His innocent wife is a dangerous hacker.-Chapter 598 Mistake

Jace smiled through his tears, and Bella’s heart cracked open at the sight.

She continued to stroke his hair gently, her fingers moving slowly through the strands in a quiet attempt to soothe him.

"Wait," Bella said slowly as a thought pushed through the haze of emotion. "Is that why you helped Pablo hack Leo’s company base last time? That job? Not because of the high payment?"

Jace shook his head.

"No. That was actually just for money. He didn’t know I was a hacker and he still doesn’t know. If he knew, he would try to keep me on his side by any means."

Bella nodded slowly as she processed that.

"So you’re his only son?"

Jace’s expression hardened.

"No. He has another son. The one he loves to death. The legitimate one. The heir. I’m just... a mistake he tried to erase."

"So you know him? The other son?"

Jace nodded again. "I know of him. I’ve never met him. He doesn’t know I exist."

Bella’s mind was racing now, pieces clicking together.

"We should tell Leo. All of this. It could help him. Give him leverage, information."

"No!"

Jay and Jace spoke at the same time, their voices urgent and almost panicked.

Bella looked at them, confused. "Why? Leo would protect you. You know he would."

Jay leaned forward, his expression desperate.

"We can’t tell him right now, Bella. Pablo knows Jace is with Leo. He’s been threatening him, blackmailing him. That’s why we’ve been so busy and distracted. We’ve been dealing with that."

"Then Leo will help you," Bella insisted. "He’ll shut it down. He’ll protect Jace."

Jay shook his head quickly.

"You don’t understand. You have no idea how Leo’s mind works. He can’t tolerate that kind of risk. He won’t be able to trust Jace. He’ll think spy. He’ll think mole. He’ll think every bad thing Pablo ever wanted him to think."

Jace nodded, his face pale.

"He’s right. Leo would question everything. Every piece of information I’ve ever given him, every decision I’ve been part of. It would destroy whatever trust we’ve built."

"But that’s not fair," Bella whispered.

"Fair doesn’t matter in this world," Jay said quietly. "Trust does. And once it breaks, it’s almost impossible to fix."

Bella pressed her lips together, fighting the injustice of it.

"There’s another reason," Jay added.

Bella looked up again.

"There’s a spy," he continued. "Someone inside the House feeding information to Pablo. That’s how he knew Jace was here. That’s how he’s been able to threaten him. And we can’t catch them."

Jace’s jaw tightened.

"I can’t believe it. We’ve checked everyone, monitored everything, and we still can’t find the leak. Someone is playing a very deep game."

Jay reached forward and grabbed Bella’s hand.

"Please, Bella Bell. Don’t tell Leo. Not yet. Not until we find the spy. He already has the mafia council meeting coming up and new problems every day. This would destroy him. Destroy us."

Bella looked at their faces. Jay looked desperate. Jace looked exhausted. Both of them were holding onto her like she was their last piece of stability.

She took a deep breath.

Then another.

"Okay," she said quietly. "I won’t tell him. Not yet."

Relief immediately flooded their faces.

"But," Bella added firmly, "you have to promise me something."

"Anything," Jay said immediately.

"You will let me help. Both of you. Whatever you need. Research, information, someone to talk to. You come to me. You don’t suffer alone." She looked directly at Jace. "You have been alone long enough."

Jace’s eyes filled with tears again.

Jay pulled them both into a hug, wrapping his arms around them as the three of them held each other in the quiet room.

After a moment, Bella stepped back. A grin slowly spread across her face. The tears were still drying on her cheeks, but her eyes now sparkled with mischief and warmth.

"Okay," she said. "I never imagined both of you would be in a relationship. I mean..." she gestured between them, "all of this was happening right in front of my eyes. The looks. The inside jokes. The way you always gravitate toward each other. And I can’t believe I didn’t catch it."

Jay snorted, wiping his face with the back of his hand.

"Well, Bella Bell, don’t underestimate yourself. I thought for sure Leo would catch me first. Bro notices everything. But you?" He shook his head with a crooked grin. "You caught me first out of everyone."

Bella tilted her head curiously.

"And honestly," Jay continued, his expression becoming thoughtful, "I get shocked every time I realize how much I don’t know about you. Every time I think I’ve figured you out, you do something completely unexpected." He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly in memory. "That video from the basement. The way you handled those men. I still think about it."

Bella’s face immediately turned bright red.

She ducked her head, hiding behind her hair.

"Oh. That."

"Yeah, that." Jay grinned, some of his usual humor finally returning. "You went full Mafia goddess mode. It was terrifying and impressive at the same time."

Jace chuckled softly beside him, some of the tension finally leaving his shoulders.

"He’s not wrong. I’ve seen hardened soldiers react with less composure."

Bella groaned and covered her face with both hands.

"Can we please not talk about that? I was... I was in a mood."

"A mood?" Jay repeated, laughing. "That’s what we’re calling it?"

"Yes. A mood. Leave me alone."

Jay reached over and ruffled her hair affectionately.

"Never. You’re stuck with me forever now. And Jace too, apparently."

Bella peeked through her fingers. She was still blushing, but she was smiling now.

"I’m happy for you both. Really. Even if you did keep it a secret."

Jace smiled, a real one this time. Warm and genuine.

"Thank you, Bella Bell."

"Yeah, yeah," Jay said, waving a hand. "Enough feelings. I need food. All this crying and confessing has made me hungry."

Bella laughed. Jace shook his head, though he was smiling too.

"I’m so happy to have the old Jay back," Bella said, pouting dramatically. "You didn’t even talk to me or Leo for days. Days, Jay. I had to suffer through meals with only Leo’s brooding face for company." She joked, though she enjoyed Leo’s presence very much. Her Wolfie’s company was something she secretly loved.

Jay winced.

"Okay, that does sound rough."

"It was terrible. He just stares and thinks. Very intimidating."

"He does that."

"I know. But usually you’re there to balance it out with your nonsense."

Jay laughed, the sound genuine and warm. It was the first real laugh Bella had heard from him in what felt like forever.