His innocent wife is a dangerous hacker.-Chapter 592

Bella was catching her breath, her body still trembling with the aftershocks of what they had just done. Her legs felt weak, her skin flushed and glowing, her chest rising and falling in a rapid rhythm.

Leo pulled out of her slowly and carefully, watching her face as he did. His hand moved down, disposing of the condom with efficient movements, wrapping it in tissue and tossing it into the nearby bin. The soft thud was the only sound in the room besides their mingled breathing.

When he turned back, she was looking at him. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Those brown eyes, heavy-lidded and hazy, were fixed on him like he was the only thing in the world worth seeing. Her lips were parted, still catching air, still swollen from his kisses. Her hair was a wild mess around her face, dark strands stuck to her damp forehead and cheeks.

She looked completely undone.

Completely his.

He moved toward her without a word, bending to scoop her up in his arms. She felt weightless, boneless, melting against him as he carried her to the bathroom and cleaned her. Then he took her to bed.

He laid her down gently, carefully, like she was something precious. Her head found the pillow, her body sinking into the mattress with a soft sigh.

Then he settled beside her, pulling her close until her head rested on his chest, her body curled against his. His arms wrapped around her, one hand coming up to cradle the back of her head.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. He lingered there. He breathed her in.

"Leo..." she muttered against his skin, her voice sleepy and soft and full of everything she could not say.

He kissed her forehead again. Then her temple. Then the top of her head.

"Rest," he murmured, his voice a low rumble in his chest. "I’ve got you."

Her hand curled weakly against his chest, right over his heart. Her breathing slowly evened out, matching the rhythm of his.

Meanwhile...

"Oh my God! I didn’t know this place had monkeys too!" Dom shouted, pointing excitedly at a small troop of monkeys sitting on a nearby rock. They were peeling nuts with their tiny fingers, completely unbothered by the human audience.

"Oh my God! I’m seeing them up close for the first time!" he continued, his eyes wide as saucers. "Look at their hands! They’re just like ours! Like tiny, furry little people hands!"

Jason was right beside him, equally entranced. "The baby one is looking at us. Dude, the baby monkey is making eye contact. I feel judged."

"You’re being judged because you ate three sandwiches before the hike," Rika muttered from behind them.

Jason ignored her completely. "He’s got opinions. I can see it in his little monkey eyes."

Hazel stood a few feet away, leaning against a tree, a small smile playing on her lips. She had been quiet for most of the hike, content to let the others fill the silence with their endless commentary. The forest was beautiful—dappled sunlight, fresh air, the sound of water somewhere in the distance. Peaceful.

Well. Mostly peaceful.

"I can’t believe they’re just... sitting there," Dom continued, completely mesmerized. "Eating nuts. Living their best monkey lives. No deadlines. No responsibilities. Just nuts and vibes."

Jason nodded sagely. "Monkey goals."

Rika’s ears were genuinely starting to ache. She had been trailing behind the group for the past hour, and there had not been a single moment of peace. Not one. Every bird, every insect, every interesting leaf had been met with shouts and exclamations and loud discussions about whether they could take it home as a pet.

She had lost feeling in her left ear around the forty-five-minute mark.

"This is wild," Rika said, her voice flat but her smile cold as ice. "Of course there are going to be animals here. It’s a forest. You know what else lives in forests?" She paused for effect. "Jaguars. Tigers. Maybe anacondas too."

Dom froze mid-gesture.

Jason slowly turned his head.

"What?" they said in unison.

Rika’s smile widened. "Big cats love hiking trails. And anacondas? They can swallow a person whole. You wouldn’t even feel it. Well," she tilted her head, "you’d feel it for a few seconds. Then nothing."

Dom and Jason exchanged a look of pure horror.

"There are no jaguars here," Hazel said calmly, not even looking at Rika. "She’s lying."

"Am I?" Rika’s voice was sweet as poison.

Dom grabbed Jason’s arm. "Bro."

"I know."

"I don’t want to be swallowed by a snake."

"No one’s getting swallowed," Hazel said, finally pushing off the tree and walking past them. "Keep moving. We’re close."

Dom and Jason scrambled after her, sticking closer than before, their eyes darting nervously into the trees.

Behind them, Rika smiled.

The monkeys watched them go, indifferent to human drama, and went back to eating their nuts.

"Jason!" Dom whispered urgently, grabbing his friend’s arm and pulling him closer as they walked. His eyes kept darting nervously into the trees, expecting a jaguar to leap out at any moment. "We should have brought Leo with us! If a jaguar came out, he and the jaguar could have a fight."

Jason stared at him. "You want Leo to fight a jaguar?"

"I’m not saying I want it. I’m saying it would be a fair fight. Man versus beast. Leo would probably win too. Have you seen him? He’s terrifying. The jaguar would take one look at him and reconsider its life choices."

"Leo is having a good time with his wife on a boat."

"Exactly! That’s the problem!" Dom gestured wildly at the surrounding trees. "We’re out here, defenseless, with only..." He glanced at Hazel and Rika ahead of them. "Two women who probably don’t even know how to fight a jaguar."

Hazel, without turning around, said calmly, "I can fight a jaguar."

Dom blinked. "What?"

"I told you I’m trained. I could kill a jaguar with my bare hands if I had to."

Dom and Jason exchanged a look and decided not to comment.

They walked for another twenty minutes, the path winding deeper into the forest. The air grew cooler and fresher, carrying the scent of pine and something floral. Birds called to each other in the distance, and sunlight filtered through the trees in golden shafts.

Then the forest opened up.

A hidden meadow stretched before them, tucked between two mountain ridges like a secret waiting to be found. Wildflowers covered the ground in waves of purple, yellow, and white—lavender, buttercups, tiny blossoms Dom could not name. A small stream wound through the center, sparkling in the afternoon light, its gentle babble the only sound besides the breeze.

Massive ancient trees ringed the edges, their branches forming a natural boundary. Above, the sky was impossibly blue, dotted with soft clouds that moved lazily across the expanse.

Dom stopped walking.

His mouth fell open.

"Holy..." He trailed off, words failing him for once.

Jason bumped into him from behind. "Why’d you stop—" Then he saw it. "Oh. Oh, wow."