Victoria_Xoxo

He chuckled. “What’s with the face?”

I blinked. “What?”

“You’re blushing.” His voice held a teasing lit, and I could practically hear the smirk behind it.

“Oh.” I raised a hand to my cheek, rubbing absently, only to feel the warmth spreading across my skin. My lips twisted into a small, guilty smile.

Leo’s eyes gleamed with amusement. There was something about the way he looked at me—steady, knowing—that made me uneasy. Not because I felt uncomfortable, but because I had spent so long misunderstanding him.

Why hadn’t I seen his loyalty from the start? Why had I assumed he wanted me for business, for something transactional? A pang of guilt settled in my chest.

“This place is…” I started, glancing around, searching for words.

He leaned back slightly, one arm draped over the chair. “Deserving of a heiress,” he finished smoothly. “I had a work break.”

A warm rush of gratitude filled me, but it was quickly dampened by a lingering thought. Cassie had mentioned something earlier—something about Ophelia storming into Leo’s office. My fingers curled slightly against the tablecloth.

Kill Lila!

We hadn't travelled long enough before I started feeling sweats building up my forehead even though it was chilly. The only adventure I've gone to was hiking and under the supervisor of skilled people. Here I was, with Mario, alone and heading to the forest to look for Lila.

Dumbstruck. Where the hell did this motivation came from? I guess I've had such easy life that I begged for something complex because it wasn't going to take me the entire company if the cop actually took me in for interrogation. Maybe if we had more manpower, I wouldn't be shivering inside me.

"You okay buddy?" Asked Mario as he cut through the bushes.

"Yeah." I took a short sigh and followed suit.

"You know there's more to life than just sitting in your office, don't you?"

"The more isn't me being here in the wild."

27. The Search Party. President Leo's pov