Ten minutes later, all the remaining paperwork had been completed.
The efficiency amazed Jasmine so much. Usually, matters at the police station took at least an hour.
Today, everything had been finished in less than ten minutes.
She knew exactly why. It was all because of the man waiting quietly near the entrance.
“Let’s go.”
She grabbed Vincenzo lightly by the sleeve.
He obediently followed her outside.
The moment they stepped through the doors, however, he finally couldn’t hold himself back.
“Sis.”
She pretended not to hear him.
“Jas.”
Still nothing.
“Sis!”
“What?”
He pointed openly at Leonardo, who walked a few paces behind them.
“What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know exactly what I mean!” His voice dropped into a whisper. “Why are you with Second Master Leon?”
Jasmine continued walking. “No reason.”
“No reason?”
“You came together.”
“I guess.”
“You bailed me out together.”
“That sort of...happened.”
“You...”
“Walk properly.”
Vincenzo frowned deeply.
He shot another suspicious glare toward Leonardo.
The older man met his gaze calmly.
Without saying a word, without even looking offended.
His composure somehow made Vincenzo even more irritated.
There was something off about this man and his sister and he instantly knew he wouldn’t like that “something.”
Leonardo merely thought to himself...
The boy certainly had quite the fiery disposition.
*********
Outside the station entrance sat a black Maybach beneath the streetlights.
Its glossy body reflected the city’s neon lights like flowing ink.
But what immediately caught Vincenzo’s attention wasn’t the luxury car itself.
It was the license plate.
The gold-embossed word “MADRIGAL”
His mouth slowly fell open. He’d seen photos online before.
Only members of the Madrigal family were permitted to use those customized plates.
Each one was worth a fortune.
Ordinary wealthy families couldn’t obtain one no matter how much money they spent.
Vincenzo suddenly felt as though his legs had gone weak. His second sister...actually knew someone this important?
Did they get acquainted because he was marrying Maliyah?
This felt so fishy and watching Leon hold open the door for his sister made him blink.
Jasmine climbed inside naturally.
Still processing everything, Vincenzo instinctively moved to follow her into the spacious back seat.
Just as one foot crossed the doorway, a hand grabbed the back of his hoodie.
“What the...”
Before he could react, he was effortlessly lifted backward.
“What?!”
The next moment, he found himself stumbling toward the front passenger seat.
The door beside him opened.
“Sit here.”
Leonardo’s calm voice carried an authority that left no room for argument.
Vincenzo stared blankly.
Did...Did this man just throw him into the front seat?
Meanwhile, Leonardo calmly took the place beside Jasmine in the rear.
The door closed softly behind him.
Vincenzo turned around indignantly.
“Hey! No fair! I wanted to sit with my sister!”
“You are.”
“I’m in front!”
“You can still see her.”
“You...”Vincenzo almost choked.
Was this man doing it on purpose?
The Maybach pulled smoothly into traffic.
Silence lingered for several minutes.
Eventually, Vincenzo couldn’t endure it anymore.
He twisted around in his seat. “So...”
He looked directly at Jasmine .
“What exactly is your relationship with him?”
Jasmine looked out the window. “You don’t need to know.”
“I do.”
“You don’t.”
“I absolutely do!”
She sighed. Then replied with complete seriousness; “Children shouldn’t ask such things. I’ll explain it clearly to you later.”
Vincenzo’s eyes widened. “Children?”
“I’ll be eighteen soon! I can already fight grown men! I beat four people tonight!”
Before Jasmine could respond, a low voice sounded beside her.
“Enough to land yourself in a police station.”
Silence filled the car.
Vincenzo’s mouth opened then closed again.
His cheeks flushed bright red. “That was one time.”
Leonardo’s lips curved ever so slightly.
The teenager grumbled under his breath but wisely decided not to argue.
Several minutes later, curiosity won once again.
He turned around. “But...” He scratched his head. “Weren’t you supposed to marry my eldest sister? Why does it seem...”
The words had barely left his mouth before Jasmine’s voice rose, sharply.
“I’m your eldest sister, dimwit. So shut up!”
He froze. She glared at him harder than she ever had before.
“Sit properly. And stop talking nonsense.”
“But...”
“No buts.”
“Face forward.”
Her heartbeat had quickened.
If Vincenzo continued speaking carelessly, the truth about the substitute bride might come out.
She would talk to him later. He just had to stop being so curious for now.
Vincenzo frowned. Although confused, he reluctantly turned back around.
The car fell quiet once more. Streetlights slipped across the windshield one after another.
Unable to suppress his curiosity, Vincenzo glanced upward. The rear-view mirror reflected the back seat.
His eyes unconsciously drifted toward Leonardo. The man sat with one arm resting casually along the back of the leather seat.
From this angle, it almost looked as though he had encircled Jasmine.
His fingertips rested only an inch away from her shoulder.
Close. Too close.
Vincenzo frowned.
His sister, meanwhile, remained completely unaware.
Or perhaps, she was simply accustomed to it.
The realization made his chest tighten.
His mind drifted back to the conversations he’d overheard at home.
His eldest sister had laughed arrogantly while speaking about the Madrigal family.
She’d said Leonardo was sick. That he suffered from some incurable illness.
That the Madrigal family wanted a bride with an exceptionally fortunate fate to ward off his misfortune, that was why they had insisted on the marriage alliance.
At the time, Maliyah had mocked the arrangement, calling Leon a dying man.
Now, looking through the mirror...
Watching Leon sitting so close to Jasmine.
A horrifying conclusion slowly formed in Vincenzo’s mind.
His eyes widened.
‘Don’t tell me since he originally wanted my eldest sister and Maliyah had suddenly gone missing. He’s targeting my second sister instead?’ Vincenzo thought, alarmed.
The thought made his heart race.
He tightened his fists on his knees.
No.
He didn’t care who this man was.
Second Master Madrigal.
The heir of an empire.
The most powerful man in Spain. None of that mattered.
If Leon dared to force his sister into anything, he would fight him too.
Even if it meant ending up in the police station again.