My Billionaire Ex Beg For A Second Chance-Chapter 208: Door Opens

Leonard stared at his hands as he walked down the corridor, the scent of fresh blooms drifting up from the bouquet. Creamy white lilies and pale pink roses, Katherine’s favorites. Balanced carefully against his arm was a neat paper bag with toys wrapped in bright blue and yellow paper.

He had picked each gift with care, almost ceremoniously. The flowers had been trimmed just so, wrapped in soft tissue and tied with a satin ribbon. The toys weren’t chosen at random either, one was the new puzzle Nathan had once mentioned liking, the other a soft plush Maya had been talking about during their last visit. Leonard wasn’t just arriving empty-handed. He was arriving as if he belonged here.

And why shouldn’t he?

His chest swelled slightly at the thought. He hadn’t expected to feel this light today, but the moment the headline had hit his phone the day before, Felix Crawford Engaged to Mysterious Woman, something inside him had shifted.

The first seconds had been pure panic, a jolt that sent his mind racing. Engaged? To Katherine? Was this Felix’s way of staking his claim?

But then, relief.

It wasn’t Katherine in the photos. It was some other woman, all glitter and gloss, draped over Felix’s arm. Leonard didn’t care who she was, didn’t care if she was rich, famous, or even a royalty, as long as she wasn’t his Katherine.

And now, with this little media bombshell detonating across every screen in the country, Leonard couldn’t help but think the tide might finally be turning.

A rare gift, courtesy of Felix himself.

He reached her door, adjusted his grip on the bouquet, and rang the bell.

A few seconds later, the door cracked open to reveal Nathan, hair slightly messy from morning, still in his pajama shirt. The boy smiled, calm, polite, so much like his mother.

"Uncle Leonard," Nathan greeted.

"Good morning, champ," Leonard said warmly, stepping inside as Nathan held the door open wider. "I was hoping... maybe I could have breakfast with you all today."

From the living room, Maya’s voice floated in, "Breakfast with us? Of course, Uncle Leo!" Her footsteps pattered across the floor, and soon she appeared, eyes widening at the sight of the bouquet. "Oooh, what’s that? What’s in the bag?" She bounced up and down, her bare feet tapping lightly against the floor.

Leonard chuckled, lowering the bag so she could peek inside. "Patience, little one. First things first-" He crouched down and handed her the paper bag. "Something for both of you."

Maya gasped and clutched the bag like it was treasure. Nathan leaned in, quiet but curious.

"And this," Leonard straightened, turning to Katherine who had just stepped into the hallway, "is for you."

Katherine’s eyes landed on the bouquet. Her brows lifted slightly. "Flowers?" She took them carefully, the petals brushing her cheek. "Thank you... but what’s the occasion?"

"No occasion," Leonard replied, smile easy and bright. "I just thought you might like them."

She studied him for a moment, lips curving faintly. "Something good must’ve happened then."

Leonard only smiled wider, refusing to give her an answer.

They moved to the dining table. The scent of toast and brewed coffee filled the air. Katherine set the bouquet in a vase by the window while Maya unpacked the toys with excited squeals. Nathan, ever composed, gave a quiet but genuine "Thank you" before settling beside his sister to inspect the puzzle pieces.

Leonard joined them, the warmth of the domestic scene pulling at something in him. This felt right, her accros from him, the twins chattering between mouthfuls of breakfast, sunlight framing the room.

Halfway through his coffee, Leonard glanced at the television in the corner.

"Mind if I put something on?" he asked casually, already reaching for the remote.

Katherine shrugged, "Go ahead."

He flipped through the channels slowly, the quiet hum of static and background music filling the room. Then he found it.

A news anchor’s clear voice cut in, "And in other society headlines, the whirlwind engagement between Felix Hartmann and heiress Lara Quinn has taken both the business and social worlds by storm..."

The screen shifted to that now-infamous photo, Felix in a tailored suit, and the woman’s hand resting delicately on his chest, both smiling for the cameras.

Leonard didn’t miss the subtle shift in Katherine’s expression. Her gaze flicked up to the screen for barely a heartbeat before she looked back down at her plate. The corners of her mouth tightened ever so slightly, the easy curve of her lips gone.

The twins, oblivious to it, glanced between the TV and their mother.

"Is that Uncle Felix?" Maya asked, voice light with curiosity.

Katherine’s fork hesitated. "Yes," she said softly.

"Who’s that lady?" Nathan followed up, his tone more cautious.

Katherine didn’t answer immediately. Leonard leaned back in his chair, eyes sliding from the TV to her, reading every twitch of her expression.

She drew in a breath. "Just someone he works with," she murmured, her voice steady but quieter than before.

Leonard hid his satisfaction behind another sip of coffee.

The news clip played on, the anchor detailing the lavish engagement party, the business implications, the speculation about wedding dates. Felix and her woman smiling faces stayed plastered across the screen like a glossy advertisement.

Leonard set his cup down deliberately, fingers drumming once against the porcelain. "Quite the announcement," he said lightly.

Katherine didn’t look at him. "It’s none of my business," she replied, but the tightness in her tone told him she’d already spent hours telling herself that.

The twins returned to their toys, interest in the adult conversation fading. The TV kept talking, but in Leonard’s mind, the room had narrowed to just him and her, the hum of her guarded breathing, the way she pressed her lips together, the faint crease between her brows.

For the first time in months, he felt like the door he’d been knocking on wasn’t quite so firmly shut.

And if Felix had handed him the key by accident... Leonard wasn’t about to waste it.