“Unspoken Things”

POV: Leonard

The ride home was quiet.

Not awkward. Not heavy. Just… quiet. The kind of silence that settled after a storm you hadn’t realized you’d been bracing for.

Leonard watched the city blur past through the tinted windows. Velmont’s night skyline glowed like a crown—bright, beautiful, and utterly cold.

Across from him, Selena had slipped off her heels and tucked her legs under her, cradling a bottle of water. She didn’t speak, didn’t try to fill the silence with small talk like she had on their first day.

She didn’t need to.

He stole a glance at her. The same woman who had thrown back sharp words at Cassandra like polished daggers and had stood beside him at the Prestige Society without flinching. She hadn’t asked questions when his uncle tried to cut him down, hadn’t pressed when he offered nothing.

She just stood there. With him.

It was… unfamiliar.

“Are you always that charming at family gatherings?” she asked suddenly, breaking the quiet.

Leonard gave a small exhale through his nose. “That was me being polite.”

“Yikes.” She smiled faintly. “Remind me never to piss off your uncle.”

“You already did,” he said. “Just by existing.”

Selena raised an eyebrow. “Well, I’m honored.”

The car slowed to a stop in front of the penthouse. The driver opened the door and Leonard stepped out first, offering his hand automatically.

Selena paused before taking it.

She didn’t need his help. That wasn’t the point.

But she took it anyway.

Inside, the penthouse was dim, save for the soft under-glow of the kitchen lights. Selena wandered toward the balcony, dropping her clutch on the marble counter as she passed.

Leonard watched her from the doorway for a second longer than he meant to before following.

She leaned against the railing, the city sprawling below her like a painted canvas. The wind teased a few strands of hair loose from her bun.

He stood a few feet away, arms crossed.

“You’re not what I expected,” he said finally.

She didn’t turn. “What did you expect?”

“Someone more… performative. Like everyone else at that club.”

Selena scoffed. “Sorry to disappoint.”

“You didn’t,” he said quietly.

That made her look at him.

Their eyes met in the dim light, and something shifted between them—still sharp-edged, but softer now. Less defense. More… curiosity.

She tilted her head. “You hate those people, don’t you?”

“I don’t hate them,” Leonard said. “I just don’t trust anyone who smiles that much while plotting your downfall.”

Selena gave a dry laugh. “That’s rich coming from someone who barely moves his face.”

Leonard looked away, lips twitching. “You think I’m cold.”

“Not cold,” she said, thoughtful now. “Just… locked up.”

That landed harder than he expected.

He studied her again—really studied her. The dark eyes that missed nothing, the confidence she wore like armor, and the way she called him out without cruelty.

“You handled tonight better than I did,” he admitted.

Selena shrugged. “I grew up watching people pretend to like each other for headlines. I learned how to play the game early.”

Leonard nodded slowly. “You played it well.”

They stood in silence again, the hum of the city below them filling the space between words.

Then he surprised himself.

“My father’s never been proud of anything I’ve done,” he said.

Selena didn’t react with pity. Didn’t rush to say she was sorry.

She just waited.

“Taking over KnightTech was supposed to prove something,” Leonard continued. “Instead, it made them hate me more. Too fast. Too untraditional. Too independent.”

“And marrying me?” she asked. “What was that supposed to prove?”

Leonard looked at her. “That I could play their game if I wanted to. But now I’m starting to wonder if the game’s playing me.”

Selena leaned back, resting her arms on the railing beside him.

“Well,” she said softly. “For what it’s worth… I think you did the right thing.”

Leonard turned his head toward her. “Why?”

“Because tonight, they all looked at you like they couldn’t control you. That’s power. And you didn’t stand alone.”

Something cracked, just a little, in the walls he’d built around himself.

Maybe she didn’t mean it as anything more than a comment. Maybe it wasn’t even about him so much as the way she saw the world. But it mattered.

She saw him.

And he didn’t feel so alone.

Leonard didn’t say thank you. He didn’t know how, not yet.

But he stayed beside her longer than he meant to, both of them watching the city in silence—no longer strangers, and not quite something more.