the restaurant

Leonardo heard a knock on the door and found it was his secretary.

She gasped in surprise.

"You slept here? If you had told me, I could have kept you entertained."

He felt a wave of irritation. She was an excellent secretary, and he didn't want to fire her, but from now on, he would set clear boundaries.

"That won't be necessary," he said firmly. "And don't forget—I'm a married man."

She paled for a second but quickly recovered, answering boldly, "Oh, you mean the wife you can't stand? The one you run away from into the arms of other women?"

His expression darkened. "Don't overstep your boundaries" he cursed him self "Mixing work with pleasure was my mistake."

With that, he left, ending the conversation.

...….

Ariana was sitting in a restaurant with Liam, explaining what had happened last night.

"I'm sorry for what happened yesterday. Things got… intense."

"Don't worry about it. I was just concerned for your safety," he reassured her.

"There's nothing to worry about," she replied with a hint of sarcasm. "Nothing happened."

Liam sighed. "I also want to apologize for interfering, but my only excuse is that I wanted to put him in his place. He thinks his money gives him the right to control people."

She gave a small, bitter smile. "That's because it does."

Wanting to change the subject, she said, "Thank you for standing by me last night."

Liam gave her a confident smile. "No need to thank me." Then, after a pause, he added, "You know my feelings for you go beyond just admiration, right?"

She was caught off guard, her face flushing red. She had no idea how to respond.

Noticing her nervousness, he changed the subject. "How about some dessert after lunch?"

They continued their meal, and Liam kept joking, making her laugh more than she had in a long time. At one point, he took her hand and placed a soft, warm kiss on it, sending a gentle warmth through her body.

"I'm glad I finally got to see you smile," he said warmly.

Before she could respond, a painfully familiar voice cut through the moment.

"How considerate of you. I'm so glad you're taking good care of my wife."

Ariana's limbs froze as she slowly turned around, only to be met with the sight of her husband standing there, his expression cold but his eyes burning with anger.

Her voice trembled as she asked, "What are you doing in this part of the city?"

Leonardo's lips curled into a mocking smirk. "Are you implying that my presence is unwelcome? My apologies. I wouldn't want to intrude on such a lovely moment—it's not every day a man gets to watch his wife flirt with her lover in a public restaurant."

Ariana's stomach twisted as she noticed the growing attention from people around them. She turned to Liam, silently pleading with her eyes for him to stay quiet. Trying to defuse the situation, she forced a calm tone and said, "I should get going. Let my manager know I'll be late for the evening shift."

With as much dignity as she could muster, she rose to her feet and left, hoping to put distance between them before things escalated. She prayed neither man would cause a scene, drawing even more unwanted attention.

Just as she reached the street corner, exhaling in relief, a firm hand suddenly clamped around her wrist.

She spun around to see Leonardo gripping her tightly, fury radiating from him.

His dark, stormy gaze locked onto hers, and for a brief moment, she genuinely feared he might strangle her right then and there.