The room hung thick with silence. Even Benjamin Lopez’s cough faded slow into nothing. Clementine’s father seized the split second, forcing a tight smile to his face. "Leon, Clementine’s behavior was out of line. I’ll make sure she learns her lesson. Please don’t hold it against her."

Leonidas Lopez stepped right past him, bent to yank his phone off the floor, and tapped "delete" with his bare fingers. The motion pulled the fabric of his black coat tight, showing off every rise and fall of his chest. When the last word was gone, he lifted his gaze. "As Clementine’s husband, it’s my job to handle her. Not yours."

The discomfort rolling off Clementine’s father was impossible to miss.

"Bravo. Fucking bravo," Clementine clapped, all sharp sarcasm. "I’d get called the drama queen, but Leon? You’re the real lead in this show. I’ve been on my knees begging for you to cut the crap, and you still keep up this whole devoted husband act."

Leon brushed her off completely. His sharp, piercing gaze swept every person in the room. "As long as I’m breathing, Clementine’s still Mrs. Lopez. So much as touch her, and blood relation won’t save any of you."

"That whole family loyalty act is very pretty to look at," Mckenna Lopez chuckled soft, her fingers brushing the rim of her coffee cup. "But let’s be real. A rose grown in a storm versus one that’s been babied in a greenhouse? The difference couldn’t be more obvious."

At the words "greenhouse rose," Samara Woods dipped her lashes. The coffee in her porcelain cup rippled, just barely. Leon’s icy stare locked straight onto Mckenna’s warm smile.

"Don’t get involved," he said. His lips barely moved when he spoke.

The whole room felt like a battlefield. And the people here? They were supposed to be family.

After that, Leon curled his hand around Clementine’s and headed for the door.

Security blocked their path. Benjamin Lopez’s raspy voice boomed from behind them: "You can leave. But she doesn’t go until she clears her name."

Clementine smirked. "Sure thing. I’ll just announce our divorce right here and—"

A sharp, heavy thud shook the floor as Benjamin’s cane cracked down against it. The coffee cups on the table rattled. "You came from a small family. You’d never understand what’s expected of people in a clan like ours."

Leon’s eyes darkened to black. But Clementine cut him off before he could say a word. "You got me all wrong. I’ve got nothing left to lose. I’ll burn this whole thing down without a second thought. You can pressure Leon to divorce me all you want, but if you push me? I’ll make the entire Lopez family’s life a living hell."

Her words sliced deep, a clear line in the sand between her and her own family. Before she could say another, Leon’s hand snapped over her mouth, cutting her off mid-sentence.

His palm was wide and firm, swallowing any sound she could make.

"I’ll handle the online rumors," he said flatly. Then he hauled Clementine over his shoulder and marched straight out. His presence alone was enough to make a whole room full of bodyguards step back. No one dared step in his way.

Benjamin coughed so hard he nearly choked on his own breath.

Mckenna watched Leon leave in silence. The light from the chandelier glinted off her glasses, bright and sharp.

By the time they reached the end of the hallway, a woman’s muffled groan curled through the air.

Benjamin’s worried voice followed right after: "Samara… what’s wrong?"

Clementine craned her neck to look. Samara was curled over, clutching her stomach like it was tearing her apart.

"Hey, isn’t that your precious girl… oh, sorry, your future sister-in-law? What a convenient little stomach ache, right? Aren’t you gonna run over and play knight in shining armor? Gotta protect that precious Lopez heirloom, don’t you?" Clementine tugged playfully at Leon’s hair, a wicked little grin playing on her lips.

Leon’s stride faltered.

Clementine’s face lit up with the mocking surprise she’d been waiting for.

But all he did was pause. A single beat. Then he kept walking right out the door.

"Leon, remember. That baby inside Samara is your brother’s only legacy," Benjamin’s words hit Leon like a punch to the chest. He stopped cold, then set Clementine gently down on her feet.

"The driver will take you home."

Clementine refused. She said she’d ride with Mckenna instead.

The parking lot stretched all the way to the villa entrance. Under the glow of the porch lights, Leon came hurrying out with Samara in his arms, his steps rushed and unsteady.

Mckenna sighed. "I’ve heard the gossip going around lately. The night of the accident, it was supposed to be Leon at the banquet. Last minute they swapped, and his brother went instead. Leon blames himself for his death."

Clementine’s eyes narrowed just a little. It all clicked now. The real target had been Leon all along. And his brother paid the price.

Seeing how pale Clementine had gone, Mckenna asked soft, "Do you regret it?"

Clementine watched Leon’s car speed away from the estate, and shook her head slow.

The brothers had been close. And as long as Samara carried that baby, she’d always come first. After all… how can any person alive ever compete with someone who’s gone?

Logically, she understood where Leon was coming from.

Emotionally, though? She was relieved to walk away.

...

It was 2 a.m. Emerald Bay was swallowed up by dead silence.

Leon carried his suitcase down the hall, and paused when he reached the master bedroom. After a second of hesitation, he turned the handle and pushed the door open.

Moonlight spilled over the empty sheets. The familiar shape of Clementine under the covers was gone.

He flipped on the light. Her favorite heavy window curtains were gone. The whole decor of the room had been swapped out.

He’d never spent much time in this room, to begin with. But her presence in the house had become something he just… expected. Now every last trace of her was gone. It was like no woman had ever lived here at all.

Except for the divorce papers spread on the bedside table, and the discarded wedding photo propped against the wall.

Back when it was taken, they’d both been smiling. Now a thick crack split the glass right down the middle.

Uriel Scott stepped in to drop off Leon’s files, and caught Leon’s face. He looked like a lion, hollowed out and broken after losing his pride.

Not wanting to push him further, Uriel approached cautious. "Mrs. Lopez moved out two days ago. All her jewelry got sent off to auction. The staff tried calling, but her phone’s been off this whole time."

A red hot rage surged through Leon as he stared at the empty room. All his composure shattered.

He didn’t care that it was two in the morning. Didn’t care if Clementine was asleep. He dialed her number straight away.

He expected her to ignore him a few times, like she always did before.

But she picked up on the first ring.

"Cut the crap. Just come home," he growled into the phone, already blaming her for blowing everything out of proportion.

In the hush of the night, Clementine’s voice stayed steady as stone. "It’s over now. Take good care of Samara… Uncle Leon."

Leon’s hand trembled, just barely, around the phone.

That name…

When they first met, she’d called him that all the time. Until one day in eighth grade, she’d stood firm right in his doorway, planted her feet and yelled—

"I’m never calling you ‘Uncle Leon’ again. Remember that, Leonidas Lopez!"

The call ended with Clementine’s final soft line: "Stay safe from now on."

Leonidas couldn’t shake the feeling that something was different with her this time. When he tried calling her right back, her phone went straight to voicemail—powered off. He lit a cigarette, smoke curling slow around his jaw, and calmly ordered Uriel to reset the room to how it was before, and buy back every piece of jewelry Clementine had sold.

Uriel nodded and took down every instruction, though confusion niggled at him. Mr. Lopez clearly cared deeply about his wife, always jumping to fulfill whatever she asked for… yet he almost always came off as cold and distant. Still, he was a professional assistant. He shoved his curiosity down fast. "Shall we head out to pick up Mrs. Lopez?"

"Let her have her space for now," Leonidas replied. Things had spun too far out of control lately, gotten way too heated.

After hanging up, Clementine lay awake in bed, her mind stuck on one looping, sickening thought: someone was out to hurt Leonidas. She tossed and turned for thirty minutes before finally throwing the covers off and sitting up, frustrated out of her mind. "C’mon. Leonidas has connections everywhere. He’s already thought through every risk. Worrying isn’t going to fix a damn thing."

But sleep wouldn’t come, no matter how hard she tried. So she flipped open her laptop. The day she moved out of the townhouse, she’d sent out her resume. Shockingly, she’d gotten a reply this fast. She’d landed an interview—and the earliest opening they had was today.

The research institute under Aeronautics West wasn’t the top in the region, but it had a solid, respected reputation. At 10 a.m., fresh off a sleepless night, Clementine sat sharp and alert in front of the interview panel. After introducing herself, she leaned back and waited for their questions.

The three of them murmured quietly over her resume, then a female interviewer spoke up: "Even with the two-year gap in your work history, in our line of work, we care far more about expertise and raw skill. Your university record is outstanding, and the awards you’ve won are internationally recognized…"

A small, easy smile tugged at Clementine’s lips. She’d always known her skills weren’t the problem. Then the interviewer’s tone shifted: "Unfortunately, we can’t offer you the position at this time."

"Why not?" Clementine asked, her smile fading fast.

The interviewer’s gaze flickered away. She only said vaguely that the role had already been filled, and refused to say anything more. Clementine stood up and left. One rejection could be bad luck. But getting turned down by three different companies in two days? That wasn’t a coincidence. That was intentional.

By the third attempt, she didn’t even make it past the receptionist desk— the front desk girl tried to shoo her away before she even got to meet the hiring team. In such a niche industry, there were barely any other options beyond these three firms.

"I deserve a real explanation," Clementine said, her voice calm but unyielding. "Otherwise I’ll file a formal complaint. And even if I don’t win, I’ll drag your reputation through the mud so bad no one will dare work with you ever again."

The young receptionist, fresh out of college, went pale. She hesitated, then blurted: "Don’t make this harder on me, Ms. Stephens. From what I heard, the higher-ups loved you. Maybe you should stop and think… who did you cross lately?"

Clementine left, her mind spinning. The receptionist was probably right. But she’d rubbed a lot of people the wrong way recently: Samara, Benjamin Lopez, Leonidas.

In the end, the only person with enough power to pull strings like this was Leonidas. No one else came close.

A little after 7 p.m., Clementine hailed a cab and headed straight for the Grand Hotel. Leonidas had called her the day before, asking her to tag along to an aerospace gala that night. She’d said no. Because two days before that, Lopez Corporation’s official account had dropped a public statement clarifying everything: the chaos at the previous event was all the hotel’s fault, the CEO and his first lady were still very much in love, and everyone needed to stop spreading wild speculation.

The internet wasn’t buying it, which meant she and Leonidas had to show up together and put on a show of a happy, stable marriage. But Clementine wanted a divorce, and she wasn’t about to play her part in his little charade. Still, this gala made or broke the corporation’s next big deal. Whether she showed or not, Leonidas was going to be there.

Clementine walked into the grand ballroom in jeans and sneakers, sticking out like a sore thumb against all the silk and diamond opulence all around her. When people noticed her walk in, CEOs and socialites alike started darting glances and whispering to each other.

Just a few days ago, this woman had caused a scene at a corporate banquet, announced she was divorcing the most powerful man in the industry—it was a better show than any celebrity gossip. Clementine spotted Leonidas easily. His dark gray suit pulled tight over his broad, towering frame. Amidst all the paunchy, middle-aged executives milling around, he stood out like a majestic alpha wolf in a pack of brawling hounds.

She walked straight toward him. An executive standing next to Leonidas noticed her approach and chuckled: "Mr. Lopez gets here first, Mrs. Lopez right on his heels. Guess all those rumors online are just garbage, huh?"

"Excuse us," Leonidas nodded, then tucked Clementine’s hand through his arm and led her to a quiet nook by the floor-to-ceiling windows.

He tilted his head, looking down at her. "You calmed down now?"

She wrenched her hand out of his grip. "Leonidas, I underestimated you. You’d really pull this kind of underhanded bullshit?"

Leonidas furrowed his dark brows. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Three different companies, including Aeronautics West, all pulled my job offers out from under me. You’re gonna stand there and tell me that wasn’t you?"

The man chuckled low, and curled a firm arm around her waist to yank her close. "Want to go back to work that bad? Report to my secretary’s office tomorrow."

"Pour your coffee? I’d rather do makeup for corpses at a funeral home than that," Clementine shot back.

Leonidas didn’t even blink at the bite. He cupped the side of her neck, leaned in, and pressed his mouth to hers. A tall Corinthian column beside them hid them from the rest of the ballroom’s prying eyes.

His kiss was heated, sharp, edged with punishment. "The office has private partitions. And a leather couch," he murmured against her throat. "You can lay down while I work."

The pause after "work" hung heavy between them, loaded with implication.

Clementine bit hard into his shoulder, until she tasted copper blood on her tongue. Only then did Leonidas loosen his grip on her just a little.

"Leonidas, you’re forcing my hand here," she declared, and turned to walk away. No matter what she said, he always brushed off her feelings like she was just throwing a tantrum. But no one got to call the shots for her life.

Leonidas glanced at the small, dark bloodstain blooming on his white dress shirt, and cursed with a amused smirk. "Fucking feral, just like a dog."

But the second he looked up, his smile froze solid.

Clementine, glass of champagne in hand, was walking straight toward Raphael Garza—Leonidas’s oldest, most hated enemy—right in front of every guest in the room.

Leonidas Lopez was hot on my Clementine's trail, only to get cut off mid-step by someone.

Mckenna Lopez nudged him gently, "Uncle, maybe if Clementine lands a job, she’ll start feeling like herself again."

Leonidas’s chiseled handsome face went dark as storm clouds.

Up in the northern business world, the only man who could go toe-to-toe with Leonidas was Raphael Garza. His company, Garza Heavy Industries, and Leonidas’s own Lopez Aviation were the two unrivaled giants of the industry—both dwarfing the three firms Clementine had interviewed at. Leonidas was known to everyone as the Ice-Cold Tycoon, while Raphael went by the Charming Tycoon. Two alphas can’t share one territory, and these two were born rivals.

Clementine cut right through Raphael’s flirty banter with his date.

"Mr. Garza, do you have a minute?"

The man lifted his gaze to her, a flicker of annoyance melting into a glint of sharp interest. He patted his companion’s ass, and once she’d sauntered off, he drawled teasingly, "Maybe you should wipe those battle stains off your lip first."

Flushing awkwardly, Clementine pulled out a tissue and blotted the blood off her split lip fast, then handed him her resume.

Raphael scanned it once, then lifted his eyes again. "You’re Leonidas’s soon-to-be ex-wife. Convince me why I should hire you."

Twirling the pendant at his neck with one hand, the other curled around a glass of red wine, a faint smirk tugged at his lips—his expression impossible to read.

Clementine smiled right back. "In research, in business… you’ve always been just a hair behind Leonidas, haven’t you, Mr. Garza? Wouldn’t having his ex on your team give you the edge you’ve been chasing? Or are you… scared?"

Raphael laughed low, "That sounds way more intriguing than anything else I’ve heard all night."

He tapped his wine glass against hers, a wicked grin spreading across his face, "Alright then… be in my office tomorrow morning for your formal interview."

"Then I’ll let you get back to your night." Clementine took a token sip of wine and turned to leave. This gala wasn’t the place for a deep dive conversation—she just needed to get her foot in the door. Meeting Raphael outside a big public event like this? Next to impossible.

Finally, Leonidas shook off his blocker and caught up, his face colder than ice as he stepped between Raphael and the exit.

Raphael laughed it off easy, "I’ve heard Mrs. Lopez is a total spitfire. I find her fascinating."

With that, he sidestepped Leonidas and walked off, humming a little tune under his breath.

Leonidas’s chest heaved visibly as he stormed out of the grand ballroom. The other guests, who’d been leaning in waiting for a full-on fight, exchanged loaded glances. That was it? They’d been counting on a real show.

Liberty Marshall had just gotten back from the restroom and hurried after him, "Mr. Lopez, leaving so early? Weren’t you looking for Dr. Walker?"

Meanwhile, Clementine stood on the side of the road waving at passing cabs, when a sleek black luxury sedan pulled right up in front of her.

The window rolled down, revealing Leonidas’s razor-sharp, handsome jaw. "Get in."

"No way in hell," Clementine shot back immediately, stepping back to get out of his path.

The car door flew open. Leonidas swung his long legs out, scooped her up, and hauled her right into the backseat before she could even struggle. He leaned over, his mouth crashing into hers— a kiss thick with pent-up longing and raw hunger.

The privacy screens slid up silent and smooth around them, cutting them off from the whole world.

Clementine kicked and hit him, but Leonidas didn’t even flinch.

As streetlights flickered past the Bentley’s rear window, Mckenna stood on the curb, her glasses glinting in the glow, and caught a glimpse of the two of them tangled together up front.

The car pulled up to the villa at Emerald Bay. Leonidas carried Clementine inside, his mouth never leaving hers the whole way in.

By the time he laid her down on the bed, her clothes were a mess. Her blouse was rucked up halfway, baring her smooth soft skin. Her body was exquisite—Leonidas knew every curve of it, as her husband. He knew exactly where all her sensitive spots were, too, and he lit her desire on fire without even trying.

"Leonidas!" Clementine gasped out in anger, but her voice came out soft and breathy, almost a coquettish purr. It made him think of how casually she’d talked to Raphael earlier—something she never did with Mckenna.

There was no logical reason to be jealous of a man she’d just met, but that possessive beast inside him gnawed at his ribs, turning his hunger up tenfold. She was his. Only his.

Just as his fingers brushed the lace of her lingerie, his phone started ringing.

Leonidas ignored it.

But it kept ringing, over and over—stopped, then started right back up, demanding he answer it.

He stretched a long arm out, grabbed the phone, and snarled, "What?"

As he spoke, he started to push himself up off Clementine— but the woman who’d been fighting him this whole time suddenly tangled her arms around his neck, pulling him back down.

Leonidas ground his teeth, a low, guttural growl rumbling in his chest.

Clementine caught snatches of the voice on the other end: "I dreamed of your brother… he’s covered in blood, his whole face is all bloody…"

Leonidas shot her a warning glare. Clementine arched an eyebrow provocatively, and purred loud enough for the caller to hear every word: "Honey, slow down, you’re hurting me~"

Her voice was sweet and sultry, enough to turn a man’s bones to mush. And it carried perfectly over the line.

Once, Clementine had felt sorry for Samara. She’d told herself over and over that it was fine when Leonidas left her over and over again to go to her. She’d even felt a twist of guilt when she learned Leonidas might have been involved in his brother’s death. She’d been stupid enough to think she should just let Leonidas go to Samara, so he wouldn’t have to be torn between them.

But the second that endless ringing cut through the room, all that softness turned to a sharp, hungry need for revenge. Clementine couldn’t tell if it was just human nature, or if she’d always been this rotten, this selfish at her core.

Leonidas’s Adam’s apple bobbed hard. The knuckles of the hand holding his phone stood out white and sharp.

The voice on the line hesitated, then went on: "Leonidas, your brother said he’s cold. So, so cold…"

"It was just a dream…" Leonidas answered, his jaw clamped tight. He stood up and walked out of the bedroom, shutting the door half behind him.

It was a rare softness in his voice. A tenderness Clementine had never once heard him use with her.

She stared up at the ceiling, the hot fire inside her slowly fizzling out.

A few minutes later, Clementine sat up and straightened her clothes, then looked around the room. It was exactly the same as it had been before she moved out. Even the Thanksgiving decorations were still up. It was like she’d never left at all.

The door wasn’t completely latched, and Leonidas’s voice drifted through the crack: "You need to stop stressing yourself out over the baby…"

Hearing those words, Clementine’s gaze drifted to their wedding photo on the nightstand. It had been smashed and stained when Leonidas threw it after their fight, the glass shattered into a hundred pieces. But now it was perfectly fixed, good as new—like nothing bad had ever happened.

Did Leonidas really think that if he just let things sit for a few days, then said a few soft words, everything could just go back to the way it was?

Irritation exploded in her chest like wildfire, out of control and rising fast. Clementine grabbed a heavy metal ornament off the bedside table and swung it as hard as she could right at the giant framed wedding portrait hanging above the bed.

Crash!

Wood frame and shards of glass went flying all across the covers.

Hearing the noise, Leonidas burst through the door. His eyes were instantly bloodshot red.

"CLEMENTINE!"