Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad-Chapter 854 : Falling for Him

*Bianca*

How was it that every single wall in that incredibly large house was mostly bare? The few pieces of artwork that were planted on the walls, were so... bland. The rooms mirrored the walls as there was hardly any furniture at all, though I’d never gone into Leo’s study. Perhaps there was at least a sturdy wooden desk and one of those tall, overly cushioned desk chairs for him to do his work. Still, it was odd that the huge mansion was so empty.

A captain of industry, he had told me. What did that even mean? I hadn’t wanted to push the topic earlier at the restaurant since he had been so kind as to offer to take me around the city. And he clearly had been trying to avoid telling me about his job.

But I was still left wondering what he actually did for a living. It had to be something incredibly important to be able to afford the house... either that or something crazy illegal.

But Leo didn’t really seem to be the type of man to partake in anything illegal. He was too laid back and friendly. He always seemed to have a smile on his face and a joke or smart remark waiting to be said at the perfect moment. He was not at all brooding or angry like the typical criminals I’d seen on television or read about in books.

None of that stopped me from thinking he’d been lying to me earlier. He wasn’t the best liar, and even though we hadn’t known each other all that long, I could tell he wasn’t telling me the whole truth. As a mystery captain of industry, what could a work emergency entail? Did they run out of ink in the printer and require the boss man to replenish it?

I chuckled as I thought about all the silly scenarios.

But why would he lie to me? What would he have had to gain from lying to me? Or rather, what was he trying to hide from me?

I shook my head, not wanting to think about it. It wasn’t any of my business, truly. Instead, I would spend my time... doing what? I wasn’t sure.

It wasn’t like I could fill my time with homework since I hadn’t started my classes yet. So, what was there to do in this loud, bright city all by myself? Or rather, in this entirely too quiet estate?

At the moment, I had no way of getting into the city without Leo and his Firebird or Porsche. I wondered how I would get to my classes once they began. Before, I’d used one of Elio’s cars, but he didn’t seem attached to them the way Leo was with his.

Would Leo insist on driving me or let me drive one of his cars? I laughed out loud to myself. No way would Leo allow me behind the wheel of one of his precious cars, especially not the Firebird.

Though I’d talked to a few people at the university last semester, it still felt strange being in a different country where I didn’t really know anyone. I was still so new, I had no one to talk to or hang out with, aside from Leo. I hadn’t lived here long enough to make any real friends.

I suddenly felt lonely and a bit isolated, especially when I was probably supposed to just stay on my side of the estate. Not that I wanted to explore more–I’d just end up getting lost again. Regardless, I continued to be curious about what Leo’s bedroom looked like. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Quickly, I jumped to my feet. I’d just have to find something to do, I thought to myself. I went out onto the back patio, admiring the garden and getting an idea. Perhaps there would be some weeds I could pull to pass the time.

Unfortunately for me, the garden looked perfect, which honestly seemed rather odd. No way Leo was caring for the garden by himself, which meant he must have had a gardener. He was a single man, so I was surprised he even bothered to have a garden in the first place. I shook my head again as the thoughts I had been trying to avoid slowly attempted to creep their way back in.

I wasn’t sure why, but I couldn’t help but think there was more to Leo than he was allowing me to see. I was a stranger, technically, I had to remind myself. It wasn’t unusual for people to want to keep their personal lives private.

Although, I was living with him now. Didn’t that count for a little transparency?

So, the garden idea failed, but it was still a nice day out. I went over to the lounge chair beside the pool and sat down, stretching my legs out. I’d wondered how long Leo would be gone for. I couldn’t imagine it would take that long to change the ink in a commercial-sized printer, I joked to myself as I rolled my eyes at the absurdity.

Leo would open up to me in time, I was sure of it.

After a little while of lying in the warm sun, I decided to go back inside. My stomach began to grumble, leading me on a hunt for food. When I peered in the fridge, I felt grateful for the wrapped-up leftover pasta waiting for me. Though, I hoped Leo wasn’t saving it for himself.

Once I heated it up, I headed up to my bedroom, slightly burning my hands on the hot ceramic bowl. There was something about eating alone in an empty kitchen that was unsettling. Back home, there was always someone in the kitchen eating or cooking more food.

I hardly ever felt lonely at home, except when I was with a certain man I couldn’t bring myself to think of. I shivered at the unpleasant memories, eyeing the bin that held the thrown-out chain with his name on it.

A few bites into my pasta, I heard my phone ring. I perked up a little, thinking it may be Leo calling to apologize and ask me to meet him somewhere to resume our day together.

But when I saw the name on the lit-up screen, I threw my cellphone onto the bed, recoiling.

How had he gotten my new number? How had he been able to find me? I panicked, my eyes scanning the room. My feet ran from window to window, searching for any sign of a man who did not belong hanging around outside.

Without thinking, I picked my phone up and called Leo. I wasn’t sure what I was going to tell him, but I knew I needed him to come home right away. Unfortunately, he didn’t answer.

Damnit! I stared at my phone for a moment before pressing the button to call him again. I didn’t want to call him a second time, but I was entirely too freaked out to remain there all by myself. The thought of Matteo being here, somewhere in the city, was making me feel unsafe and afraid for my life.

I needed Leo.

Now.

“Bianca? Are you alright?” He finally answered on the third ring.

When I heard Leo’s voice, my heart burst and I began to cry.

“Leo, I need you. I need help. Please come home,” I sobbed.

“What happened? Are you hurt?” His voice was panicked.

“I’m not hurt. I just need help, please!” I cried.

“I’m on my way, okay? I’ll be right there,” he assured me before hanging up.

I stood by the window, the sheer lace curtain draped over me while I kept watch for any sign of the wolf in sheep’s clothing. I didn’t know what I would do if his face appeared, but being able to see that he wasn’t outside made me feel a little less panicked.

Alessandro had said he was going to take care of Matteo. Whatever that had meant, I wasn’t sure. But there he was, calling me on my new phone number. I debated calling Alessandro to tell him, but I didn’t want Mia worrying about me. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.

‘I’ll just wait for Leo to come home and see what he thinks I should do first,’ I told myself.

After what felt like forever, Leo finally came running into my bedroom.

“Bianca! Are you alright? What’s wrong?” Leo said, walking right up to me.

Without thinking, I fell into his arms. He quickly wrapped his strong arms around me and held me tightly.

“I’m so sorry for pulling you away from your work,” I replied, holding onto him.

Leo stroked my hair and spoke. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. Please, Bianca, tell me what’s going on.”

As upset and afraid as I was, being in Leo’s arms felt amazing, as if I could breathe easily for the first time since things turned ugly with Matteo.

“My crazy ex-boyfriend, Matteo, got a hold of my new phone number somehow. He just called right before I called you. I panicked. I didn’t know what to do,” I said, my words stumbling out. “I’m terrified of him, Leo. I don’t know how he got my number. What if he found me?”

“Alright, it’s okay. I’m going to take care of it, alright? I’ll protect you,” he said, looking into my eyes. “I won’t let him find you, okay?”

I couldn’t explain how, but I knew I could trust him at that moment. I knew he would protect me. I wasn’t sure why, but the way he spoke and the way he looked at me made me feel like he’d do anything to keep me safe.

“Alessandro said he’d take care of it, too,” I sobbed. “So, how was he able to find out my new phone number? It doesn’t make sense. Why won’t he leave me alone?”

Leo pulled me closer. “I promise you, Bianca, I will handle this for you. He won’t bother you again.”

I nodded my head. Once my breathing slowed a bit, he led me over to the bed. We sat down and he wrapped his arms around me again, pulling me into him. My cheek rested against his muscular chest and I allowed myself to melt into him.

Both Alessandro and Leo said they would take care of Matteo, but I still wondered how they planned to do that. What were they going to do? And why did those words seem to fall from their mouths so easily, like they say them often?

I couldn’t help but think I was missing something, that I was being kept in the dark.

I shut my eyes tightly, not wanting to think of any of that right now, not when Leo was being so incredibly kind to me. He had left his emergency at work to come to my rescue, and I felt beyond grateful for him.

No man had ever been this caring toward me, and he didn’t even really know me yet. That said a lot about his character, I thought to myself. I didn’t want to question the blind spots right now.

As much as I hated to admit it, I felt drawn to Leo, especially at that moment. He was the first man to care about me that much and to be kind to me so effortlessly. I’d tried not to see him in a positive light because of everything that had happened with Matteo.

I hadn’t planned on falling for anyone so soon after my breakup, especially not the man I would be living with. But there was no way around it any longer. I was attracted to Leo in every single way, not only physically. Though, I couldn’t lie, he was a beautiful Italian man.

I didn’t know how long he was going to keep his arms wrapped around me, but I didn’t move away either. I felt safe in his arms.

I hoped he would stay home with me for the rest of the day, at least.