My Billionaire Ex Beg For A Second Chance-Chapter 247: Ripples Beneath the Surface

The silence in the living room lingered long after the children’s laughter had faded behind the closed door of the spare room. The sound was faint now, muffled and distant, as though it belonged to a different world entirely, one untouched by the suffocating tension that hung heavy in the air. The adults remained where they were, scattered across the spacious room, but not one of them seemed truly at ease. The earlier revelation still pressed against their chests, the words echoing like thunder they hadn’t yet processed.

It was Claudio who shattered the quiet, his voice sharp with incredulity. "So you and Katherine live together?"

The words fell like a stone in still water, sending ripples through everyone present. Katherine stiffened immediately, her fingers tightening subtly around the hem of her blouse. Felix, seated at a slight angle on the armrest of a chair, lifted a brow but said nothing. Leonard’s eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening as though bracing for an incoming blow.

Katherine was the first to respond, quick and decisive, her tone firm but composed. "Not together," she corrected swiftly, shaking her head. "We live in the same building, but in different apartments."

Her voice carried no hesitation, but the weight of needing to clarify made her chest feel tight. Claudio’s gaze slid toward her, his eyes sharp, probing for cracks in her calm exterior. When he found none, his lips curved into a slow, knowing smirk.

He leaned slightly toward Leonard, lowering his voice but not enough that Katherine or Felix couldn’t catch it. "Sneaky bastard... so this is how you do it, huh?"

The words slithered into Leonard’s ear, sharp and mocking. Leonard’s shoulders stiffened, his expression shifting into something darker. His jaw clenched until the muscle pulsed, and his fingers curled loosely at his sides, restless, betraying the restraint it took not to snap back immediately. His eyes flashed, stormy, dangerous, but he kept his voice low, steady, laced with a warning edge.

"Claudio..."

It was a name spoken not in greeting, but as a warning.

Before the tension could coil tighter, Katherine cleared her throat, her subtle attempt to defuse the storm brewing between brothers. With quiet poise, she gestured toward Felix, who had been watching the exchange with a calm yet unreadable expression. "This is Felix, by the way," she said, her voice politely measured. "And Felix, this is Claudio."

Claudio’s eyes flicked toward Felix, recognition dawning with surprising ease. A chuckle rumbled out of him, light yet edged with something wry.

"Ah, Felix. I’ve heard so much about you."

Felix’s lips curved, his tone smooth and unhurried as he replied. "Hopefully only good things."

Claudio laughed, shaking his head. "I always thought we’d meet to discuss business one day. Never imagined you and Leonard were... friends."

The pause before his last word was deliberate, laced with disbelief, almost a jest at Leonard’s expense.

Leonard’s scoff was immediate, his voice sharp as a blade. "Please. What friend?"

Felix, unfazed, let out a low chuckle. He shifted slightly in his seat, his posture relaxed though his eyes gleamed with something more calculated.

"We know each other through Katherine, that’s all."

Leonard’s nostrils flared, his glare cutting toward him, yet Felix didn’t flinch, didn’t look away. Instead, he offered a faint, knowing smile that made Leonard’s blood stir with something dangerously close to jealousy.

The air in the room grew heavier, pressing down like a storm waiting to break. Each man sat firmly in his place, neither yielding nor softening, their silence carrying the weight of unspoken rivalry and history.

Katherine felt the suffocating tension wrap around her shoulders like chains. She forced a polite smile, though her heart thudded faster in her chest.

"Well," she said gently, rising from her seat with Felix following her lead, "perhaps we should give you two some privacy. You probably have a lot to catch up on."

Felix rose with easy grace, his presence calm but watchful, as though reluctant to leave Leonard completely unchecked. He glanced once toward Katherine, offering a reassuring look, then allowed her to guide him toward the door. With a final polite nod in Claudio’s direction, Katherine and Felix slipped out of the room, the soft click of the door behind them sealing the brothers in.

The silence that followed was different now, no longer polite, no longer crowded with witnesses. Just Leonard and Claudio, face-to-face, the civility stripped away.

Claudio leaned back in his chair, studying Leonard with a gaze that was too sharp, too knowing. His earlier smirk faded into something heavier, more serious. "You look worse than I imagined," he said bluntly, his voice steady. "And don’t tell me you’re fine. I can see it."

Leonard exhaled slowly, a humorless smile twisting his lips. "You never change, do you? Still so quick to judge."

"So... how’s your courting going, hm? Didn’t know you’d have such big competition."

Leonard’s jaw tightened at once, though he forced his expression to remain neutral. He knew exactly what he meant, what Claudio had no doubt been hinting at since stepping foot in the house. Still, he wasn’t about to let either of them see him ruffled.

"Competition?" Leonard arched a brow, feigning ignorance as he swirled the untouched glass of water in his hand. "You’ll have to be more specific. Who exactly are we talking about?"

Claudio’s lips curved, though there was no humor in the gesture. "Don’t play dumb with me," he said flatly. "Felix. You can see it with your own eyes. The way he looks at her. The way she softens around him." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, gaze cutting. "Are you really sure you still have a chance?"

The question slid into the room like a knife. Leonard’s fingers tightened around the glass, but his voice remained even. "That depends," he said coolly. "Are you on my side or not?"

For a long beat, the two brothers stared at each other. The air between them felt taut, like a rope pulled too tightly. Then Claudio let out a quiet breath and leaned back again.

"I’m not here to choose sides," he said at last, tone quieter but no less firm. "I just want to be neutral. You think I came all this way to fan the flames between you and Felix? No. That’s not my role here."

Leonard’s mouth pressed into a thin line. "Neutral," he repeated, the word tasting bitter. "That’s convenient."

Claudio didn’t rise to the bait. Instead, he fixed Leonard with a level look that carried far more weight than his words. "Don’t forget, Leonard. Whatever else you’re hoping for, whatever excuses you’re building for yourself... you can’t erase what you did to Katherine."

The words landed like a blow, sharper than anything else Claudio had said so far. Leonard’s gaze flickered, betraying a crack in the armor he’d carefully kept intact. He looked away, his voice dropping. "I don’t need you to remind me. I know what I’ve done."