Chapter 96: Chapter 96 Leave
Leonardo closed the door to Bella’s room after asking the maid to stay beside her and call him if anything changed. He didn’t want Bella to be alone, not after what just happened. She had flinched at his touch—flinched—and that single moment had shaken something deep inside him.
He couldn’t even look at his own hands.
But then he heard her voice.
That voice.
That disgusting, high-pitched, fake cry echoing from the living room.
He walked down the hallway like a ghost with fire under his skin. Each step carried ice in his blood, but the moment he turned the corner and saw the scene unfolding—Alexa crying in Alan’s arms, Casper patting her back like she was the victim—his anger burned alive again.
"Owwwoooo... I never thought Leo would slap me... I’m so hurt... I only lost my temper a little! I don’t have any enemy except Bella... and maybe her friend framed me... I was just angry!" Alexa cried, clutching her cheek like a drama actress on stage, and Alan held her gently like she was the one who had just been attacked.
Leonardo’s jaw clenched.
Casper looked up, startled by his presence. "Leo—"
"What the hell are you doing?" Leonardo’s voice came out low, but dangerous.
Alan stood up, protective. "What do you mean what am I doing? She’s hurt! You hit her!"
Leonardo narrowed his eyes. "And she attacked my wife. You want me to just sit and clap?"
"She was emotional!" Alan raised his voice. "You think I support what she did? Of course not! But you hit her, Leo. You raised your hand. What if things go public? You know her influence—she has millions of followers!"
"She raised her hand at Bella first!" Leonardo snapped, his voice shaking the windows. "She pulled her hair. She shoved her into the wall. You want me to praise that?!"
Casper tried to speak calmly. "Look, we’re not saying you should’ve let her do that. But violence—Leo, this isn’t like you."
"No?" Leonardo turned to him with a cold chuckle. "You think I’m going to stand back while someone lays a finger on my wife?"
"She’s not even your real wife," Alan said before thinking, and immediately regretted it.
Leonardo’s eyes turned pitch-black. "What did you say?"
Alan opened his mouth to explain, but Leo stepped closer, and the tension snapped like an electric wire.
Alexa whimpered on the couch, wiping her eyes. "You’re taking her side over your friends..."
Leonardo looked down at her with disgust. "You stopped being a friend the moment you touched her."
Casper tried again, "Leo, listen. The internet is blowing up. Someone posted clips of Alexa bullying her co-stars. Her followers are turning on her. It’s chaos."
"She deserves it," Leo said without emotion.
"Even if she does," Alan said through gritted teeth, "don’t you see? She’s being cyberattacked—people are threatening her now. This could ruin her."
Leonardo didn’t blink. "She ruined herself."
"Have you gone insane?" Alan snapped, stepping closer. "She’s our friend too! And you hit her like some thug!"
Leonardo stepped even closer. "And you defended her like a blind fool."
Casper pushed between them. "Stop it! Both of you! This isn’t solving anything."
Alexa sniffled. "I’m being destroyed online... and no one cares..."
Leonardo looked at her with frozen eyes. "You should’ve thought of that before hurting someone who’s never done anything to you."
"LEO!!!" Alexa suddenly screamed, eyes red with tears as she stood up, stumbling slightly. "I have known you for years! I know you’re married to Bella, but—at least—you should care for me a little! I was with you before she even came! I was there when you had no one, when everyone left you!"
He didn’t respond.
She stepped closer, her voice trembling. "I know I made a mistake, okay?! But is that enough for you to humiliate me like this? You hit me! I was just angry—I lost my temper for a second—and that girl’s friend... she was provoking me!"
"Enough," Leo said sharply, eyes still fixed on her, his face unreadable. "You didn’t lose your temper. You lost your humanity."
Alexa’s lips trembled. She turned to Casper for support. "Say something!"
Casper hesitated, then spoke carefully, "Leo... come on. We all know Alexa. She can be too much sometimes, but she’s not evil. You know she doesn’t think before speaking."
"She didn’t just speak, she acted," Leonardo said, voice low.
Casper tried again, "Yeah, but now people are threatening her online. Her reputation is getting ruined. At least help her with PR. Clear her name. You know how much damage this could do to her career..."
"Clear her name?" Leonardo repeated slowly, his gaze narrowing like ice. "So she ruins my wife’s peace, humiliates her, hurts her, and now I should reward her with silence and support?"
"She’s our only female bestie, Leo," Casper added, trying to be reasonable. "If she’s gone, our group—our bond—it’s over. We grew up together, man."
"Then maybe it should be over," Leo said coldly.
The room fell silent.
Alan, who had been standing silently until now, finally exploded. "What the hell are you saying, Leo? Are you seriously throwing away years of friendship over a girl you barely even know?"
Leonardo didn’t react right away. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and rubbed his temples as if trying to hold back the storm rising inside him.
"I think... before I lose my mind," he said slowly, voice low and strained, "all of you should leave."
Alexa let out another loud cry and took a shaky step forward. "So this is it? Really? You don’t even care about our friendship anymore?" she said through her tears. "Fine. Let’s go. Anyway... you never cherished it like we did!"
She walked toward him with a trembling smile and suddenly threw her arms around him.
"We’ll meet again, Leo..." she whispered.
But his body remained stiff and cold.
Leonardo immediately pushed her away. "Don’t touch me," he said sharply, his eyes as hard as steel.
Alan stood frozen, while Casper gave a tired sigh. None of them had ever seen Leo like this before.
Without another word, the three of them turned and left the room, heading to pack their things in silence.
And Leonardo... didn’t even watch them go.