Chapter 218

Chapter 218
Blake

The sunset cast Manhattan in gold as Leon and I stood on my penthouse terrace, each nursing a glass of eighteen-year-old Macallan. The evening breeze carried the distant sounds of traffic seventy floors below, a symphony of horns and engines that had become the soundtrack to my life.

Leon swirled his whiskey, the amber liquid catching the fading light as he shook his head with a laugh.

"Dude, can you believe it? Not even a few years out of college and you're about to get married... again." His tone was light, but I caught the subtle concern underneath.

I took a slow sip, letting the smoky liquid burn down my throat before responding. "When we were at Princeton, I thought we'd be bachelors forever." The memory of those carefree days felt like another lifetime. Christ, we were different people then.

Leon clapped me on the shoulder, his grip firm. "Look at you now—family man extraordinaire. Two adorable daughters, a son fresh out of the hospital, and about to lock it down with Sophia." He raised his glass in a mock toast. "You sure you're ready to settle down with her? For real this time?"

"If you're asking if I'm sure about Sophia, the answer is yes." I gazed out at the skyline, watching the lights flicker on across the city. My chest tightened with a fierce protectiveness I still wasn't used to feeling. "After everything we've been through, I can't imagine my life without her."

Leon nodded, his expression growing serious. "You've been through hell, man. Juliana, James, that whole clusterfuck with the company..." He trailed off, taking another drink. "Most guys would've cracked under half that pressure."

I drained my glass, welcoming the burn. "I almost did. There were moments I thought I wouldn't make it." The memory of those dark days after James's arrest still haunted me—the press camped outside, the board meetings that turned into firing squads, the sleepless nights wondering if I'd lose everything. "But I had the kids to think about. And Sophia. I had to keep it together." Even when I wanted to tell the whole fucking world to go to hell.

Leon poured us both another finger of whiskey. "Speaking of Sophia, how's she handling all this? Must be tough on her too."

"She's amazing, considering. But she needed some space to plan the wedding, so I've been giving her room to breathe." I shrugged, trying to sound casual even as something cold slithered into my stomach. "She's been stressing over the details, and I figured I'd stay out of her way."

Something flickered across Leon's face—so brief I almost missed it. He shifted his weight, suddenly fascinated by the ice in his glass. "That was... what, one month ago? When she wanted the alone time?"

"Yeah, about that." I narrowed my eyes, studying his reaction. A warning bell clanged in my head. "Why?"

"No reason." His response came too quickly.

A knot formed in my stomach, hard and cold as a stone. Fuck. He knows something. "Did you go out during that time? Hit any bars?"

Leon's hand paused mid-air, his glass suspended between us. "I mean, yeah. I go out most weekends." His eyes darted away from mine, focusing instead on a distant helicopter.

"And?" I prompted, my voice hardening despite my efforts to keep it neutral. My pulse quickened, pounding in my temples. Just spit it out, you asshole.

He shrugged with forced casualness. "And nothing. Just the usual scene."

The knot in my stomach tightened into something ugly and jagged. "Leon." I set my glass down on the railing with more force than necessary. "Did you see Sophia while she was taking her 'space'?"

His hesitation told me everything I needed to know before he even spoke. My mouth went dry, heart hammering against my ribs like it wanted to escape.

"I... might have run into her. Just said hi, nothing major."

The city below seemed to tilt slightly. Bullshit. Complete fucking bullshit. "You 'might have' run into her? Where exactly did this running into happen?" My voice sounded distant to my own ears, like it belonged to someone else.

Leon ran a hand through his hair, a nervous tell I recognized from our poker games in college. "The bar, I think? But seriously, it was just for a minute. I didn't stick around."

"Having a drink?" Leon attempted a laugh that fell flat. "Look, it's not a big deal. She probably just needed to blow off some steam."

I stepped closer, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Leon, what aren't you telling me? What was she doing at that bar?" My hands clenched into fists at my sides, fingernails digging half-moons into my palms.

He fidgeted with his watch, another tell. "She was just... sitting at the bar. Having a cocktail. I literally said hello and kept moving."

"Was she alone?" I pressed, watching his face carefully. Every muscle in my body tensed, bracing for the answer I didn't want to hear.

"When I saw her? Yeah." The way he emphasized "when I saw her" made my chest constrict painfully, like someone had wrapped barbed wire around my lungs and pulled tight.

"And after you saw her?" The question hung between us, heavy as the humid summer air. I could barely breathe through the tightness in my throat.

Leon took a long drink, draining his glass before answering. His fingers tapped an erratic rhythm against the empty tumbler. "I don't know, man. I left pretty soon after. Had an early meeting the next day."

I didn't believe him for a second. Leon had never cared about "early meetings" in his life. Goddamn liar. "You're a terrible liar, you know that?" The whiskey in my stomach turned sour, acid climbing up my throat. "What happened after you left? Did she meet someone?"

His eyes wouldn't meet mine, fixed instead on the darkening horizon. "Blake, come on. I don't spy on your fiancée."

"That's not what I asked." My voice had dropped to a dangerous low, the kind that made board members squirm in their seats. "Did you see her with someone else that night,except Alex?"

Leon's knuckles whitened around his glass. "Maybe you should ask Sophia if you're worried." He finally looked at me, his expression a complicated mix of guilt and concern. "I'm not getting in the middle of this."

Which told me there was something to get in the middle of.

I turned away, gripping the railing until my fingers ached, letting the cool metal anchor me as my mind raced through possibilities, each worse than the last. Did she fuck someone else? While I was home with her kids? While I was busting my ass running this company?