Crushed Affections (Dominic and Bella)

Leonard thought that Lia was right. It would indeed be harder for him to intimidate Zion as he was working in the military. Not to mention, Zion had ties to the Crawfords and the Sawyers. Leonard said in a low voice, "Zion is my cousin."

Lia felt her mind go blank. Feeling that her facial mask was restricting her from talking, she decided to remove it. "What? What a coincidence! Doesn't that mean that I'll be your cousin-in-law in the future? Isn't that a good thing? Why do you want me to break up with him?" The words "cousin-in-law" caused Leonard to shoot up from his seat. "You'll never be my cousin-in-law, and I'll never approve nor let you continue to be with him."

Feeling displeased by his words, Lia pursed her lips and said, "Well, aren't you quite the tyrant? You should just focus on your job and stop interfering in my relationships. It's midnight now. Aren't you tired?"

Suddenly, Leonard walked up to her and pulled her into his embrace. Taking advantage of her stunned state, he quickly lowered his head and planted a kiss on her lips.

The sudden turn of events dumbfounded Lia. She had a boyfriend, so why was she still kissing Leonard?

She immediately struggled to break free. Despite using all of her strength, she could not seem to move him.

Feeling panicked, she bit Leonard's tongue harshly. Once he had loosened his grip around her, she quickly struggled to break free and backed herself up into a corner.

Still shocked, she yelled, "Are you crazy?"

Leonard was still panting slightly, and there were traces of blood by the corner of his lips. His eyes were dark and menacing as he said, "I have indeed gone crazy. So why are you willing to fall in love with everyone except me?

"Before Zion, there was Oscar and Marcus. How are they any better than me? Why on earth did you fall for Zion instead of me?"

Lia was shocked by his state and felt her mind go blank. Suddenly, she heard her phone ring from her pajama pocket and remembered that she could call Zion.

The action of her taking her phone immediately angered Leonard, and he quickly snatched her phone away, throwing it to the side.

Then, he pushed her up against the wall and kissed her once more. His kiss was intense, possessive, and wild, again rendering Lia stunned.

It was only then that Lia realized that the person before her wasn't the easy-going and carefree Leonard she had usually talked with. The person before her was currently the unprovoked and easily angered Leonard whom even his family

dared not even provoke.

She was so scared that she forgot to struggle, and tears began to roll down her eyes. It wasn't until she had choked on her sobs that Leonard stopped.

Leonard took

her, and a mixture of complicated emotions flooded his gaze. "I know what you like. I'm able to give you whatever Zion can give you and so much more. Is it so hard for you to faff for me instead?"

em back to look at

Lia could not say a single word as she continued to cry. She looked like a small rabbit who had just been bullied pitifully.

Looking at her pale face, Leonard quickly let go of her. "I'm sorry. T-That w-was too impulsive of me."

Lia quickly pressed a hand on her beating heart and crouched into a ball. "Y-You should leave!"

Afraid that he might end up

triggering her heart condition,

Leonard had no choice but to leave helplessly. He quickly found the pills that she took every day, placed them on her coffee table, and left as she watched him warily.

At that moment, he knew he had fucked things up. He thought that he woudn't have lost control like that if it weren't for Zion's appearance.

Once Lia had returned to her senses, she immediately went to Bella's place. Bella had been asleep, but she immediately became alert when she saw Lia's distraught expression.

Lia tearily recounted the events. "Bella, you're like a psychic. You were right all along. You told me that there was a chance that Leonard had feelings for me..."

Bella wasn't a psychic. She had always known about Leonard's feelings, but she just did not know how to bring it up with Lia.

Seeing how things had come to this point, she didn't think there was a point in hiding it anymore. She told Lia about Leonard's mother visiting her studio that day and the purpose behind that visit.