POV: Kesley

I stepped out of the car, the leather of the seat sticking to the back of my thighs for a moment before I freed myself. Leo had already turned away, his shoulders rigid as he strode toward the entrance of the building without looking back.

One second he was sitting beside me, looking tense enough to snap a steel cable with his bare hands, and the next second he was gone, leaving me staring at an empty seat while questioning every life decision that had led me to this moment.

I blinked.

Then blinked again.

Had I offended him?

Was I breathing too loudly?

Did I smell weird?

No, that couldn't be it.

I smelled fantastic.

The perfume I was wearing cost more than my first apartment.

Still, something about his reaction made me feel oddly embarrassed.

Not because I cared what some mysterious crime lord thought about me.

Obviously.

Absolutely not.

Definitely not.

...Okay, maybe a little.

Just a tiny bit.

A microscopic amount.

Unfortunately, my self-esteem had recently been beaten into a bloody pulp by six years of marriage to Zachary Jonas, so watching another man flee my presence like I was carrying a highly contagious disease wasn't exactly helping.

"Mrs Za...

Sorry, Miss Cross?"

Luther's voice interrupted my spiraling thoughts.

I looked up to find him holding the car door open.

The poor man looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh.

Wonderful.

Even his assistant was amused by my humiliation.

I climbed out of the vehicle and smoothed down my dress with as much dignity as a woman could manage after being abandoned in a luxury car.

"Does he always do that?" I asked casually.

Luther coughed suspiciously.

"Do what?" he asked back, pretending not to know what I’m talking about. I looked away in embarrassment, deciding not to push for answers.

The building was a fortress of glass and steel, silent and imposing. Luther footsteps echoed on the marble floors as he led me through a maze of corridors, never once glancing at me.

His silence was a physical weight, pressing down on my shoulders with each step. When we finally reached a guest room, he pushed the door open and gestured for me to enter.

"There are clothes in the closet," he said, his voice flat and devoid of warmth.

"Get dressed and wait for the boss. He’ll send for you when he’s ready." He said. I watched as he turned to leave, his jaw tight.

"Wait...

How long will it take, how..."

"I have business to attend to," he cut me off, already halfway down the hall.

"I'll return if I can, but rest assured, you’re safe here, and the maids will bring you dinner." He told me. The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me alone in the guest room.

The air was cool against my skin, and I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly chilled. His behavior was a rejection, clear and unmistakable.

I could feel it in the way he'd kept his distance, in the way his eyes had slid past me as if I were invisible. The shame burned hot in my cheeks, spreading through my chest like a slow poison.

I waited for him as instructed, I sat on the white upholstery waiting for him. Minutes stretched into an hour. I paced the length of the room, my bare feet sinking into the plush carpet. Each glance at the empty doorway deepened the ache in my chest.

He wasn't coming...

The realization settled heavily in my stomach, churning with humiliation. Tears pricked at my eyes, and I blinked them back, refusing to let them fall. But the pressure built behind my eyelids until I could no longer contain it.

A single tear escaped, tracing a hot path down my cheek. Then another. Soon, I was crying in earnest, silent sobs shaking my shoulders. No man wants a chubby body like mine. No man wants me.

The thought repeated in my mind, a cruel mantra that had followed me through years of failed relationships and casual rejections. He hates me, just like everyone else.

The way his voice deepened whenever he spoke, the way he seemed irritated by my existence. Which hurt more than I wanted to admit.

I sighed.

Maybe Zach was right, maybe men simply didn't find women like me attractive. The thought made my chest ache, I hated that it still affected me, I hated that after everything Zach had done, a small part of me still heard his voice whenever I looked in the mirror.

Too fat...

Too soft...

Lazy and annoying...

I’m never going to find love, not like this. My gaze fell on a door at the far end of the suite. Bathroom. The idea of warm water, of washing away the tears and the shame, pulled at me.

I moved toward it, my steps heavy with resignation. I stripped off my clothes, letting them fall to the floor in a heap of discarded fabric. I didn't bother folding them or placing them neatly. What was the point?

I pushed the bathroom door open and stepped inside. The tub was enormous, a deep porcelain basin that promised escape. I turned on the faucets, watching as steam rose and fogged the mirrors.

I stepped in, the water scalding at first before I adjusted the temperature. As I sank into the heat, my tears mingled with the bathwater, their saltiness lost in the warmth.

My thoughts drifted to Leo, to the Ghost Lord whose reputation preceded him. Why did he behave like a man irritated by my very presence?

His avoidance wasn't just professional distance, it was personal, targeted. I remembered the way his eyes had narrowed slightly when he'd first seen me, the almost imperceptible tightening of his mouth.

As I thought about him, Zach and Nora, the threats that had driven me here, faded into the background. All that mattered now was Leo's approval, his acceptance.

I needed him on my side, needed his protection to escape the death sentence hanging over my head. But how could I convince him to help when he couldn't even stand to look at me?

The water grew cooler around me, goosebumps rising on my arms. I realized with a start that I'd been soaking for nearly an hour. I stood, water streaming from my body in rivulets that traced paths over my curves. Stepping out of the tub, I reached for a towel.

The cabinet held several, but each one was disappointingly small. I held one up, it would barely wrap around my waist, let alone cover my breasts and hips. Another was slightly larger but still inadequate.

These towels weren't made for a woman of my size. The realization was a fresh stab of rejection. Leo probably never brought women like me home. His preferences clearly ran to slimmer, smaller bodies.

I settled on the largest towel I could find, a flimsy piece of fabric that I wrapped around myself, tucking the edge securely between my breasts. It barely covered the essentials, leaving my thighs and most of my back exposed.

I took a deep breath, squaring my shoulders. Enough of this, I would dress and confront Leo, demand the meeting I'd come for. My proposal was sound, his protection and help in exchange for... well, we'd negotiate that part.

As I got close to the bathroom door, it swung open as I reached for it. I stepped forward and collided with something solid. I gasped, stumbling back as I realized it was Leo, his hand raised as if about to knock.

The shock of the impact sent the towel slipping from my grasp. It pooled at my feet, leaving me completely naked. I froze, my mind blank with panic. I was too stunned to move, to cover myself, to do anything but stand there exposed.

Leo's eyes widened, his gaze sweeping over my body from head to toe and back again. He seemed just as stunned, his mouth slightly parted as he stared at me standing nude before him.

“Shit!

Not again!” he cursed out in frustration and turned towards the exit like a man being chased by a nightmare.

"No, wait... I... I... I'm..." I stammered, my voice barely a whisper. He froze in place, his hand resting on the doorknob and his back turned to me. He looks stressed, his head thrown back and his eyes shut firmly.

“Am I that repulsive that you can’t even look at me?” I asked him, my voice breaking at the end as I struggle not to cry. I heard a sound from him that sounded like a deep chuckle, but I couldn’t be sure because he had his back turned to me. But then I heard his deep voice,

“You think I’m this miserable because I find you repulsive?” he asked in a strained voice, tuning to face me, his eyes never leaving mine.

“U... I thought...” I stopped talking when I saw the unmistaken desire in his eyes, he walked back to me, his eyes never leaving mine. He didn’t blink, as if I would disappear if he asks much as blinks his eyes.

"Damn you for being so irresistibly sexy, and damn the fucking rules!" Leo growled, his voice thick with raw emotion. In one fluid motion, he closed the distance between us, his hands gripping my waist as he lifted me effortlessly, like I weighed nothing to him