Her eyes widened in disbelief. "You?"
"Yes, ," he said, his lips curving faintly. "Now be good, little bunny. Five minutes of patience, and you’ll get your pancakes."
Bella brightened instantly, her pout vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. "Promise?" she asked, holding up her pinky like a child demanding reassurance.
Leonardo smirked and hooked his pinky around hers without hesitation. "Promise."
"Okay then..." she mumbled shyly, though a small smile broke across her lips as she turned toward the waiting doctor.
As she walked away, Leonardo watched her go, his gaze softening.
When Bella’s turn finally ca, she sat nervously on the edge of the examination bed, her fingers gripping the edge like she was about to face execution instead of a simple blood test.
The doctor held up the syringe patiently. "It’s just a small prick, ma’am. It’ll be over before you know it."
Bella’s eyes widened, and she shook her head so quickly that her hair swished. "No, no, no, wait—can’t we skip that part? I already feel perfectly healthy!" she said, her voice trembling slightly.
From the corner, Nonna burst into laughter, clapping her hands like she was watching a cody show. "Oh, my dear, I can’t believe you’re scared of a needle!" she said, still giggling.
Even the doctor cracked a helpless smile.
Leonardo, who had been standing a few steps away with his arms crossed, blinked in disbelief. Is that the sa woman who blocked a sniper attack for ?
He almost laughed, but the sight of her scrunched-up face and teary eyes stopped him. She looked too cute to tease.
"Bella," he called gently, walking closer.
She looked up at him imdiately, her eyes wide and shiny, her lips trembling. "Leo, it looks big," she whispered, pointing accusingly at the syringe. "He said it’s a small prick, but it doesn’t look small!"
Nonna laughed even louder, nearly falling off the sofa. "Nardo, comfort your wife before she starts crying like a baby!"
Leo sighed but couldn’t help the smile tugging at his lips. "Co here," he murmured, walking to her side. He reached out and cupped her cheeks, turning her face toward him. Her skin was soft and warm under his hands, and she blinked up at him like a frightened kitten.
"Look at ," he said softly, his voice deep and calm. "Not the needle. Just ."
"But—"
"Trust ."
Bella hesitated, then nodded slightly, her lower lip still caught between her teeth.
To distract her, Leo leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. His lips stayed there for a mont, warm and protective, and she froze, her heart skipping a beat. The soft scent of his cologne surrounded her, and suddenly the world felt safe again.
And that was exactly when—
"Ow!" she squeaked, eyes widening in surprise as the doctor quickly finished drawing her blood.
"All done!" the doctor said cheerfully, sticking a small cotton pad over the spot before sealing it with a pink bandage.
Bella looked down at her arm, then back at Leo with a betrayed pout. "You distracted ..."
Leo chuckled, brushing her hair behind her ear. "You’re welco. Worked perfectly, didn’t it?"
"You tricked !" she huffed, still pouting.
He leaned closer, smirking faintly. "Then I’ll make it up to you with pancakes later. Extra chocolate chips."
Her pout vanished imdiately. "Really?"
"Really," he said, smiling.
Nonna laughed again from the corner, her eyes glistening with amusent. "Oh, this is better than television! Look at you two lovebirds—he kisses her forehead, and she forgets all about the needle!"
Bella’s cheeks turned red instantly. "N-Nonna!" she stamred, hiding her face in Leo’s arm.
Leo chuckled quietly, patting her head gently. "Alright, alright," he said, glancing toward the doctor. "We’re done here."
As he led her away from the examination bed, Bella kept pouting softly, still rubbing the spot on her arm. "It hurt," she mumbled.
Leo looked down at her with a grin he tried to hide. "Next ti," he teased, "maybe we should bring Dorabella for courage."
Bella gasped. "She’d faint before !"
He laughed softly, the sound warm and full, and as they walked out together, even Nonna couldn’t stop smiling, her old heart warming at the sight of them. Watching her grandson and his young wife so close, teasing each other softly, filled her chest with quiet joy.
For years, Leonardo had been like ice—so cold, so unreachable, always locked behind the glass walls of his work and his past. But ever since Bella ca, there was laughter in the house again, warmth in the air, and even the servants whispered that the mansion finally felt alive. Nonna watched the two of them disappear into the hallway together and chuckled under her breath. "Ah, young love," she murmured to herself. "Finally, my boy is human again."
Inside the kitchen, the morning light stread across the marble counter, catching the faint sparkle of the glass jars and tal pans. Bella stood beside Leo, her hair loosely tied, eyes bright with curiosity as she peeked up at him.
"Do you actually know how to make pancakes?" she asked cautiously, her tone almost innocent but her gaze full of doubt. She eyed the bowl and whisk in his hands like they were weapons of mass destruction.
Leo raised an eyebrow slowly, turning his head toward her with mock offense. "Are you doubting , bunny?" His voice dropped just slightly, calm and teasingly dangerous.
Bella froze on the spot, lips parting as she imdiately shook her head. "No! No, of course not! I was just—uh—making sure you know... the recipe," she said quickly, pressing her hands together as if pleading for rcy. "Because you usually only handle... business things. You know, big, serious things. Not... pancake things."
His lips curved faintly, though he tried to hide it behind his usual composed tone. "Pancake things?" he repeated, walking toward her until she had to tilt her head back to look at him.
Bella blinked up at him, cheeks puffed slightly in embarrassnt. "You know what I an," she mumbled.
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