Chapter 4 Do revenge

Leo had been away for just one year.

One year.

A business trip he couldn't avoid deals to finalize, contracts to sign. He had left reluctantly, heart heavy.

The moment he stepped out of the airport, something felt off. The air was too sharp. The city too loud. His phone buzzed nonstop, and when he checked, it was Fred's messages back to back:

"Call me as soon as you land."

"Leo, you need to see this."

"I'm sorry, man."

Then a video link.

He didn't want to click it. But he did.

And there it was clear as day Zara in Jayden's arms, her face buried in his chest as he kissed her temple..

For a second, Leo couldn't breathe.

It felt like the ground had started shifting under his feet, like someone had punched the wind out of his lungs.

He stormed straight to the Bennett mansion, heart pounding, jaw clenched.

And there she was. On the lawn. Jayden's arm around her, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Jayden smirked the moment he saw him.

Jayden.

Jayden, the notorious playboy. Jayden, who changed the moment his mother died. Jayden, who now seemed to thrive off every opportunity to spite him.

But Zara?

Zara was supposed to be off-limits.

And Jayden knew that.

He knew it, and he went after her anyway.

Jayden had already cut him off before Leo left.

No warning. No explanation.

Just silence.

What started as small jabs, missed calls, ignored texts, cold glares became full-blown estrangement. Their last conversation had ended with Jayden saying, "You think you are better than all of us because your Dad left you a company. News flash, Leo no one cares."

Leo didn't know what to say. He had walked away.

He left the country days later, hoping distance would dull the ache. But deep down, he knew something had shifted. Jayden wasn't just angry. He was bitter.

And Leo should've known.

Because Jayden didn't cut people off without a plan. He didn't walk away from a grudge; he nurtured it. Leo just never had imagined Zara would become part of it.

But she had.

Watching Zara smile on those screens beside Jayden, Leo didn't just feel betrayed he felt stupid

And that broke him more than he was willing to admit.

Leo had tried to keep tabs on them as much as he could, quietly, subtly, watching them from the shadow. Something had always felt off. Jayden's affection wasn't real, it was performative . Leo knew him too well. He'd seen it before.

Then eight months ago, the truth started to unravel.

Elena.

Fred, his best friend and assistant, had stormed into his office holding a tablet. "I knew that bastard had something up his sleeve," Fred said, his jaw tight.

Photos. Screenshots. Private exchanges between Jayden and Elena.

The betrayal was far more bigger than he could have imagined.

How do you break someone's heart with the truth when they're already bleeding from the lies?

Leo sat in silence most nights, wondering if stepping in would save her... or completely shatter her.

When he got to the Bennett mansion, his heart was pounding like a drum. He wasn't even sure she'd still be there. But luck was on his side that evening. Zara had only taken a few steps away from the gate, walking slowly like the weight of the whole world was on her shoulders.

He flashed his headlights and honked once, not too loud just enough to make her stop.

Zara turned, startled. For a second, she looked unsure. Her eyes were red, swollen and she wore a defeated look. She didn't speak. She didn't run. She just stood there.

Leo stepped out of the car, silent. He didn't say a word. He didn't ask questions. He simply reached into his backseat, pulled out the coat he always kept in his car

Without uttering a word, he gently wrapped the coat around Zara's shoulder .Zara didn't resist. She didn't flinch. She just let the coat wrap her like a reminder that someone still cared.

Leo opened the car door for her. She got in. No words exchanged.

The drive to her house was silent, but not empty. It was the kind of silence that said everything without needing to say anything at all. A silence that held pain, confusion, and comfort at the same time.

She didn't ask how he found her. He didn't explain. And maybe that was okay.

For now, just being there was enough.

Zara sniffled under her blanket, her face buried deep into the softness as if it could somehow muffle the pain clenching her chest. The weight of the past three days pressed down on her, each second dragging like wet fabric clinging to her skin. It had been three long, torturous days since the betrayal, since everything she thought she knew collapsed under her feet. Zara had spent the past three days with her phone off desperate to shut off the world.

But silence didn't heal; it only echoed.

With trembling fingers, she finally powered her phone back on. Notifications exploded on the screen, but she ignored them all until her eyes landed on one quiet message, tucked away under the filtered tab.

"Take care of yourself, Zara."

No emojis. No extra fluff. Just a line that hit her harder than the rest.

She squinted at the username.

@leoington96

She clicked the profile and the person had no profile picture. Barely any followers. A random account she couldn't even remember following. Her heart paused.

Wait.

She clicked the profile, scrolling through comments under her old posts. Always there. Always silent. Always kind. The invisible cheerleader she'd never noticed until now.

A comment from months ago, under a picture of her laughing with Elena, caught her eye: "You deserve to be seen for who you truly are."

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. A mix of curiosity and desperation warred inside her. Then she typed.

Hi.

She waited,the reply came a few seconds later

Are you good?

She hesitated.

Trying to be.

Then why did you text me that night?

The response came almost immediately

Because I've always seen you. Even when no one else did.

Zara stared at the screen ,her heart thudding loud in her ears. Her breath caught.

Who are you?

A beat passed.

Wanna get back at your ex?

Zara sucked in a breath, pulse quickening. Revenge hadn't crossed her mind not even once. She had been too shattered, too focused on surviving the hurt. But maybe, just maybe...