His Last Choice

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 12

Leon himself dried every inch of Hailey’s damp body. Slowly, she began to realize that his touches had lost their harsh weight, and the blazing fury that had burned so fiercely in his eyes earlier had finally subsided into something far quieter.

“Why are you crying?” he asked, his voice now steady and calm. “Do you honestly think I would ever hurt you?”

Her tears had been born out of pure, overwhelming terror. Yet at that moment, amid the chaos, she remembered—Leon was her mate. Even though he had not fully claimed her yet, deep down, she truly believed he could never bring himself to cause her pain.

“W—What… just happened?” Hailey managed to whisper, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

She sat at the edge of the bed, while Leon knelt on one knee on the floor before her. Still holding the towel, he continued to gently dry her feet, his movements soft and careful.

"That man—that shameless bastard… he deliberately came onto you right in front of me," Leon bit out, every word sharp and heavy with lingering resentment.

Hailey frowned, her mind racing as she tried to figure out exactly who he was talking about. "Who do you mean…?"

She trailed off as the realization suddenly crashed over her. Her eyes widened in shock. "You…were you there?!"

Leon’s gaze darkened instantly. "Shouldn’t I have been?" he replied coldly, his tone short and sharp.

"N—No, that’s not what I meant," Hailey stammered quickly, desperate to make him understand. "But please, believe me—it meant nothing at all. Harvey told me… he said it was just a farewell kiss… from a friend."

"He did it on purpose," Leon countered, his voice low and laced with bitter certainty. "He made sure I saw it—even though he knew I was standing right there. He did it just to provoke me… just to make me angry."

"The next time I see him, I’ll beat him until he can’t even stand up on his own two feet," Leon vowed, his voice thick with restrained fury.

Hailey quickly covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle the small, soft giggle that escaped her at his words. Despite his anger, there was something undeniably sweet about how fiercely he wanted to protect her—how possessive he was over her.

Leon let out a long, heavy sigh, the tension finally leaving his shoulders as he stood up from the floor. He gently lifted Hailey into his arms once more and carefully settled her back onto the bed, pulling the covers up around her.

"You need to understand something," he said, his voice low and serious as he looked deep into her eyes. "I refuse to let anyone else see your body. It belongs only to me—only my eyes are allowed to look at you that way.

I am possessive, Hailey. I won’t tolerate anyone hovering around you or trying to take what is mine. Do you understand me?"

It was a clear warning, one she knew she had no choice but to agree to, so Hailey simply nodded. But that faint response was far from enough for Leon. He braced his hands on either side of her, leaning in until his gaze locked intensely onto hers.

"Do you truly understand?" he repeated, his tone firm and unyielding.

"I promise… this will never happen again." Hailey spoke like a chastised child, half-hiding her face behind the sheets as she said the words.

"Good. Now, go to sleep."

Leon turned as if to leave, but before he could step away, Hailey reached out and quickly caught hold of his arm. He paused, looking back at her once more.

"What is it?"

"I… I just…" She mumbled, her head bowed in pure embarrassment.

"What is it, Hailey?" Leon asked again. But before she could find the words, a distinct sound broke the silence.

His gaze drifted slowly from her face down to her stomach. A low, rumbling growl echoed from within her belly—soft, but unmistakable—causing Hailey’s face to burn bright red with humiliation.

Her rumbling stomach explained everything perfectly.

Leon didn’t ask any further questions; he simply told her to wait for a moment in the room. True enough, it wasn’t long before he returned carrying a silver tray laden with food.

He leaned back against the headboard, arms crossed firmly over his chest, and watched her intently as she ate.

"You really don’t need to stand guard over me while I eat," Hailey said shyly. She could barely taste the food she was putting into her mouth, completely flustered by the way his eyes remained fixed on her from the bed.

"I’ve already touched every single part of your body just earlier," Leon remarked smoothly. "And you’re only feeling shy now?"

At his words, blood rushed straight to Hailey’s face, burning hot with utter embarrassment.

“Did he really have to remind me of that?

"I can hear what you’re thinking," Leon said, his voice calm, yet his face wore a distinct teasing, knowing smirk. "Have you forgotten that already?"

Still, her hunger was far stronger than her embarrassment, so she eventually set aside the fact that Leon was right there and simply focused on enjoying her meal. But the silence didn’t last long before a sudden thought crossed her mind.

"By the way… when you went downstairs earlier to get food, did you happen to see Rose? I haven’t seen her all day."

"I fired her last night."

Ahk—ack!

Hailey choked on her food, completely caught off guard by his blunt, immediate reply.

"You… you fired her?" She gasped, eyes wide in shock. "B—but why?!"

“She failed to do her job properly. She let another man bring you up to your room last night—so there was no reason left for her to stay. I’ll just find someone new for you.”

“No! I only want Rose,” Hailey insisted firmly. “I trust her completely. And besides—why do you just go around firing people out of the blue over something so trivial?”

Leon fell silent, though his face clearly showed he was far from agreeing with her or accepting what she’d said.

“Please…,” Hailey whispered softly, sensing that her words alone weren’t enough to sway him.

"Fine! But this is the only time I’ll give in. Do I make myself clear?"

Even though Leon eventually yielded to Hailey’s plea, he still spoke with absolute authority, leaving no room for argument.

"Finish your meal and then get some rest," he commanded, before turning on his heel and walking out of the room.