The Billionaire He Pretended Not to Be Chapter 10
The first snow of winter fell that very day.
Leo stood frozen in place, unable to move an inch.
After that, I avoided him every chance I got. Whenever our eyes met, I looked away first.
He’d come into a sudden windfall of wealth by then, and quietly bought the apartment building
rented. I moved out without a second thought.
Later, Leo told me he planned to return to Chicago.
I didn’t cross paths with him for a long stretch after that.
It wasn’t until another corporate gala that Leo stepped through the doors as dusk settled.
Our gazes collided, then darted away from each other instantly.
For the first time, my chest didn’t flutter once. I really didn’t love him anymore.
A coworker wandered over holding a slice of cake. “Autumn, congratulations on the promotion. You’re my boss now-you’ve gotta look out for me, right?”
“Bad news though, the whole gala’s basically thrown just to celebrate you.”
Typical.
I turned around to find Anthony standing directly behind me.
His eyes drifted from Leo by the entrance back to me, one eyebrow raised.
“Old acquaintance, not gonna say hello?”
I’d never planned to.
As the night wore on, I stepped out onto the balcony for fresh air.
Leo followed me outside.
“Congratulations.”
He pulled a cigarette from his pocket and tilted it toward me. “Want one?”
The temperature dropped even lower, snowflakes swirling through the dark air.
turned to walk back inside.
“Aren’t you gonna say anything to me?”
I thought it over briefly. “Leo, we shouldn’t cross paths again from now on.”
Chicago was hundreds of miles away. The odds of us winding up at the same event were practically
zero.
1
Leo flicked open a lighter, a burst of yellow flame flickering across his unreadable face.
He finally lit the cigarette, thin smoke drifting between us.
A faint sad smile tugged at his lips. “You were never stupid, Autumn.”
But as he smiled, light glinting off the balcony glass let me see his eyes were red and wet.
Leo had always been far too proud to break down-I’d barely ever seen him shed a tear.
This might’ve been the first time, and the last.
I’d had enough of the frigid air and headed back inside.
My coworker was still picking at cake. Anthony leaned against a wall positioned perfectly to watch the balcony.
He lifted an eyebrow. “Finished catching up?”
“…Anthony,” I said flatly. “You’re unbelievable.”
Leo never showed his face again after that night.
I knew he hadn’t fully left the city though.
Leo got into a car crash.
Santoro was behind the wheel. She’d gotten wasted and rammed her vehicle straight into his. She’d always gotten every single thing she’d ever wanted growing up, except Leo.
It was the first time she’d ever truly cared about someone, and she’d waited two whole years with nothing to show for it.
She couldn’t accept losing him.
David stood beside the hospital bed and let out a heavy sigh. “DUI, intentional assault. The Romano
Family will handle it. She won’t get away with this.”
Leo’s face was deathly pale, stripped of his usual unshakable composure
He pushed himself upright, ignoring David entirely, eyes locked tight on the doorway
Autumn was there.
He stared at her, hands trembling faintly over the hospital sheets, replaying every word he
imagined she might say.
She said nothing at all, only offered him a faint, distant smile.
Then she looked away and walked off without a single pause.
Just like she’d promised-we were nothing more than strangers now.
Not an ounce of care left between us.
Leo’s palms turned icy cold. A thought hit him hard, and he threw himself off the bed desperate to
chase after her.
He’d barely stood when his legs buckled, and he crumpled to the floor.
David caught his intent immediately and sprinted out the door after her.
But he returned to the hospital room alone minutes later.
“She’s gone.”
Silence hung thick in the room. Leo’s racing, agitated heartbeat slowly steadied, his palm clamped tight around a ring he’d carried everywhere with him.
It was the ring he’d planned to give her once the engagement was called off.
He’d never mustered the courage to ask.
Now he’d never get the chance.
Everything in the ward blurred at the edges of his vision.
Outside the windows, rain began to fall.
Soft, endless, unceasing-like it would never stop.
