Chapter 11: Chapter 11: The Warning Before The Storm
The air seemed to shift.
Melanie’s grip on the magazine tightened slightly.
“You don’t need trash in your life anymore,” he said flatly.
Sitting in his chair. Drinking his scotch. Legs crossed like he belonged there.
She looked down. “It’s called excitement.”
“You don’t know anything,” Leo seethed. “I didn’t marry her because she looks like anyone. I married her because I wanted to. Because she makes me feel something.”
Aaron was there.
He didn’t have to.
He gave her a sideways glance. “And miss the chance to see your nervous face before class? Not a chance.”
Aaron stood slowly, brushing imaginary lint off his sleeve. “Relax. I just came to talk.”
—
“Goodbye, Leonard.”
She hesitated, watching him. “Is everything okay?”
“You’re bouncing your leg.”
“Why is he calling you?” he asked, voice calm but laced with something dangerous underneath.
Melanie stared at him. He wasn’t smiling, but his voice was steady. Fierce. Like he believed in her more than she did herself.
Melanie stared after him, heart thudding.
But what startled her more was the way he said it — not as someone enforcing a contract, but as someone who genuinely… cared.
“You can,” he said. “And you will. You deserve to walk into that room like you own it.”
She stepped out of the car a moment later, feeling strangely breathless.
“I’ll think about it,” she murmured.
The ringtone sliced through the quiet of the room.
“Isn’t that…”
Aaron laughed. “Does she? Or does she think you’re the hero who saved her life? Tell me, does she know about her?”
She didn’t know what to say. The way he said it — calm, controlled — made her pulse race more than if he’d shouted.
Leo didn’t look up. “We’ll be attending that gala tomorrow.”
Then, quieter — colder:
Melanie blinked. “Is there something I should know?”
“Yes. Gowns. Tuxedos. Boring speeches. Ridiculously overpriced wine.”
“You’ll stay close to me the entire time.”
“Careful, Leo,” he said. “Feelings make you weak.”
“Aaron will be there.”
“At the gala, don’t speak to him. Don’t wander.”
“Good. And while you’re at it,” he added with a slight smirk, “maybe practice your ballroom smile. I hear people like their billionaires to look in love.”
Melanie frowned as she picked up her phone from the nightstand. The name on the screen froze her heart.
Leo stepped closer, eyes sharp. “She’s not a ghost, Aaron. She’s not a shadow. She’s Melanie. And if you come near her again, you’ll wish you stayed buried in whatever hole you crawled out of.”
Leo was already beside her, his hand swiftly taking the phone from hers. Without a word, he looked at the screen, jaw tightening.
He was dangerously close to forgetting this marriage was temporary.
Leo’s fingers worked quickly. A tap. Then another. And finally, he locked the screen and dropped the phone gently on the table.
“She knows who I am,” Leo said coldly.
“Yes.”
Melanie sat cross-legged on the bed, absentmindedly flipping through a design magazine. She wasn’t reading. Her mind kept drifting — back to Adrian’s call, Aaron’s strange warning, and Leo’s guarded reaction.
But because she couldn’t tell if it was fear he was feeling—
And with that, he left the room, shutting the door with a quiet finality.
Melanie’s POV
“We are not brothers,” Leo snapped, striding forward and yanking the glass from his hand. “Get out.”
She looked away, trying to hide the flush rising in her cheeks.
Leo didn’t respond.
Leo’s expression turned to steel. “What the hell are you doing here?”
As the car slowed in front of Harrington’s Institute, he added, “Do well in class.”
Leo’s jaw clenched. “About what?”
Leo’s fists clenched. He took a slow, measured breath.
Leo reached the door but paused with his hand on the frame.
“I remember,” she said softly.
Melanie rolled her eyes, but the warmth lingered.
“No,” he cut her off, firm. “You don’t owe him a single second of your time, Melanie. Not after what he did to you.”
“She looks just like her, Leo. Same eyes. Same laugh. It’s pathetic how obvious it is.”
She didn’t argue. Deep down, she knew Leo was right.
Aaron wiped the blood from his lip and laughed again, even more unhinged. “Hit a nerve?”
“I know he will.” He took a few steps toward her. “You’re not just attending as a guest, Melanie. You’re a target. And I don’t want him anywhere near you.”
Melanie swallowed. “You think he’ll try something?”
She didn’t get the chance to answer.
Melanie blinked. “You deleted it?”
Aaron leaned in, whispering, “She’s not real to you. She’s a replacement.”
“You’re my wife,” he said simply, eyes still on the road. “People will expect you to be there.”
Aaron’s eyes narrowed, and he backed toward the door.
A pause. Then his voice dropped — steady and cold.
Her voice was quiet. “It’s… really formal, right?”
Adrian.
“Stay by my side. That’s not a request.”
She smiled despite herself. “Sounds fun.”
Leo’s punch landed hard, sending Aaron stumbling into the bookshelf. Papers scattered.
Leo walked to the dresser, adjusted his watch, then turned toward her, gaze sharp.
The bathroom door opened, and Leo stepped out, dressed casually, hair damp from a recent shower. He didn’t look tired — he looked tense.
—or possession.
Then, as they neared the city center, he cleared his throat.
Leo’s expression darkened. “Stay away from her.”
He grabbed a file from the nightstand, flipping it open without glancing at her.
His eyes finally lifted to meet hers.
The next morning, Leo insisted on dropping her off again.
Later That Night… Westwood Manor
Leo’s voice was ice. “Don’t.”
He glanced at her again, something softer in his tone. “A stylist will come tomorrow. Choose whatever you want.”
—
And that was it.
Aaron smirked. “Your wife. She’s… intriguing.”
—
Later that morning… Westwood Corp
She blinked. “Me?”
“I—I don’t know,” she said, confused. “I haven’t spoken to him since—”
Aaron’s smile faltered. “So you admit it.”
“Why?” Aaron asked, mock-innocent. “Afraid she’ll see through you?”
Melanie laughed lightly. “I’m not nervous.”
Leo stepped into his office at Westwood Enterprises. His mind was still stuck on the way she’d smiled before leaving. Genuine. Soft.
Aaron sipped, unbothered. “Visiting my dear little brother.”
The car pulled away from the manor gates, humming down the long, tree-lined drive. The morning sun poured in, casting soft golden light over her face. Leo kept glancing sideways, catching the way her fingers fidgeted in her lap, the way her lips moved slightly as she rehearsed what she’d say in class.
Not because of the warning.
“There are people in that room who’ll smile while plotting to ruin reputations. Aaron is one of them.”
“I have to. And you’re coming with me.”
“Your driver could do this, you know,” Melanie teased, hugging her sketchpad to her chest as they slid into the sleek black car.
He shut the door behind him—and immediately froze.
“There’s an event this Friday,” he said casually. “A charity gala. Westwood Foundation’s annual ballroom.”
Melanie turned to him, surprised. “You’re going?”
