His innocent wife is a dangerous hacker.

Chapter 771 Invitation

The next few days were a whirlwind.

Bella’s dance video spread through her phone like wildfire. First to her close friends: Jason, Zeke, Scarlett, Dominique, Hazel, Rumi, Zara, Eliot, and others. Then to her family: Leo’s parents, Nonna, even William, who called her with tears in his voice, telling her how proud he was.

Every few minutes, her phone buzzed with a text notification or a voice message. Sometimes it was a simple "You were amazing!"

Other times it was a long, rambling voice note from Jason, who was somewhere on the road, yelling over the sound of wind and traffic about how he had watched the video twelve times and cried every single time.

"That dress was gorgeous!"

"I didn’t know you could dance like that!"

"Who taught you? Can they teach me?"

Bella smiled at each one, her cheeks flushing, her heart swelling. She felt appreciated and loved. But beneath the happiness, there was worry.

Jay and Jace had become secretive again. They slipped out of the house at odd hours, returned with grim expressions, and whispered together when they were alone. Their voices were low and urgent, stopping the moment anyone else entered the room.

Leo had noticed. His gray eyes followed them when they thought he wasn’t looking. His jaw tightened when they made excuses. He didn’t say anything, not yet but Bella could feel the tension radiating off him.

Bella noticed too.

She tried to ask Jay once, catching him in the kitchen late at night. He was standing by the window, his phone in his hand, his face illuminated by the glow of the screen. The kitchen was dark except for the moonlight filtering through the curtains. The house was silent.

"Jay?" she said softly.

He jumped, turning around quickly. His eyes were wide, startled. "Bella. You scared me."

"Sorry." She walked toward him, her bare feet silent on the cold floor. She was wearing her pajamas, a soft pink set that Leo had bought her. Her hair was loose, falling around her shoulders. "Are you okay? You’ve been... distant."

Jay’s expression flickered. For a moment, she saw something like fear or guilt. His mouth opened, then closed. His hands tightened around his phone. Then he smiled, and the mask was back.

"I’m fine. Just busy. Work stuff."

"Jay, is it about Pablo—"

"Don’t worry about me, Bella Bell." He stepped forward and kissed her forehead, quick and gentle. His lips were warm. "Go to sleep. It’s late."

He left the room before she could ask another question. His footsteps faded down the hallway.

Bella stood in the kitchen, staring at the empty doorway. Her arms crossed over her chest. Her brow furrowed.

He had changed so much...

And then there was Nicolas. He had invited Leo, Bella, Jay, Jace, Hazel, and Dominique to a grand party at his estate. The invitation had arrived on thick cream paper, embossed with gold letters, smelling faintly of expensive cologne. It had been delivered by hand by a man in a suit who bowed slightly and said, "Mr. Nicolas hopes you will attend."

Leo had read it, his expression cold, and set it on the table without a word.

Bella had picked it up, reading the flowery language, the exaggerated warmth, the false friendliness. "A night of celebration. An evening of elegance. Your presence would make the occasion complete."

"Nicolas is up to something," she said.

Leo nodded. "He always is. He’s been attacking my company for months. Small things. Annoying things. Delayed shipments. Rumors spread to clients. Nothing I couldn’t handle." He paused, and his gray eyes turned cold, like ice forming over a lake in winter.

"I didn’t strike back because his attacks are childish. Beneath me. My company doesn’t have time for games." His voice dropped lower, more deadly. "But if he continues, I will only need to strike once, and when I do, he won’t get back up." A cold smile curved his lips. "Ever."

Bella nodded and asked, "Are we going?"

"We’re going."

"Why?"

"Because if we don’t, he’ll think he’s won something." Leo’s gray eyes were hard, like steel. "And I want to see what he’s planning."

Bella shivered. She didn’t like Nicolas. She didn’t like the way he looked at Leo, like he was measuring himself against a taller man. She didn’t like the way he talked, smooth and oily, like he was trying to sell you something you didn’t want. She didn’t like the way his smile never reached his eyes.

Meanwhile, Dominique sat in Hazel’s apartment, scrolling through his phone, a slow smirk spreading across his face. A half-empty cup of coffee sat on the table beside him. A blanket was draped over his legs.

Every time he thought about Nicolas, about the deal, about the hundred million dollars that was about to disappear into thin air, he felt a warm glow of satisfaction.

Nicolas thought he was winning. Thought he was outsmarting everyone. Thought he was dancing around Leo like a peacock, showing off his feathers, oblivious to the trap closing around him.

Dominique chuckled.

He couldn’t wait to see the look on Nicolas’s face when everything fell apart. The confusion, the anger, the desperate scramble to figure out what had gone wrong.

He checked his messages. Zeke had sent an update. The shell companies were ready to move against him. It would take a week since it involved complicated contracts and other deals. Lawyers had to be consulted. Documents had to be signed but it was happening.

Soon, Nicolas would be left with nothing.

Dominique set down his phone and looked out the window as he smiled.

"Hey."

A familiar voice called him, and he turned his head and saw Hazel standing in the doorway of the kitchen, a large pizza in her hands. The smell hit him immediately: cheese, pepperoni, something spicy that made his mouth water. Maybe jalapeños. Maybe chili flakes. Whatever it was, it smelled incredible.

She looked beautiful.

Her long hair was tied in a messy bun, loose strands escaping to frame her face. Her cheeks were slightly flushed from the heat of the kitchen. She was wearing an oversized hoodie with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and shorts that showed off her long legs. Her feet were bare. Her toenails were painted a soft pink.

Dominique’s heart did a little flip. It had been doing that a lot lately around her.