Chapter 48.

Chapter 48.
Leo's POV.

"Come with me," I urged Lexi. But she ignored me, her attention once again lost to the rhythm of the music and her colleague.

"Lexi, please, you have to come with me now," I insisted, my urgency growing. 

"Why should I go with you?" Her voice snapped back, filled with defiance.

"Because it’s important," I pressed, desperation creeping into my tone. I really had something she needed to hear.

She ignored me again, her body swaying as she resumed dancing, lost in her own world.

"Lexi," I called, reaching out to clasp her hand, but she yanked it away, fire flaring in her eyes.

“Are you going to come with me willingly, or should I make you?" I challenged, keeping my voice steady despite my frustration.

"Buzz off, Leonardo. Let her be," Sam interjected, his tone dripping with casual disdain.

I shot him a cold, warning look. “Do you want to die?” 

“Whatever it is you want to say to me, Leonardo, I don’t want to hear it,” Lexi retorted, crossing her arms defiantly.

“Looks like you’re picking the second option,” I said, my annoyance flaring. I didn’t just want her to hear what I had to say; I didn’t want her lingering around Sam either.

“There’s nothing you can do to move me against my will,” she shot back, her voice firm and unwavering.

I nodded, trying to conceal the frustration surging within me as I scanned the room for a distraction. “Where’s the stage?” I asked, feigning a search. “I have an announcement to make.” 

She remained unfazed, as expected. 

“Oh, I’m sure the world would love to hear about our ‘relationship,’” I pressed, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

“And who’s going to believe that bullshit?” she scoffed, rolling her eyes. 

“They would when I share all the details about our sultry night at the…” I started, but she interrupted me, fire igniting her words.

“Sullen night at the garage,” she quickly corrected, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“Sullen night at the garage?” Sam raised an eyebrow, surprised. I had to bite my lip to suppress the laughter that was threatening to bubble out; this banter was both entertaining and infuriating.

"I'll explain everything later," she said hurriedly to Sam, her grip tightening on my hand.

"We’ll talk later," she added, and just like that, she dragged me outside. 

She let go of my hand the moment we stepped outside the party hall, the cool night air wrapping around us. Her expression shifted from urgency to accusation. "What was the meaning of the nonsense you pulled back there?"

"Why do you always act like you're scared of someone finding out about our affair at the bar?" I asked, keeping my tone light, even as a heaviness settled in my chest.

"Why do you keep using it as a threat against me?" Her voice was sharp, like the first cut of a knife.

"Because you see it that way," I replied softly.

"Why?" I pressed.

"I'm a CIA agent, and you're a criminal. We can never be together. We shouldn't even be seen together," she said.

"The society keep interpreting it wrongly. I’m just a businessman," I replied.

"Theft, murder, and drug trafficking, is that why you call business?" She shot.

"I get why you turned to the Mafia; I understand everything you told me that night, but Leo, you can still make things right. You can turn back," she said, her tone softening as if she were pleading with my very soul.

"I can't. It's too late for me," I replied, a bitter edge creeping into my voice. "I've gone too far to turn back."

Where could I possibly start retreating from? How would I even begin? The Mafia ran too deeply through my veins; there was no way out now.

"What did you want to tell me before all this?" she asked, her question diverting the conversation, and I was grateful for the distraction.

"You're not going to believe this, but... you really should stay away from that motherfucking colleague of yours," I began, my heart racing with the weight of what I had to say.

"He has a name, Leo, and you know it," Lexi defended him, her brow knitting together, irritation flickering in her eyes.

"Fine. But seriously, give him some distance," I insisted.

"Why should I do that?" she challenged, confusion mixed with concern.

"The people after your life, it has nothing to do with me. They're not after you to get to me," I revealed.

After the FBI left, I had asked Zane to find a way to identify the bodies, and he did. The results confirmed that I wasn’t the source of the threat Lexi faced.

"And how do you know that?" she challenged, raising an eyebrow.

"I have my way of getting what I want," I responded.

"So you're insinuating that Sam is behind it?" she pressed, crossing her arms defensively.

"I didn't say that." I stepped closer, trying to close the gap between us, both physical and emotional. "All I'm saying is that you need to be careful. You can't trust anyone right now." A strange gut feeling gnawed at me—a hunch that Sam was somehow tied to the chaos around her.

"If that's the case, then you're the first person I shouldn't trust," she shot, her voice thick with anger. "You're the first person I should stay clear from. You're everything that's dangerous to humanity!"

"Oh, but Sam isn’t?" I shot back, the pain of her words cutting deep.

"Yes, he isn’t!" she defended him fiercely, and I felt fury bloom in my chest, a dark tide rising to the surface. It stung more than I cared to admit.

"Fine, I'm everything that's dangerous to humanity," I countered, my temper flaring. "But there’s one person this so-called dangerous person will never attack. One human this dangerous person would protect until his last breath, and that person… that human… is you!" I could feel the weight of my declaration hanging between us, a fragile truth amidst the tension.

With that, I turned on my heel, the determination fueling my steps as I walked away. Lexi was a potential red flag for me, but my stupid heart remained stubbornly tethered to her, refusing to let go no matter how many times she wounded me.

I half-expected her to call out to me, to follow me and perhaps reconsider, but as I glanced back, I only saw her retreating figure. A bitter scoff escaped my lips, the taste of defeat bitter on my tongue.

I returned to my hotel room, each step heavy with uncertainty, praying for any sort of change, any glimmer of hope that might illuminate this dark path I  found.