Chapter 145: Chapter 145 Training ground
Bella took one more big sip of her chocolate, savoring the warmth, then handed the mug back to Aunty Clara with a shy smile. "Thank you, Aunt Clara. It was so delicious."
"Anytime, dear," Aunty Clara said fondly. "Now, go see those boys and don’t let them bully you into sparring," she added with a playful wink.
Bella giggled softly and followed the maid out through the side hallway, her heart beating a little faster with each step. Scarlett’s right, she told herself, clutching the little pep talk in her mind. Tonight, I’ll be brave.
The maid led Bella through the garden path that smelled faintly of freshly watered grass and blooming flowers.
As they turned the corner, Bella spotted the familiar faces of some of the guards stationed around the grounds. They looked so serious in their black uniforms, eyes sharp as they scanned the area but when they caught Bella’s soft gaze and shy little wave, more than one of them cracked a small smile and gave her a polite nod.
She always made sure to remember who they were even if they looked scary, they were the ones who’d always nod respectfully when she passed.
They reached a heavy iron gate that opened onto a wide courtyard tucked behind a line of high hedges. The training ground was bigger than Bella had imagined. The floor was a mixture of smooth polished stone and thick padded mats in some corners. Metal racks lined one side, holding some weapons, sparring gloves, and other equipment neatly organized.
A narrow running track circled the whole area, marked with chalk lines, and near the far end, she could see a few targets set up for shooting practice — she recognized the faint smell of gunpowder that always lingered around Leo’s clothes when he came back from training.
In the center of the yard, under the bright afternoon sun, Leo and Jay Jay were sparring hand-to-hand. Leo’s black training shirt was damp with sweat, clinging to the hard lines of his chest and back. Jay Jay’s pink hair stuck to his forehead, and he was grinning, even though he looked half out of breath.
Bella paused just inside the gate. The sun made her hair glow soft brown, and the light breeze tugged at her dress.
Jay Jay spotted her first. He laughed, dodging Leo’s half-hearted jab, and called out, "Hey, Bella! Look who’s come to check if we’re still alive!"
Leo turned too, his eyes landing on her immediately. For a second, his gaze softened before his jaw tightened again, unreadable. Bella stood there, shifting her weight nervously, but when a passing guard gave her a thumbs up behind Leo’s back, she couldn’t help but giggle.
The maid beside her lowered her head. "Should I announce you, ma’am?"
Bella shook her head, cheeks a little pink. "No, it’s okay... I think they saw me."
And with that, she took a careful step into the Courtyard.
She hadn’t even taken three steps into the training yard when she noticed a few guards heading out through the side gate — shirtless, their broad chests slick with sweat and muscles flexing as they joked and talked. Bella’s eyes widened and her cheeks went pink immediately.
The sight caught her off guard — she had never seen so many bare chests up close before. Her hand flew to her cheek, covering her blush, but it was too late.
Leonardo’s dark eyes tracked her line of sight in an instant. His jaw tightened, that slight muscle near his neck twitching as he turned his cold gaze on the shirtless guards. The playful chatter stopped dead. The men froze mid-step when they felt his stare, then scrambled to grab their shirts from a nearby bench — half-tripping over each other in their rush to cover up.
One of them dared a nervous glance at Bella and then at Leo’s stone-cold expression — realizing he was two seconds away from an early grave, he disappeared through the gate so fast that Bella almost giggled if she hadn’t felt Leo’s intense focus shift back to her.
Her gaze dropped to him and her heart did a funny flip.
Leo stood tall and intimidating, chest rising and falling with each slow, heavy breath. The thin black training shirt clung to his hard chest and sculpted arms like it had been painted on. Sweat glistened at the hollow of his throat, trickling down to the hem where his shirt was tucked into the waistband of his black tactical pants. A single dark lock had fallen over his forehead, wet with sweat and when he reached up to push it back, his bicep flexed, the veins prominent against his tan skin.
He looked every bit the powerful mafia heir she’d heard whispered about — ruthless, commanding, dangerously handsome. But there was something else in the way his eyes dragged over her face, from her flushed cheeks to her parted lips, then back to her wide eyes.
Jay Jay, oblivious to the tension, laughed from behind Leo’s shoulder, fanning himself dramatically. "Hey, little sister in law! Don’t mind him. We were just about to wrap up anyway."
But Bella’s attention was locked on Leo — the way the sun hit his sweat-dampened shirt, outlining every ridge and plane of muscle beneath. He dragged a hand through his hair again, the motion slow, his eyes never leaving hers. He looked like a storm on two feet and for one dizzy second, Bella thought she’d forgotten what she’d even come to ask for.
"I—I just wanted to ask something..." Bella stammered, her eyes darting everywhere but at Leonardo. Every time she peeked at him, her breath caught. Why did he have to look like that all broad shoulders and sweat-drenched muscles and that dark, unreadable stare?
Jay Jay leaned casually on the edge of a rack stacked with boxing gloves, sweat dripping from his pink hair. He chuckled, seeing how her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her dress. "Yeah, ask! We’re not gonna eat you, Bella. What’s with that face, huh?" He gave her a teasing grin.