His innocent wife is a dangerous hacker.-Chapter 567 Love

He was comparing.

The man in front of him was shorter. Narrower shoulders. Completely different build. And his face, even in fear, even in shadow, did not match.

Leo’s memory pulled up the photo Bella had sent. The hooded figure outside the lounge. The stance. The angle of the head. The way he had stood, still and patient, watching.

This man could not have stood like that. His posture was wrong. His proportions were wrong.

And the photo.

The photo Bella had taken from the security feed showed the figure positioned at a specific angle to the window. A specific distance. If this man had been the one standing there, the height would have looked different. The perspective would have been off.

It was not him.

Leo’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.

Because somewhere in the dark, the real watcher was still out there.

This man was a photographer. A creep. A predator of a different kind.

But he was not the one who had stood in the dark and stared at Bella through the glass.

Which meant someone else had been watching tonight.

Someone else had stood in those trees, hood pulled low, face hidden, while this fool snapped his pictures from a different angle.

Someone else had vanished without a trace while Leo’s men swept the perimeter.

Someone else was still out there.

Leo’s jaw tightened. His hands remained still at his sides. His expression showed nothing.

But inside, something cold and lethal began to coil.

The photographer was still babbling, still pleading, still utterly unaware that his confession meant nothing compared to the real threat.

Leo looked at him one last time.

Then he turned and walked out of the shed without a word.

His men exchanged confused glances. One of them followed quickly.

"Boss? What do we do with him?"

Leo did not slow. "He’s not our target. Get the information. Names, clients, everything. Then hand him over to local authorities. Let them deal with the stalking charges."

"And the real one?"

Leo stopped.

For a moment, he simply stood there, silhouetted against the dark trees, the mountain wind moving through his hair.

"He’s still out there," Leo said quietly. "And he knows we’re looking."

He pulled out his phone and typed a new message to Bella.

Be careful. It wasn’t him. There’s someone else.

⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹

The party had finally wound down, the last of the women drifting out of the lounge in small groups, their laughter echoing softly in the mountain night. Hazel had been the last to leave, hugged Bella tightly, and disappeared into her own car with Rika.

Bella stepped outside, the cool air hitting her warm cheeks, her heels clicking against the stone path.

And there he was.

Leo leaned against the car, arms crossed, his dark silhouette unmistakable against the low glow of the parking lot lights. He had been waiting. Probably for a while. His gray eyes found her the moment she appeared, and something in them softened, just slightly, just for her.

She did not hesitate.

Bella walked straight into his arms, wrapping herself around him, burying her face in his chest. His arms came up immediately, pulling her close, one hand cradling the back of her head.

"You okay?" he murmured against her hair.

Bella froze.

Then pulled back just enough to look up at him, her brown eyes wide.

"You called me love," she whispered, as if she had just realized it fully.

A deep pink flush spread across her cheeks, visible even in the dim light.

Leo’s lips twitched. "What? I can’t call my wife love?"

"You’ve never," she said softly, still blushing. "You’ve never called me that before."

"There’s a first time for everything."

She stared at him, heart hammering, the cold night air forgotten. "Leo..."

He cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing gently over her cheekbones. His gray eyes held hers, warm despite the darkness around them.

"You must have been scared tonight," he said quietly. "I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner."

"I’m okay," she whispered. "You came."

"Always."

He leaned in and kissed her.

Soft at first, just a brush of lips, a question. Then deeper, warmer, his mouth moving against hers like he was memorizing the feel of her. One hand slid into her hair, tilting her head gently, while the other stayed warm against her cheek.

Bella melted into him, her fingers gripping his jacket, the world fading away until there was only him, his warmth, his scent, the steady beat of his heart against her chest.

When they finally broke apart, both breathing a little harder, Leo rested his forehead against hers.

"My men are still searching," he murmured. "We’ll find whoever was out there. I won’t let anyone near you."

Bella nodded, her eyes still closed, still lost in him.

"I know," she whispered.

He kissed her forehead. Then opened the car door.

"Come on, love. Let’s go."

She slid inside, still flushed, still smiling.

Leo walked around to the driver’s side, his gaze sweeping the tree line one last time before he joined her.

The mountain night held its breath.

"You’re driving today?" Bella asked softly as he opened the driver’s side door instead of sliding into the back.

Leo glanced at her, one eyebrow lifting slightly. "I feel like it." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

She studied him for a moment, the relaxed set of his shoulders, the way the low light caught the sharp lines of his jaw. He looked calm. In control. But she knew him well enough now to see the subtle alertness beneath the surface, the way his eyes kept sweeping the darkness beyond the parking lot.

"Okay," she said softly.

The car hummed to life, warm air replacing the mountain chill. Leo pulled away from the lounge smoothly, one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the console between them.

The road curved through the trees, dark and quiet, only the headlights cutting through the night.

"How did you know someone was watching you?" Leo asked, his voice calm but edged with something harder beneath it.

Bella turned to look at his profile. "A girl named Lyra told me."

Leo’s brow furrowed slightly. "Lyra?"

"She’s young. Maybe sixteen. She came with her sister." Bella paused, remembering the serious dark eyes, the steady voice. "She noticed him first. Twenty minutes before anyone else. She came over and warned me without causing a scene."