The elegant corridor of Central Ring Bridal Boutique echoed with soft conversation and quiet footsteps.
The air smelled faintly of fresh roses and expensive perfume.
Yet the atmosphere around Jasmine and her former classmates had become noticeably strained.
Carla’s smile widened after her careless remark.
“Even if your fiancé is only a chauffeur, it’s still better than being alone. You’ve always been a loner in school. We used to wonder if you’d ever date or marry anyone. I guess you finally settled for this. It’s not exactly shocking.”
A few of the classmates exchanged awkward glances.
Others weren’t nearly as polite.
Gael let out a chuckle. Another quickly covered her mouth before failing to suppress her laughter.
Within seconds, the corridor filled with amused snickers.
Carla pretended to scold them. “Oh, don’t laugh.”
Her own smile betrayed her. “I wasn’t making fun of anyone.”
One of the girls giggled. “She really was very antisocial in school.”
“I wonder how she met her man.”
Someone else added, “At least chauffeurs earn a decent income.”
More laughter followed.
Standing in the middle of the group, Jasmine remained surprisingly calm. Her expression never changed.
She had endured far crueler words than these. Compared to everything she’d experienced over the years, this barely registered.
Bruno, however, frowned. He stepped forward politely.
“Everyone, I believe you’ve misunderstood. I am not...”
Before he could finish, Jasmine gently shook her head. “It’s alright.”
Bruno looked at her. “Mrs...” He immediately corrected himself. “Miss. They’re mistaken, we should explain.”
Jasmine offered him a small smile. “There’s no need.”
Some misunderstandings were easier left untouched.
Besides how could she possibly explain that Bruno wasn’t her fiancé? That he was the personal assistant to her husband. That her husband happened to be the Leonardo Madrigal.
No one would believe her anyway. Carla interpreted Jasmine’s silence as embarrassment.
She sighed dramatically. “Jasmine...You should’ve told us if life had become difficult. We’re classmates. We could’ve helped.”
Jasmine simply replied, “I’m doing fine.”
Carla smiled sympathetically. “If you say so.”
The pity in her voice was impossible to miss. Just then, a deep voice sounded behind them.
“What’s going on here?”
The laughter stopped almost instantly.
Everyone turned.
Leonardo walked toward the group with his usual unhurried pace. He had changed back into his black suit jacket after finishing his calls, his powerful presence immediately drawing every eye in the corridor.
His sharp features and commanding aura made him appear completely out of place among the chatting former students.
Several of the women instinctively straightened. Even Gael unconsciously became more reserved.
Leonardo stopped beside Jasmine. His gaze first landed on her face.
Only after confirming she appeared unharmed did he look toward the others.
“What happened?”His voice remained calm.
Jasmine answered naturally. “I ran into some university classmates.” She smiled lightly. “We were just talking.”
Leonardo’s eyes moved slowly across each unfamiliar face. His instincts told him otherwise after what he heard too.
He looked toward Bruno. “Tell me everything.”
Bruno hesitated. Before he could speak, Jasmine quietly interrupted. “It’s nothing important.”
Leonardo didn’t move.
Instead, he continued looking at Bruno.
That silent pressure alone was enough.
Bruno finally answered truthfully. “They mistook me for her fiancé. They assumed I was just a chauffeur and they mocked her because of it.”
The corridor fell silent.
Carla immediately spoke up. “It was only a joke.”
“Yes.” Another classmate nodded.
“We didn’t mean any harm.”
“We were just chatting.”
Leonardo looked at Carla. His expression remained unreadable. “And him?”
His gaze shifted toward Gael.
Bruno answered. “Mr. Morrison is the Music Director at Star Entertainment.”
Leonardo gave a small nod. “I see.”
No one noticed the subtle change in his eyes. He looked toward Bruno once more.
“Contact Star’s Human Resources Department.”
Bruno immediately understood. “Yes, Mr. Madrigal.”
Leonardo’s next sentence stunned everyone. “He’s fired.”
Carla blinked. “What?”
Gael frowned. “I’m sorry...I don’t believe I heard you correctly.”
Leonardo didn’t even look at him. “I just got you fired. I’m Leonardo Madrigal. I can do anything.”
Just in a matter of minutes after Bruno made the call, Gael’s phone beeped.
His eyes dilated on seeing an email from Star entertainment stating that he had been sacked.
He couldn’t believe his eyes. He stared at Leonardo, then at the email, shakily.
In a panic, he decided to run back to his workplace to confirm if this were really true.
Carla who had also gotten tensed on seeing how frantic her man looked ran after him to ask what had gone wrong.
Leonardo turned to face Jasmine.
“Shall we go?” His voice softened almost imperceptibly.
Jasmine hesitated. “Wasn’t that a little...”
She wanted to say excessive, Leonardo answered before she could finish.
“No one mocks my wife.”
The simple sentence echoed quietly through the corridor.
My wife.
The classmates froze once more.
Before anyone recovered, he naturally placed one arm around Jasmine’s shoulders.
His movement was neither possessive nor forceful. Simply protective.
As though shielding her from every unnecessary gaze. “Let’s go home.”
Jasmine nodded almost absentmindedly. “Alright.”
Without another glance toward the stunned group, the two walked away together.
************
Nearly an hour later, the car entered the wrought-iron gates of Moon Manor.
The mansion stood proudly beneath the afternoon sky, surrounded by immaculate gardens and towering ancient trees.
The moment the car stopped, a powerful black figure came charging across the courtyard.
Jasmine instinctively stiffened. The enormous black guard dog raced toward the vehicle at astonishing speed.
Its paws pounded heavily against the stone pathway.
Before she could react, the rear door opened.
Murphy reached her first. Instead of growling...Instead of barking...
The huge dog happily rubbed his head against Jasmine’s legs before wagging his tail so enthusiastically that his entire body swayed from side to side.
He let out an excited whine.
Then nudged her hand insistently.
Asking to be petted.
Jasmine blinked. “Murphy?” She cautiously reached down. She was getting used to him now.
The moment her fingers touched his head, Murphy practically melted.
His tail wagged even faster as he leaned all his weight against her, looking utterly delighted.
Bruno stopped walking.
His eyes widened slightly. “This is still so shocking to witness.”
Jasmine looked up. “What is?”
Bruno stared at Murphy in disbelief. “Murphy doesn’t like strangers. In fact...He usually scares them half to death.”
Leonardo quietly watched the interaction.
Bruno continued, “Aside from Mr. Madrigal and me...He barely lets anyone touch him.”
Murphy chose that exact moment to lick Jasmine’s hand enthusiastically. Bruno became even more bewildered.
“I’ve never seen him behave like this.”
Jasmine laughed softly.
The sound made Murphy wag his tail even harder.
She scratched behind his ears. “Maybe...He just likes me.”
Murphy gave an approving bark.
Leonardo’s lips curved ever so slightly.
Jasmine smiled as she stroked the dog’s glossy fur.
“He reminds me of someone.”
Leonardo looked at her. “You had a dog?”
She nodded. “A black Labrador.”
Murphy looked surprisingly similar.
“He wasn’t a guard dog though. He was gentle.”
A nostalgic smile appeared on her face.
“I found him beside a highway when he was just a puppy. He’d been abandoned.”
Murphy rested his head against her knee, listening as though he understood every word.
“I took him home back then, I’ve always had a soft spot for stray dogs.” She continued petting Murphy absentmindedly. “When I was younger...If I saw injured dogs...I’d secretly bring them food.”
A faint smile lingered on her lips. “I even rescued several and took them to animal shelters...”Her voice gradually became quieter. The smile slowly faded.
She stopped speaking altogether. Leonardo noticed immediately.
Something painful had surfaced in her memories.
He didn’t ask why. Nor did he press her to continue.
Instead, he gently rested one hand against the small of her back.
“Let’s go inside.” His voice remained calm.
Jasmine looked at him gratefully. “Okay.”
Murphy happily trotted after them as they walked toward the mansion together, his tail wagging as though he had already decided that Jasmine belonged at Moon Manor just as much as Leonardo did.