His innocent wife is a dangerous hacker.-Chapter 550 The Quiet Hours of Flight

"That’s generally what a bedroom entails, yes," Bella said, her lips twitching as she moved to sit beside Leo.

Dom swiveled his head to face Jason, his expression one of pure, unfiltered revelation. "I’m not getting off," he whispered, deadly serious.

Jason nodded, stroking his chin as if considering. "A rational response. The logistics of re entry into a lesser world would be traumatic."

From his throne by the window, Leo’s voice cut through the air, cool and flat. "You are passengers. Not permanent fixtures."

Dom flinched as if the words were physically painful. He turned pleading eyes toward the back of Leo’s head. "What about long term visitors? With extensive cleaning skills? I’m very tidy."

Leo did not dignify that with a response.

Dom slumped back, throwing an arm over his forehead. "He crushes my aspirations. It’s a gift."

Bella had settled beside Leo, and he had shifted his weight almost imperceptibly to give her more room, his arm coming to rest along the back of her seat.

Dom stared into the middle distance, a new resolve hardening his features. "I need to ascend," he declared.

"You’re already in a plane," Jason said flatly.

"Not literally, you functional appliance," Dom shot back. "I mean metaphysically. Financially. I need a level of wealth where my personal jet has a bedroom and I’m allowed to live in it."

"You have that level of wealth," Jason reminded him, ticking points off on his fingers. "Modeling. Dubious digital acquisitions. Your sock collection alone is a hedge fund."

Dom waved a dismissive hand. "That’s fiscal wealth. I’m talking about authority wealth. The kind where you can glare at a man and make him forget his own name. Leo wealth."

Jason snorted and picked up a sleek aviation magazine, effectively ending the debate. Dom, however, continued to gaze wistfully toward the forbidden bedroom corridor, quietly plotting his path to a higher tax bracket.

The flight stretched ahead of them, a twenty hour journey across time zones and oceans. Jace, Jay, and the rest of the family had left two days earlier to handle advance preparations.

Two hours in, the main cabin lights had been dimmed to a soft ambient dusk. Only the cool, shifting glow from the large screen at the front illuminated their corner of the plane.

Bella was curled into Leo’s side, one of her hands wrapped around his forearm, holding on without conscious thought, as if making sure he was still there. On the screen, a romantic drama played out in muted tones.

A flight attendant moved through the cabin with silent efficiency, refreshing the snacks, water, and drinks on the low table before them without uttering a word, preserving the hushed atmosphere.

In the row behind them, Jason was already deeply asleep, his head tipped back against the headrest, noise canceling headphones on. He breathed slowly and evenly, a man who could power down anywhere, anytime.

Across the aisle, Dom was a study in focused energy. His laptop glowed, casting sharp light on his concentrated expression. His fingers flew across the keyboard in a rapid, precise rhythm. His lips were pressed into a thin line. He was clearly in his hacker mode.

On the screen, the plot thickened. The male lead, suave and intentionally aloof, grabbed the heroine’s wrist and pulled her close, a possessive gesture that came mere moments after he had been openly flirting with another woman.

Bella’s brow furrowed instantly.

"He’s a bad guy," she muttered, the words a low, disapproving hum. "Trying to win her by making her jealous?"

Her irritation was palpable, almost personal. Leo turned his head slightly toward her, a faint, knowing smile touching his lips. He knew that tone.

"Easy," he murmured, his voice a low rumble meant only for her. A thread of helpless amusement wove through it. "It’s just a movie."

She let out a soft, dismissive huff, her eyes still glued to the screen as if she could will the characters into better behavior. "He should just tell her he likes her," she insisted, stubborn and earnest. "Why would you make someone feel small first?"

Leo’s free hand moved, his palm sliding in a slow, soothing stroke along her arm. "Not everyone knows how to be smart with feelings," he said, his voice calm and measured.

At his words, her gaze shifted from the screen to his profile. She studied him, her eyes searching his face as if trying to decipher a hidden code. Was he talking about the fictional man on the screen, or offering a quiet confession of his own past mistakes?

He did not meet her look right away. He just continued that slow, rhythmic motion on her arm, his thumb tracing absent, comforting circles against her skin, a silent language of its own.

On the screen, the heroine’s eyes welled with tears.

Bella clicked her tongue, a soft sound of pure irritation, and burrowed closer into Leo’s side. She turned her face, pressing her cheek firmly against the solid warmth of his shoulder.

Leo was not really watching the movie.

The shifting colors on the screen were just a backdrop, a faint light playing over the face he was actually studying. His attention was fixed on her. The way her brow knitted in sincere frustration. The soft press of her lips when she disapproved. The subtle shift in her grip on his arm when the scene grew tense.

Every reaction was a tiny, beautiful story to him. The way her nose scrunched slightly when the lead said something stupid was more captivating than any plot twist.

His thumb continued its slow, absent circles on her arm.

"By the way, how is your cousin?" Bella asked after a while, her voice softer now, curiosity replacing the irritation she had shown toward the movie. She shifted slightly so she could see his face better in the dim cabin light. "Like her personality. Is she kind?"

She paused, then added carefully, "Hazel?"

Leo’s gaze stayed on the screen for a few seconds longer before he spoke, like he was pulling old memories forward.

"She is quiet," he said. "Very quiet. She prefers to stay by herself. She used to work in another branch for some time."

Bella tilted her head slightly. "Like mafia work?"