again.
Alexa:Leo! My parents refused to let me meet you!!!
Alexa: I love you, Leo! Please reply to me. My parents grounded me...
Alexa:Can you come back to take me away!?
Alexa:Please, Leo... don’t do this to me...
A cold frown settled over his face, the shadows of his room flickering across the edge of his jaw. He locked the phone without replying, tossing it onto the nightstand with a muted clink. He didn’t need this headache — not now.
Meanwhile, miles away, Alexa was curled up in her luxurious bedroom, her cheeks wet with tears, her pretty hair a mess around her shoulders. She squeezed her phone to her chest like it could magically answer back.
She had always been the perfect daughter or so she thought, the golden child her parents spoiled but chained in a glass box. They had only let her into the entertainment world when she threatened to do something reckless. And now, after her stunt went viral, they’d snatched back all that freedom in an instant.
"Why... why are you doing this to me?" she whispered to the empty room, her sobs echoing off the fancy walls.
Outside Alexa’s locked bedroom door, her parents stood in the dim hallway, the heavy silence between them carrying years of exhaustion and quiet worry.
Her mother, Madame Reyna DeLuna, looked older than usual tonight — the soft lines around her eyes deeper under the hallway light. She held her husband’s hand tightly, her thumb brushing over his weathered knuckles as if that small touch could ease the ache in her chest.
Inside, they could hear Alexa’s muffled sobs, the way her pillow swallowed her cries.
"She’s so stubborn..." Reyna whispered, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "She’s always been like this, even as a little girl. Always wanting the one thing she couldn’t have."
Her husband, Mr. Emilio DeLuna, looked down the hallway, his jaw clenched tight. "It’s our fault too," he said gruffly. "We spoiled her too much... let her do things we should’ve said no to. She thinks the world will bend to her will."
"She’s so blind..." Reyna murmured, her voice breaking a little. "She doesn’t see how many nights I stayed awake praying she’d come home safe from her shoots. How many directors I had to pay off to protect her from rumors... how many messes we cleaned behind her so she could keep shining..."
Emilio rubbed his wife’s shoulder, his hand rough from years of building their fortune — a fortune that Alexa burned through like matchsticks. "She’s our only child. We’ll always love her. But this time... she needs to see for herself. We can’t save her from herself anymore."
Inside her room, Alexa lay curled up under expensive silk blankets, her phone clutched so tight her knuckles were white. The glow of her last message to Leo blurred through her tears.
Please, Leo... please don’t leave me...
She couldn’t hear her parents’ love through the locked door or maybe she didn’t want to. In her mind, they were just obstacles. But outside that door, her mother pressed her forehead against the wood, whispering one more prayer for the daughter who didn’t even know how much she was still loved.
***
The next morning, Bella was practically glowing with happiness. She had woken up early, brushed her hair twice, and even picked her favourite soft cream blouse with tiny flowers on it. She couldn’t stop smiling as she ate breakfast, chatting with Jay Jay about Scarlett and how much she missed the ElliVFX Studio team — and how badly she wanted to visit them.
And Jay, being Jay, immediately said yes. "Of course! I’ll have a car ready for you, little bella bell!" he said, patting her head like she was a child about to go on her first school trip.
Bella giggled, hugging Berry one more time for luck before she skipped down the steps, hugging her little purse to her chest. Leo wasn’t even there during breakfast, which made her feel more relaxed somehow. Maybe he wouldn’t even notice she was gone today!