Chapter 215 Men Don't Cry, Do They?

Chapter 215 Men Don't Cry, Do They?
Bianca's POV

I could see Leon calling after me as I walked briskly down the hallway but I didn't dare turn back.

My face was so red and my hands barely holding the stack of documents when they were trembling so hard.

The image of that woman’s red lipstick on Leon’s cheek inside the elevator stayed with me the entire afternoon.

It did not matter that he had shoved her away the second the doors opened, or that he looked completely caught off guard when he saw me.

What mattered was how my heart seemed to stop at that moment.

Julian’s words kept repeating in my head each time I tried to shrug it off.

Could he be right? Did Leon lack so much boundaries that he did it even in his office?

I spent the rest of the work day locked in my office, ignoring his intercom calls, completely unable to stomach looking at his face.

The moment the clock hit five, I slipped down the service stairs to avoid the main lobby, flagged down a yellow taxi, and gave the driver my new address.

I could feel a few of the workers also rushing down but I didn't want to get a ride from anyone.

Frankly, I could afford my own cat even if I didn't want to drive the overpriced Ferrari in my garage. But I didn't think I was in the right headspace to drive.

I luckily got a cab within minutes, got in and leaned my head against the cool glass of the window, trying to finally breathe.

“Julian was right," I couldn't help but mutter as I leaned on the leather seat, still fidgeting.

I noticed that the driver looked at me worriedly from the rearview mirror but thankfully didn't make any comments.

I buried my head in my hands and stopped myself from crying.

What was I truly thinking? That Julian would be wrong? Did I really hope against all odds that Kimberly was right and all those were lies?

As if taking my family inheritance wasn't enough, he was also a cheating pervert?!

I could barely stop the tears as I wiped my face rapidly and tried not to make a mess of my makeup before getting home.

But as the cab pulled onto the main road, a sleek black sports coupe appeared in the side mirror, keeping a steady distance two cars behind us.

Clearly Leon must have noticed I left the office and he followed me. He was tailing the cab and he did not make any attempt to hide it.

When the taxi finally pulled into my driveway, his car swerved right behind it, blocking the exit path.

I paid the driver, stepped out onto the gravel, and walked up the stone steps toward my front door, ignoring the sound of his car door slamming shut behind me.

"Bianca, wait," Leon said in a deep voice that sounded almost painful.

He moved quickly, taking the steps two at a time until he was standing on the porch right beside me.

He had taken off his suit jacket, his collar was open, and his amber eyes looked dark, bloodshot, and raw.

"Please leave, Leon," I said, keeping my voice low and flat, refusing to look at him as I searched my purse for my house keys.

"I am not going anywhere until you talk to me," he said softly, stepping closer into my personal space.

The faint, clean scent of cedarwood wrapped around us in the cool evening air, making my chest tighten even more. "You dodged me all afternoon. You took the service stairs. Just tell me what I did."

I stopped looking for my keys and finally turned to face him. "You know exactly what happened in that elevator."

Leon closed his eyes for a fraction of a second, letting out a long, heavy breath that shuddered through his broad chest.

"If it's about Folake…"

“Oh, you're on a first name basis with the investors now?"

Leon blinked, "what?! No, she just insists I call her that. Look, she stepped into my space and crossed a boundary before I could even process it. I shoved her away the exact second it happened. You saw me push her, Bianca. You know I don't want her."

"It isn't just about her, Leon," I whispered, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to keep it steady.

“Then what is it? Because I showed up the other night and you were pissed, Bianca please, just let me know. This is killing me.”

I inhaled deeply. "It's about everything. It's about how you give me this house, you hand me a Ferrari key, and you act like you own my entire life."

Leon took another step forward, closing the remaining distance between us until his boots were touching the tips of my shoes.

He reached out slowly, his large, warm hand coming up to cup the side of my face. His thumb brushed over my cheekbone with a gentleness that made my breath hitch in my throat.

"I don't want to own you, Bianca," he murmured, his voice dropping into a raspy, desperate whisper that vibrated right against my skin. "I bought this place because I wanted you to feel safe. I wanted to protect you from the mess my family created. I would give you everything I own just to see you smile at me the way you used to."

I stared up at him, my heart hammering wildly against my ribs.

The contrast between his immense physical power and the sheer vulnerability in his eyes made my throat feel completely dry.

For a second, I wanted nothing more than to lean into his touch, to let his arms wrap around me and drown out all the quiet doubts in my mind.

Then tell me the truth about my father's company.

The words were right on my tongue but I couldn't say them.

No matter how much I longed to fix it, I couldn't solve this like I'd solved Hilda. I couldn't keep pretending and making excuses for him.

“I just don't want you anymore, Leon. Is that too much for your ego to handle?”

Leon’s hand froze against my cheek. His eyes widened slightly and he stumbled back almost like I'd punched him.

“You don't...you don't mean that,” he mumbled. But then it sounded like a plea, like he was begging me to reverse my words.

"How long have you lied to me for?” I asked coldly, "all along?”

"I've never lied to you, baby. Unless I wanted to protect you.”

"I'm not a child!” I snapped, pulling away from him. "And a lie is still a fucking lie no matter the whats and hows and why!”

Leon didn't answer immediately. He stared at me, his gaze scanning every inch of my face. "Life is always far more complicated than that, Bianca. But I swear to you on my life, I would never do anything to hurt you. And if I'm being persecuted, I wanna know my crime. What did I do? I'll apologize, I'll right my wrongs, I swear."

Those words seemed like his justification for what Julian had shown me.

I could almost smell the guilt in his words. Like he was trying to hide something and still trying to make excuses for it.

Could it be all those women? Was he ever planning to tell me about them? Was I just one of them or perhaps something more?

"I can't do this right now, Leon," I whispered, my heart aching so intensely it felt like a physical pain.

I reached up. "I can't keep guessing what is real and what is a lie with you."

I turned the key in the lock and pushed the front door open.

"Bianca, please," Leon said, his voice dropping into a quiet, broken plea as his hand caught the edge of the door frame, preventing it from closing. “I want to know what's wrong? Whatever it is, I'll fix it."

“You can't fix this!" I snapped, glaring at him wildly. “It's not something you can buy a car or a house and it just goes away."

Leon inhaled and looked at me, “I knew you weren't that woman from the moment I met you. Everything I do for you is because I love you and I want you to have them, not so I can buy you."

“Good," I hissed, “because you couldn't even if you tried."

Leon nodded and held his hands up in surrender. "You're right, Bianca. You're right, I don't know what I was thinking, but if the house is making you so mad, then we should make a plan to get it off your…”

“I will make repayment for the house, but I don't need your help for that.”

“Binaca, please," he breathed heavily, “stop punishing me."

I stood in the doorway, staring at the raw emotion written across his face. I loved him so deeply it terrified me, but the fear of being broken by him was stronger than the warmth of his touch.

Leon was lying to me. He was playing a game with my heart and somehow my emotions wouldn't let me act right.

"I told you before, I just don't want you anymore. Is that so hard for you to accept?"

Somehow, I knew those words hurt him far more than any insult or angry words could.

He felt helpless. And knowing how much of a perfect gentleman he was, this was a way of me saying he couldn't do anything to change my mind.

If I wanted to get out of this mess, I couldn't just play fair and talk things through, I had to find out things myself.

"Goodnight, Mr. Steele," I murmured softly, "It would be in your best interest to never show up at my place unless you want to reclaim your fancy house."

I pulled the door shut, and this time I immediately locked it from inside.