Susan swallowed, feeling her cheeks warm. "Caroline… this is Leo," she said softly. She tried to sound casual, but her voice came out a bit unsteady.
Leo stepped inside, nodding to Caroline with a polite smile. "Nice to meet you, Caroline."
Caroline's eyes gleamed with curiosity as she took in the way Leo's presence seemed to change the air in the room. She turned back to Susan, arching a brow. "I think I finally understand who the mystery man is," she said under her breath, only loud enough for Susan to hear. "He's… really tall."
Susan shot her a look, but Caroline just grinned, enjoying the moment far too much.
After a beat, Susan found her voice again. "Leo, how did you… even know it was my birthday?" She was genuinely baffled, trying to piece together how he'd found out.
He gave a small, knowing smile. "I don't know if you're aware, Suzy," he said in a low, teasing voice, "but there's something called the internet these days."
Susan narrowed her eyes at him, a mixture of surprise and amusement crossing her face. "You checked out my profile?"
He shrugged, unapologetic. "Well, the app usually notifies you of such things, but let's just say I did my research."
Caroline looked between the two of them, clearly enjoying the mystery and their subtle, charged exchange. "Well, Leo, you're just in time. We're about to cut the cake," she said brightly, her smile a little too knowing as she glanced at Susan.
Leo's gaze softened as he looked at Susan. "Wouldn't miss it."
As they made their way over to the cake, people quieted, and Caroline brought the cake over to the center of the room. As everyone gathered around, Leo stayed close to Susan's side, his gaze fixed on her as she leaned over to blow out the candles. Susan closed her eyes, feeling the weight of his presence beside her as she made a silent wish. She wasn't even sure what she wished for, only that the moment felt surreal.
The cheers went up as the candles went out, and when she opened her eyes, Leo was watching her with a gentle intensity. "Happy birthday, Suzy," he said, his voice low and just for her.
Susan's heart gave a flutter, and she couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. She tried to brush it off, to look away, but his gaze held hers for a beat longer than she expected. It was only when Caroline handed them each a slice of cake with a grin that the spell broke, and Susan pulled her gaze away.
"So," Caroline said, her voice casual but her eyes twinkling with humor as she looked between them, "I think I like this friend of yours, Susan. He's very… thorough, with his research I must say."
Leo gave a small smirk, clearly aware of the playful undertone in Caroline's comment. "Only the best for Susan," he replied smoothly.
Caroline arched a brow, trying to suppress a laugh as she took a step back. "Well then, I'll leave you two thorough friends to catch up," she whispered to Susan with a wink, slipping away to rejoin the others.
Susan felt her face warm as she glanced up at Leo, wondering if he picked up on Caroline's teasing. But he was already looking down at her, his gaze soft.
"So," he said, his voice low. "Did you make a good wish?"
Her heart fluttered, and she couldn't look away from him. "I think so," she whispered, barely able to keep her voice steady.
They stood close in the crowd, and yet somehow, it felt like they were the only two in the room. The night felt heavy with unspoken words, with something she couldn't name but could feel so clearly between them, and she wasn't sure how to respond to it.
"So," Susan began, needing to fill the silence with something, "I'm surprised you showed up at the door instead of breaking in like you did the last time,"
Leo laughed, a deep rumble in his throat that made Susan chuckle as well. She had to admit that she liked hearing him laugh. Gradually, he was beginning to seem like a simple, normal guy in her eyes. Very different from the scary man she'd met months ago.
"Yeah, I thought about doing that," he finally replied, teasing her back, "But I didn't want to scare your guests. Seems like I kinda did already though. Your brother has not stopped giving me the stink eye since I got here,"
Susan turned to look behind her, only to find Samuel staring daggers at Leo. He wasn't very interested in Katherine anymore, although she kept trying to get back his attention. Sighing, she turned to look at Leo, who didn't look one bit fazed by the evil look Samuel was giving him. In fact he was returning the stare now, and both men were sizing each other up.
She punched him lightly on the shoulder, drawing his attention back to her, "Stop it, Leo!" She told him.
He chuckled, "He started it,"
"Well, can you blame him? He knows that I've been working for you too, and he doesn't like it. Both of you getting into some kind of testosterone filled squabble isn't going to make things better so will you please stop,"
Leo playfully raised both hands in surrender, "Fine, I'll stop" he said, "But I won't hesitate to break his nose if he tries anything stupid,"
"Don't threaten my brother," Susan told him, giving him a serious look.
"I apologize," said Leo with another smile,
As if the tension between Samuel and Leo wasn't enough, Susan noticed Jeremy making his way through the room, his gaze focused on her with quiet intent. He was coming towards them and Susan almost groaned in frustration at the inevitable awkward moment she was sure would follow.
Leo was still by her side, a steady, watchful presence, when Jeremy finally reached them. For a moment, Jeremy's eyes flickered to Leo, a brief flash of uncertainty crossing his face, and Susan felt the weight of the situation settle over her.
She took a steadying breath. "Leo," she said, her voice soft as she looked up at him, "this is Jeremy." She turned back to Jeremy, adding, "And, Jeremy… this is Leo."
The two men exchanged nods, though neither spoke right away. Leo's expression remained calm but quietly assessing, his gaze moving over Jeremy with an intensity that made her feel the tension building between them. She sensed Leo's sharp intuition was taking in every detail of the man before him, sizing him up with a look that seemed both casual and commanding.