His innocent wife is a dangerous hacker.-Chapter 506

Jason, still pale, pointed a shaky finger at the ceiling. "Its soul is rattled, my guy. That thing has trauma now."

The maintenance man blinked. "Uh... we’ll... run a full diagnostic?"

Bella just nodded, wordless. Her eyes drifted past the man, back to the elevator interior, now brightly lit and serene.

Rika, however, walked past the maintenance man without a glance. She paused at the lobby’s grand entrance, the morning light from the street framing her dark silhouette. She didn’t look back at the elevator, the man, or his excuses. The incident was already a closed file, a minor system error to be dismissed.

Leo didn’t calm down the moment he heard what had happened. In fact, his temper flared so sharply that the entire maintenance team stood frozen in front of him, heads lowered, shoulders tense, as his voice echoed through the corridor.

"Do you have any idea what could have gone wrong?" he demanded, his tone cold and dark. "An elevator stopping without warning, lights going out, no immediate response. Is this how you run safety checks?" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The head of maintenance tried to explain, words tumbling out nervously about a sudden power fluctuation and a backup system delay, but Leo wasn’t listening. His jaw was tight, his hands clenched at his sides, every thought circling back to one thing only—Bella trapped in the dark, scared, with no way to reach him.

"Enough," he said sharply. "I don’t want excuses. I want guarantees."

Bella, standing slightly behind him, finally stepped forward. She gently touched his arm, the smallest pressure, but it was enough to pull his attention away from them and back to her.

"Leo," she said softly, looking up at him. "It really wasn’t their fault. Things happen sometimes. We’re fine. Nothing bad happened."

His eyes immediately searched her face, scanning her carefully as if checking for hidden fear or pain. "Are you sure?" he asked, his voice lowering, the anger thinning into worry. "The lights went out. You were stuck. That’s not ’nothing.’"

She nodded, giving him a small, reassuring smile. "I was scared for a moment, yes. But Jason panicked more than I did," she added lightly, trying to ease the heaviness in his chest. "Rika handled it quickly. The help button worked. We were out soon."

He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. Only then did the tightness in his shoulders ease, just a little. He turned back to the maintenance team, his expression still serious but no longer dangerous.

"Double-check everything," he said firmly. "I don’t want this happening again. Ever."

"Yes, sir," they replied quickly, relief obvious as they hurried away.

Once they were alone, Leo turned back to Bella, pulling her gently into his arms. His forehead rested against hers for a moment, his breath warm and uneven.

"Don’t scare me like that," he murmured. "I can handle a lot, but not this."

She smiled softly, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I know," she said. "That’s why I’m telling you again—we’re okay."

Only then did he finally relax, holding her a little closer, as if letting go of a fear he hadn’t even realized how tightly he’d been gripping.

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William had not felt this kind of happiness in years. It sat deep in his chest, warm and almost fragile, as he quietly prepared for the secret event he had been planning with such care. Soon—very soon—the world would know that Bella was his granddaughter. But more than the announcement, more than the status or the legacy, what he truly wanted was time. Time he had never been given before. Time to sit with her, talk to her, watch her smile, and make up, even a little, for all the years he had lost.

He was an old man now. He knew it better than anyone. His body reminded him every morning, his reflection every night. Leo had a lifetime ahead with Bella, decades to hold her hand and grow old beside her. William did not. Perhaps one year, perhaps two if fate was kind. That thought made him greedy in the quietest way...not for power, but for moments.

So when he carefully proposed the idea of taking Bella with him for a few days, just the two of them, Leo’s reaction was immediate. His expression hardened, dissatisfaction clear in his eyes even though he tried to keep his voice calm. The idea of Bella being away from him, out of his sight, did not sit well at all.

Bella, on the other hand, looked genuinely excited. Her eyes lit up with a softness that made William’s heart ache in the best and worst way at the same time.

"Maybe you should come as well?" William suggested gently, turning to Leo, not wanting to take her away without considering him.

Leo paused. He thought about it longer than he let on. The truth was, he had an important business meeting abroad, one he had postponed again and again because he did not want to leave Bella alone—not even for a short time. But now, the situation was different. Bella would not be alone. She would be with William.

"No," Leo said finally, his tone controlled but heavy with restraint. "It’s fine. Take Bella for a few days. I’ll use that time to attend an important business meeting I have in City F."

He had already delayed that meeting too many times. He knew there were things he needed to deal with personally. But letting Bella go, even briefly, felt like testing his own limits.

William nodded, understanding.

"Okay," the old man said cheerfully, unable to hide his excitement anymore. His eyes crinkled as he looked at Bella with pure affection. "So when do I take my little girl? Today? Or right now?" he asked eagerly, already imagining the days ahead with her.

Before Bella could answer, Leo shot him a sharp look, his arm instinctively sliding around her waist in a possessive gesture. "I’ll drop her at your mansion early tomorrow morning," he said firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.