The drive ended with the purr of the engine fading as Leo pulled the car into the wide stone driveway.
His house stood tall, dark, and unapologetically mafia-coded—black steel gates, cameras fixed like hawk eyes, and guards stationed at every corner in sharp suits, their presence radiating silent threat.
Leo killed the engine and stepped out casually, like the intimidating display of power was nothing new.
Without even glancing, he tossed the keys to one of the guards.
"Take care of it."
Kael climbed out slower, eyes wandering everywhere—wide gates, heavy doors, men carrying earpieces, the faint click of weapons under their jackets.
His brows lifted slightly, but he tried not to look impressed. Still, his heart thudded faster.
They started walking across the marble steps when Leo's gaze snagged on one of the bodyguards near the entrance.
His expression instantly shifted, eyes narrowing as he muttered under his breath, "Oh, shit… he's still here."
Kael caught that immediately, tilting his head. "Who?"
Leo's face was unreadable. "No one."
Kael raised a brow, lips curving into a sharp smirk. "Ur dad or brother?"
Leo clicked his tongue and muttered, reluctantly, "Brother."
That made Kael stop in his tracks for half a second before catching up. His eyes glittered with curiosity.
"Well then…" he said, voice laced with challenge.
"I wanna meet him. Who's this brother that Leo Cassano is actually scared of?"
Leo rolled his eyes hard, annoyed but not denying it. He turned his face away like he could hide the flicker of tension that crossed it.
Without answering, he strode toward the massive door, Kael smirking as he followed.
Two guards at the entrance straightened, blocking their way with a subtle shift. One extended a hand, firm.
Before Kael could even react, Leo stepped closer, his voice cutting like a knife. "He's with me."
The guard hesitated, his eyes dropping to Kael with suspicion, gaze narrowing. For a second, Kael felt the weight of that stare like a warning, but he held his chin high, not flinching.
Leo's patience cracked. "I said—he's with me." His words came sharp, leaving no room for argument.
The guard stepped back, slowly lowering his hand.
With a shove of his palm, Leo pushed the heavy double doors open.
The sound of hinges groaned through the dimly lit hall as Kael finally stepped inside—a house that looked more like a fortress, carrying the weight of secrets Kael wasn't sure he wanted to know.
The second Kael crossed the threshold of Leo's house, his breath caught. The atmosphere was heavy, suffocating, like the air itself carried secrets too dark to speak aloud.
And then—
BANG!
The gunshot ripped through the silence, deafening, merciless. It echoed against the marble walls, drilling into Kael's ears until it felt like his skull would split.
His body jolted violently at the sound, his heart slamming against his ribs.
His gaze snapped forward—only to catch the horror.
Blood sprayed in a sickening arc, splattering onto the floor, the edge of the table, and sliding down the side like paint. A metallic, iron scent filled the air, sharp and suffocating.
The body collapsed to the ground with a dull thud, and the sound bounced around Kael's mind, replaying again and again.
His eyes widened, breath hitching in his throat. His legs trembled beneath him, and he couldn't tell if it was fear or shock or both strangling him.
The scene was so raw, so brutal, so far from the world he thought he knew.
But before he could even process it—
Leo moved.
He was in front of Kael in an instant, like a shield. One hand pushed slightly against Kael's chest, forcing him back, his body covering every drop of crimson from Kael's sight.
"Don't look," Leo muttered, low and firm, though his voice held a sharpness Kael had never heard before.
Kael's lips parted, but no sound came out. His chest heaved. His wide eyes darted to the side, trying to peek past Leo's shoulder, but then—
Warmth.
Leo's arms wrapped tightly around him, pulling him in with a suddenness that knocked the air from his lungs.
Kael froze, his fingers twitching against Leo's shirt. The embrace wasn't gentle—it was desperate, protective, as if Leo feared Kael might break apart at the sight.
Kael's heart hammered, louder than the echo of the gunshot. His cheek brushed against Leo's shoulder, and for the first time since stepping inside, the smell of blood was drowned out by the faint scent of Leo's cologne.
Leo's voice was low, right against his ear. "It's fine. I'm here. Don't be scared."
Kael swallowed hard, but his throat was dry, burning.
He hadn't realized until now that his hands were trembling, clutching the fabric of Leo's sleeve like an anchor.
His mind screamed to push away, to stay strong, but his body betrayed him—leaning into that warmth, into the safety Leo carved out in a world painted with blood.
Behind Leo, the sound of a gun being cocked again echoed like thunder. Kael's chest tightened, panic clawing at him, but Leo held firm, refusing to let him see, refusing to let him fall apart.
Leo didn't let go. Even with Kael trembling in his arms, he kept him pressed tightly against his chest, one arm wrapped firmly around his shoulders, the other guiding him backward step by step.
His eyes flicked up to the guards, sharp and wordless. With a single tilt of his chin, he gave the order.
The nearest guard immediately moved, shutting the heavy doors behind them with a loud thud that cut off the scene inside.
The sound of the lock sliding into place echoed in the silence, and only then did Leo exhale—a quiet, steady sigh—as though he was releasing the weight Kael shouldn't have had to carry.
Outside, Kael's breaths came fast and uneven. His chest rose and fell in sharp, shallow gasps, like he was drowning in the aftershock of what he had just seen.
His fingers clung to Leo's shirt, knuckles pale, and his wide eyes searched Leo's face with raw confusion.
His lips parted, his voice breaking against his own fear.
"W–what… what was that?" The words stumbled out of him, shaky and uneven, almost swallowed by the pounding in his chest.
Leo didn't answer right away. Instead, he lowered his chin, resting it lightly against the top of Kael's head, his hand lifting to ruffle through his hair with slow, grounding strokes.
He could feel the tremor in Kael's body, the way each shiver rattled through him, and his own chest tightened.
He patted Kael's head gently, almost like soothing a child after a nightmare.
"It was nothing," Leo murmured, his voice low and steady, the kind of tone meant to anchor someone spiraling.
His arms tightened around him just a little more, his heartbeat deliberately calm against Kael's ear. "Don't think about it. You're safe. I've got you."
But Kael wasn't convinced. His breaths were still unsteady, his legs weak beneath him, yet there was something in Leo's voice—firm, warm, protective—that kept him from collapsing completely.
Even as fear still clawed at his chest, Kael allowed himself to sink into the embrace, clutching onto the only safe thing left in this chaos—Leo.