The Maybach rolled through the wrought-iron gates of the Gallo family villa before gliding to a smooth stop beneath the grand portico.
The engine had barely fallen silent when the front door swung open. A woman in an elegant cream dress hurried down the marble steps, anxiety written all over her face.
“VIN!” Maria Gallo ignored everyone else as she rushed toward the youngest member of the family. Her eyes darted over him from head to toe, searching for injuries.
“Are you alright? I heard you were taken to the police station. Did they hurt you? Were you frightened?”
Vincenzo scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
“I’m fine, Mom.” His voice lacked its usual confidence.
Behind him, Leon still held Jasmine’s hand.
It wasn’t a forceful grip. Nor was it gentle.
It was simply firm enough to make it clear that she belonged beside him.
Vincenzo had been planning to pry their hands apart the moment they arrived home. But seeing his mother rushing out...
He immediately thought better of it.
If she saw him clinging to his sister in front of Leonardo, it would only make things stranger.
He quietly withdrew his hand from where it had been wrapped around Jasmine’s arm and forced an innocent grin.
“I wasn’t arrested or anything. I was just... going to play basketball with my classmates.” The lie sounded terribly unconvincing.
Maria narrowed her eyes. “You call disappearing all day ‘playing basketball’?”
“I...” Before Vincenzo could invent another excuse, Maria finally noticed the towering man standing beside Jasmine.
Her entire body stiffened.
Leonardo?!
The legendary heir of the Madrigal family. The man whose name alone could silence an entire city.
More importantly, he was holding Jasmine’s hand. Maria’s heart nearly stopped.
They’ve met already?!
Had he discovered something?
Did he know this wasn’t the real Maliyah Gallo?
Thousands of terrifying possibilities flashed through her mind. She quickly forced herself to smile.
“Mr. Madrigal...” She bowed her head politely. “You’ve come all this way. Please, come inside.”
Leonardo’s expression remained calm. “There is no need to be so formal.”
His deep voice was steady. “You may simply call me Leonardo.”
Maria nearly choked. Call him by his name?
Even if she had a hundred times more courage, she wouldn’t dare. “How... how could I?”
She laughed nervously. “You’re our honoured guest.”
Leon merely looked at her for a moment before saying nothing further.
Still holding Jasmine’s hand, he led her into the villa.
**********
Inside, the living room was brightly lit.
Omar, who had been pacing restlessly ever since receiving the phone call from his wife, immediately stood when he saw them enter.
His eyes landed on his “daughter.”
Relief washed over him.
But his relief lasted only a second before panic replaced it.
“Jas...”’The first syllable escaped his lips. He nearly called her by her real name.
His face instantly paled.
Fortunately, Vincenzo suddenly interrupted loudly.
“Dad, they just happened to run into me on the way and so they gave me a ride home.”
He had interrupted because he didn’t want his father to know that he had been arrested but little did he know that he had actually saved Omar from exposing everything.
Cold sweat dampened Omar’s back. “Right.” He forced an awkward smile. “What a coincidence.”
Leonardo’s dark eyes swept calmly across the family. His expression revealed nothing.
Whether he had noticed the slip or not...No one could tell.
The oppressive silence only deepened everyone’s unease.
Seeing the atmosphere growing increasingly awkward, Maria hurriedly stepped forward.
“Please, everyone, sit. I’ll have someone prepare tea.” She turned toward Vincenzo. “Go upstairs and freshen up, dear. You’ve been running around all day. I’ll bring dinner shortly.”
“I’m staying.” Vincenzo plopped directly onto the sofa.
Crossing his arms over his chest, he stared straight at Leonardo like a watchdog guarding its territory.
His parents exchanged helpless glances.
The boy clearly had no intention of leaving his sister alone with this man.
Leonardo noticed.
He simply pretended not to.
A servant soon returned carrying an exquisite tea set.
Maria personally poured a cup before respectfully placing it before Leonardo.
“Have some.”
Leonardo accepted it with a slight nod.
The delicate porcelain rested comfortably in his large hand. Steam curled lazily into the air.
Yet, he made no move to drink it.
Instead, after several quiet seconds, he placed the untouched teacup back onto the table.
“I came today...” His voice broke the silence like a stone dropped into still water. “To inform you of something.”
Every member of the Gallo family instinctively straightened.
Leonardo looked toward Omar.
“Our matrimonial home has already been prepared. Everything necessary for daily life is in place.” His fingers intertwined naturally with Jasmine’s. “We have already obtained our marriage certificate. It is only natural for us, husband and wife to live together from now on.”
Silence filled the room.
Absolute silence.
The words crashed over the room like thunder.
Maria’s eyes widened. Omar froze.
Even Vincenzo looked stunned.
Move in?
Now?
That wasn’t what had been agreed.
Originally, the marriage registration and public announcement were supposed to take place at the end of the month after everything had been carefully arranged.
Why had everything suddenly accelerated?
Maria swallowed hard. “So... so soon?” Her voice trembled despite her best efforts. “I thought the arrangements were...” She couldn’t finish.
Every word she spoke felt like walking across thin ice.
Leonardo calmly met her gaze. “My grandmother wishes to settle the matter earlier. There is no reason to delay.”
His tone was matter-of-fact. No room for negotiation.
Omar clenched his fists beneath the coffee table.
His mind raced frantically.
If Jasmine moved into Leonardo’s home now, how long before Leonardo discovered she wasn’t the real Maliyah?
The deception had already become far more dangerous than they had anticipated.
But they couldn’t object.
Not without exposing the truth.
The room grew suffocatingly quiet.
After what felt like an eternity, Maria cautiously spoke again.
“Mr... Mr. Madrigal...” She forced a smile. “Did... something else happen? Why the sudden change?” Her question was deliberately vague.
She wanted to know whether Leonardo had learned anything.
Had someone revealed their secret?
Couldn’t his grandmother really wait until the end of the month?
Leon regarded her, steadily. His black eyes were unreadable.
Then, instead of answering, he asked calmly, “Mrs. Gallo.” His voice remained courteous. “What exactly are you worried about?”
The simple question struck Maria like a bolt of lightning.
Her smile froze. “I...” She couldn’t answer.
If she said too much, she would expose herself. If she denied everything, she feared he would notice her panic.
Omar immediately lowered his head, pretending to adjust his teacup.
Vincenzo’s fingers tightened against the sofa.
Only Jasmine remained outwardly composed, though she could feel her heartbeat echoing painfully inside her chest.
She knew Leonardo’s question wasn’t casual. It was deliberate.
He wasn’t asking about the wedding, he was asking about their fear.
And somehow, he had already sensed it. The silence stretched unbearably long.
No one dared to speak.
Leonardo leaned back against the sofa with effortless composure, his fingers still laced with Jasmine’s as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
His expression remained calm. Almost indifferent.
Yet the invisible pressure radiating from him seemed to fill every corner of the luxurious living room, suffocating everyone present. The untouched tea on the table had long since begun to cool.
But not a single member of the Gallo family could bring themselves to lift their cup.
They all had the same terrifying thought.
Whether he knew the truth or was only testing them...
None of them could tell.
And that uncertainty kept them on edge.