The sound of Leon's leather shoes echoed down the marble hallway as he approached the private lounge of the St. Regis Hotel. He was used to silence his life thrived on it. But tonight, there was a different kind of stillness. Heavy. Anticipatory. As though the air itself knew something was about to shift.
Hana was already inside. She stood by the tall windows, her figure outlined by the glittering city lights. The red silk dress she wore clung elegantly to her curves, its color bold against the neutral tones of the room. She hadn't heard him yet. Or maybe she had Hana was good at pretending.
Leon's gaze softened for just a second before hardening again. They had been married for months, bound by a contract that was supposed to keep emotions out of it. Yet, lately, emotions had been creeping in like uninvited guests.
And tonight… they weren't alone.
Across from Hana, sitting casually with one arm draped over the back of the sofa, was a man Leon had never seen before. Tall, sharply dressed, with a self-assured smirk that told Leon one thing this man wasn't just anyone.
When Hana turned and saw Leon, her eyes widened for a fraction of a second before she masked it with a polite smile.
"Leon," she greeted, her voice as composed as ever. "You're early."
Leon's jaw clenched as his gaze shifted to the stranger.
"I don't like surprises," he said coolly. "And I especially don't like walking into a room to find my wife meeting with another man in private."
The man chuckled softly, rising to his feet. "So you're Leon," he said, extending a hand as though this were a normal introduction. "I've heard a lot about you."
Leon didn't take the hand.
"And you are?"
The smirk deepened. "David." His eyes flicked to Hana briefly, and there was something in that look familiarity, history. "An old friend."
"Old friend?" Leon repeated, his tone dangerously low. "Funny, Hana's never mentioned you."
Hana stepped in quickly. "Leon, this isn't the place"
"No," Leon interrupted, his dark eyes locked on David. "This is exactly the place."
David's smile didn't falter. "I suppose she hasn't mentioned me because… well, our history is complicated."
Hana's voice cut in sharply. "David." It was a warning. But Leon had already caught the flicker of tension in her eyes.
Hana remembered the first time she'd met David. It was in Paris, during one of her father's business summits. She had been 21, restless, and eager to taste freedom away from the suffocating expectations of the Leonhart fortune.
David had been charming in the way trouble often was the kind of man who could convince you to take a midnight flight to another city just because the stars looked better there. He was dangerous. And she had been drawn to him like a moth to flame.
But that story had ended badly. Very badly.
Back in the present, Leon's patience was razor-thin. "What exactly do you want with my wife?"
David shrugged, as if the answer were simple. "I came to see her. It's been… what, Hana? Seven years? And when I heard you were back in New York, I couldn't resist."
Leon's hand curled into a fist. He didn't like the way David said her name like it was his to say.
Hana moved toward Leon, placing a hand lightly on his arm. "We should talk privately."
But Leon's eyes never left David. "No. We'll talk here. In front of him."
David leaned back against the sofa, studying Leon with lazy interest. "You're protective. I get it. But let me give you some advice, Leon you can't protect someone from their past. And Hana's past… well, it's bigger than you realize."
Hana's sharp intake of breath was enough for Leon to catch.
They left the lounge, but the tension followed them like a shadow. Inside the sleek black car, Leon finally spoke.
"Who is he, Hana?" His voice was low, controlled, but there was an edge beneath it.
Hana kept her gaze forward. "I told you. He's an old friend."
"Don't insult me," Leon said, his voice hardening. "Friends don't look at each other like that. And they sure as hell don't talk about 'complicated histories' unless there's something to hide."
Hana closed her eyes briefly. "It was before you. Before everything. David was… a mistake."
Leon's jaw ticked. "A mistake that seems to think he still has a claim on you."
She turned to face him, her voice steady but her eyes betraying the storm inside. "He doesn't. Not anymore."
"Then why," Leon asked quietly, "do I feel like you're lying to me?"
Two nights later, Leon found David waiting for him outside one of his office buildings.
"You should know," David began, hands in his pockets, "Hana's family isn't as untouchable as you think. There are people watching her. People who want what she has."
Leon's gaze narrowed. "And you're one of them?"
David smiled faintly. "No. I'm just here to make sure you're aware. You see, Leon, you married into a storm. And storms… they don't care who gets destroyed in the process."
Leon didn't flinch. "If you're trying to scare me, you're wasting your time. But if you're threatening my wife"
David cut him off smoothly. "Threatening? No. Warning? Absolutely." He stepped closer. "Protect her, Leon. Because if you don't… someone else will."
Later that night, Hana sat alone in their penthouse study, staring at a folder David had slipped into her purse when Leon wasn't looking.
Inside were photographs. Grainy, taken from a distance her, Leon, her father, board members she hadn't seen in years. And a note in David's handwriting:
They're coming for you.
Her heart pounded. She had promised herself never to involve Leon in the darker side of her inheritance the side filled with power plays, betrayal, and old debts. But David's reappearance meant those shadows were moving closer.
And now… she had no idea how to keep Leon safe without pushing him away.
The rain had already begun to fall by the time Hana returned to the penthouse. The city's lights blurred through the wet windows, a kaleidoscope of gold and crimson reflected on the marble floor. She carried herself with her usual grace, but Leon could see the way her shoulders tightened beneath the thin coat, the faint tremor in her fingers as she closed the door.
He had been waiting.
Not sitting on the couch, not pacing just leaning casually against the sleek kitchen counter with a glass of whisky in his hand. But Hana knew him well enough now to read the warning signs: the stillness in his frame, the sharpness in his gaze, the way he took a slow sip before speaking.
"You've been out late," Leon said, voice calm but edged like a blade.
Hana brushed past him, setting her clutch on the counter. "I had a meeting."
"With who?"
"Business."
"That's not an answer, Hana."
She stopped, exhaling slowly, and then turned to face him. "If you're asking whether I was with David, yes. I was."
The whisky glass froze halfway to his lips. "You don't even deny it."
"There's nothing to deny," she said evenly, though her heartbeat was a storm in her chest. "It was a conversation. That's all."
"David doesn't have 'just conversations' with married women," Leon replied, setting the glass down a little too hard on the counter.
Hana's eyes flashed. "And you know this because…?"
"Because I've known him for years. Long before you ever stepped into my world."
The air between them was thick, the rain outside a steady drumbeat against the glass.
Leon took a step forward, closing the distance. "Tell me, Hana… does he know?"
She swallowed. "Know what?"
"That you're my wife. That you're" He broke off, his jaw tightening. "that you belong to me."
Hana's lips parted, an almost bitter laugh escaping her. "Belong? I'm not a piece of property, Leon. I'm your wife by contract, remember? Convenient for both of us."
Something dark flickered in his eyes. "Is that still what you think?"
Before she could answer, the elevator chimed. They both turned as the doors slid open… and David stepped out.
David walked in like he owned the place tall, sharply dressed, with a confidence that didn't quite cross into arrogance. His eyes, a stormy gray, landed on Hana first, softening just slightly before shifting to Leon.
"I hope I'm not interrupting," David said, though the faint smirk on his lips suggested he knew exactly what he was walking into.
"You are," Leon said flatly.
"Good," David replied, striding forward. "Because this conversation should happen sooner rather than later."
Hana's pulse quickened. She knew Leon could be cold, calculated, terrifying when provoked but David was no less dangerous, only in a different way. Where Leon was a blade, David was poison slow, deliberate, and devastating when it struck.
"I came to speak with Hana," David said, ignoring the tension. "Alone."
"That's not happening," Leon replied instantly.
Hana stepped between them, her hands raised as though physically holding back a storm. "Stop. Both of you."
David's gaze softened again when it fell on her. "Hana… I heard what happened. The press. The shareholders' dinner. You don't have to stay in this mess."
Leon's voice dropped, low and dangerous. "Careful, David."
David ignored him. "I can help you, Hana. You don't need to"
"I said stop!" Hana's voice cracked like a whip, startling them both. Her hands were trembling now, and she knew she was losing control of the situation.
"This isn't about needing help," she continued, her voice shaking but firm. "This isn't about you, David. And it's not just about the contract anymore, Leon."
The silence after her words was deafening.
David broke it first. "So you feel something for him."
Hana closed her eyes. "It's not that simple."
Leon's gaze locked on her. "Then make it simple. Choose."
Her eyes snapped open. "You think this is a game? That I can just pick between you like you're" She stopped, her voice catching. "I don't even know what I want right now."
The rain outside grew heavier, the sound almost drowning her words.
David stepped closer. "Then I'll give you something to think about." He reached into his coat and pulled out a small envelope, placing it on the counter. "Inside are the documents that could free you from this marriage immediately. No strings attached."
Leon's jaw clenched. "You're out of line."
David smiled faintly. "Or maybe I'm just giving her a choice."
He turned to leave, but not before his eyes met Hana's again a look filled with unspoken promises, or maybe threats.
The elevator doors closed behind him, and the room felt colder.
Leon picked up the envelope but didn't open it. He simply stared at it, then at Hana. "Do you want it?"
She hesitated. "I… don't know."
He stepped forward, closing the space between them until she could feel his breath. "Then let me make one thing clear, Hana. If you choose him, you lose me. Completely."
Her heart pounded. "And if I choose you?"
His voice dropped to a whisper. "Then you're mine. No contracts. No pretending."
For a long moment, they stood there, the sound of the rain the only witness to the war between them
Hana didn't take the envelope. And Leon didn't move away.
It wasn't a choice yet. But it was close.