Leo was still lying down, staring up at the ornate ceiling, listening to the heavy click of the door as Dante walked out. The room felt colder the moment the Boss left, but the presence of the new man, Etienne, remained like a shadow outside the door.
With a low groan, Leo managed to crawl out of the silk sheets. His legs felt heavy, a constant reminder of how Dante had claimed him in the basement, but he forced himself to stand. He walked to the dressing room, where a set of clothes had been laid out—a soft, cream-colored linen shirt and dark trousers. As he pulled the fabric over his skin, he noticed the quality. It wasn't just expensive; it was comfortable, chosen with a care that didn't match the "monster" image he had of Dante.
When Leo finally stepped out into the hallway, Etienne was waiting. He didn't say a word, simply giving a small, respectful nod before leading the way down the grand marble staircase.
"The Boss suggested the backyard," Etienne said, his voice smooth and steady. "He thought you might find the walls less... suffocating out there."
"Walls are walls, Etienne," Leo muttered, hugging his arms. "Whether they are made of stone or gold, they still keep me from my life."
But as Etienne opened the tall glass doors to the courtyard, Leo's breath caught in his throat. He had expected a cold, grey fortress. Instead, he stepped into a paradise. The air was filled with the sweet, intoxicating scent of Peonies and White Lilies—the exact flowers Leo used to keep in a small vase in his apartment.
Acres of green grass were dotted with thousands of blooms. There were stone paths winding through gardens that looked like they belonged in a royal palace.
"I don't understand," Leo whispered, walking toward a patch of bright, fresh flowers. "How... how are these here? These aren't common for this time of year in this part of France."
Etienne walked a few steps behind him, his eyes softening as he watched the surgeon's reaction. "The Boss had the soil treated and a specialized heating system installed under the garden beds months ago. He gave the gardeners a specific list."
Leo turned to look at him, his eyes wide. "A list?"
"Your favorite flowers, Leo," Etienne said. "He's been planning this since the first day he saw you at the hospital. He commanded us to plant every single one of them. He said that if he had to keep you in his world, he wanted to make sure you were surrounded by the only things that made you smile."
Leo looked back at the flowers. A wave of confusion hit him. Dante was a man who dealt in blood and gunsmoke, yet he had spent a fortune to build a garden of lilies just to make a "prisoner" feel at home. It made it so much harder to hate him.
"You think he's wicked, don't you?" Etienne asked, sensing the battle in Leo's mind. "You think he's just a man who takes what he wants."
"He is a man who takes what he wants," Leo snapped, though his voice lacked its usual bite.
Etienne stepped closer, looking around to ensure they were alone. "He's a man who has never been loved, Leo. He doesn't know how to ask for your heart, so he tries to build a world beautiful enough to earn it. He's not locking you in because he's a monster. He's locking you in because he knows that out there, they will kill you just to see him cry."
Leo felt his heart hammer against his ribs. He looked at the paradise around him and realized the most terrifying truth of all: the walls weren't there to keep him in. They were there to keep the rest of the world out.