I posted a chapter yesterday. If you haven't read chapter 8, go read it right now before you read this one.

Enjoy this chapter and point out my mistakes. ❤️

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(Leo's POV)

          I entered the room and slowly closed the door behind me, making sure I didn't wake Verona up. After one drink, I decided to leave the stupid party where I couldn't stop thinking about Arie. I tried to bury her deep when Verona came back, but I just couldn't. My wretched heart wouldn't allow me. She was always at the back of my mind, projecting possibilities of what could've happened if she never left; how different our lives would have been.

Not a day went by when I didn't think about her. Her enchanting beauty, her intoxicating laugh, her voice, her soft, velvety skin that I loved touching and kissing. The way she'd speak her mind against what she thought was wrong without regard to the person, whoever they may be or how much power they held. Her smart mouth and childish ways at times always pulled at my heartstrings. Now that she was so close to me in the same place, she was stuck, engraved deeply in my mind and I couldn't seem to brush her off for even a second. She kept running all over my head without rest.

          Sitting at the edge of my enormous bed and reaching inside my suit pocket, I pulled out Arie's locket that Rome found on the plane. My thumb brushed over the engraving of her name that was disguised by vines and flowers on the heart-shaped metallic ornament. A little smile emerged on my face thinking about the thing that was tucked inside. The key to it was still in a safe place. I didn't know why I was saving it considering I would never get the chance to use it, but I didn't have the heart to just chuck it away.

          When I heard she completely disappeared from Queens, I had to refrain from using the tracker in her locket and finding out where she was. She didn't want to be found and I respected her choice, even if it was of leaving me. I always respected her and I always would, no matter how much it'd hurt me.

          "Leo," I heard Verona whisper from behind me.

          I immediately shoved the locket back into my pocket and turned around to find Verona still laying, facing the other way. "Hey." I leaned over and kissed her shoulder. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

          She sighed and sat up straight against the headboard, tucking a strand of her black hair behind her ear. "I couldn't sleep."

"Is something wrong?" I cupped her face and gave her my full attention. "Sweetheart, tell me."

She smiled meekly, but her eyes only flashed sadness. "Three months."

I frowned and let out a breath. "I'm sorry," I apologized. "Everything has just been very busy."

"You barely come home now unlike before," she whispered, her voice brittle and on the verge of cracking.

"A lot happened after you were gone," I swallowed hard and loosened the tie around my neck, pitching it to the floor. "The workload has increased after I bought the Zadlo Enterprises. Meetings after meetings to reshape..."

          "Are you sleeping with other women?" She blurted out the question, forcing my head to turn in her direction. A tear fell down her cheek as her lips quivered. "It's okay if you are."

          "Gesù Cristo, Verona! It's not okay." I frowned at the fact that my absence made her think something so disgusting. "Do you think that low of me?"

          "No." She shook her head immediately. "Mi dispiace (I'm sorry)."

          Anger was beginning to rise in my chest, but I had to force it down. I didn't want to raise my voice at her. Considering what happened the last time I did that, Astor seized that opportunity and took her away from me for more than two years. I got off the bed and frustratedly threw my suit jacket to the floor, my shirt following it right after. I couldn't look at her, not after her filthy accusation, however, I also couldn't blame her. Before Astor kidnapped her, I never went a week without seeing her, no matter how much work I had. As my wife, she was always my priority and she still was, but a lot changed while she was away. I fell in love with someone else...

"Mi dispiace," she apologized again, her warm breath tickling my back as she hugged me from behind.

I sighed and feathered my hands over hers before removing them and turning around to face her. Slowly, I wiped away her tears and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. "I'm your husband, Verona. Cheating isn't an option in the family and you know that. Even if it wasn't a rule, I would never willingly disrespect you or betray you by sleeping with another woman. We exchanged vows eight years ago and I'll uphold them. I'm committed to you." Placing a finger under her chin, I lifted her head and forced her blue eyes to mine. "The fact that you even thought about me cheating on you while you sat home makes me mad. You just have to say the word and I'll come home to you. You know that."

          "I do," she nodded and laid her head on my naked chest. "Non succederà più (It will not happen again)."

"Meglio di no (Better not)," I warned her sternly, urging her to look at me. "As a husband it's my job to inform you where I am and I never fail to do so. Even if I was seeing other women, you shouldn't be okay with that. You're my wife, not some mistress. You have the right to put me in my place. Capisci?"

"Sì," she gulped in fear, but eased when I stroked her cheek slowly.

          Her eyes fanned over the ink on my left shoulder that expanded down my pectoral muscle and stopped before diving into my right pec. She ran her fingers over the tight ridges of my abs before slamming her lips against mine. Pulling back a little, she smiled and started unbuckling my belt hastily. I stopped her and kissed her slow. "Someone's eager."

***

I stared at the chandelier above my bed as Verona peacefully slept next to me. My heart was tormented, my mind a fucking wreck. I felt like shit, not because the sex was bad, it was great, but because the person I was thinking about the entire time. Fuck! I couldn't do this. This was ridiculously unfair to Verona. I felt lower than dirt itself. While making love to my wife, my mind decided to think of Arie and I hated myself for it. I might as well have cheated because this was certainly equivalent to it.

          My phone buzzed on the nightstand, forcing me out of my self-loathing session.

Mike: You done?

Instantly, I crawled out of the bed and threw on my boxers, followed by a pair of sweatpants. After retrieving the locket from my suit jacket and slipping it into my pocket, I slowly exited the room and met Mike outside. "Did he fess up?"

"He's one stubborn son of a bitch. He's still chanting the same thing," Mike informed me as we entered the elevator and descended to the lowest level. It was a dungeon built by the ancestors almost a century ago with a touch of modernity. No wild rats running around. It was quite sanitary actually with abundance of light. Men were mostly held captive down here for interrogation, not the good kind of course. "Vince is already warming up though."

          "Of course he is," I groaned and followed the screams that lead us to a room. Opening the door, I noticed Vince trailing a knife down the man's jaw. "That's enough."

"Yes, boss!" Vince backed away immediately and wiped his bloody hands with a handkerchief. "He keeps saying the same thing even after I cut his fingers off."

          "But I'm telling the truth," the man sobbed like a little bitch.

Sighing at the man's resistance to disclose information, I leisurely sauntered over to him and cracked my knuckles. "What's your name again?"

"Ben," he answered, whining due to all the injuries he sustained in here.

"Ben," I tangled my fingers in his hair and yanked his head back. "This is your last chance to tell me the truth, buddy. Why were you following Evelina?"

          "Because you hired me to do so," he wailed, his tears mixing with the blood oozing out of the injuries on his face.

          I snorted at his filthy lie. "Why would I pay you to follow my sister around when I have millions of people that work under me to do the same?"

          "I don't know," he cried as I let his hair go and walked around him. "You came to me and paid me to follow her. You wanted me to tell you everything I could find out about her."

          "You're saying that I personally sought you out to spy on my sister?" Scrunching my nose in confusion, I slapped him across his face. "First, I know my sister very well. Second, the day you're saying that I sought you out is the same day I was in Malta, attending a meeting. Unless I have teleporting skills, I couldn't possibly be in England hiring a low-life detective to follow my sister around Oxford University at the same time."

          "Maybe you cloned yourself at some point," Vince grinned like an idiot. "Or you're the flash. That bitch is fast as fuck. Not saying that you're a bitch though."

"Just shut up and get out," I rolled my eyes at him. "You're done here."

          "Party time for me," he smirked and winked at Mike. "Valentina and I are going to have some fun by the pool."

"I'll break your fucking bones," Mike growled at him and palmed the gun tucked in his waistband.

"Vince, knock it off and get the fuck out," I glared at the man who immediately straightened his spine.

"Yes, boss." He scurried out of the room, leaving me to finish the job.

          Turning back to my victim, I clutched his jaw and forced his drowsy eyes to mine. "I'm going to ask you one last time, who asked you to spy on Evelina?"

          "I'm telling you the truth. It was you."

          "That's it!" The man's adamancy boiled my blood beyond belief. "No one fucks with my family." Grabbing his head, I twisted it quickly and broke his neck, ending his life painlessly.

          "Well, that was a waste," Mike commented and called a couple men to clean the mess before we both walked out. "He was very persistent."

          "I don't get why." We stepped into the elevator and went to the first floor. "Even after the torture, he didn't crack one bit. I have no clue who he could be working for."

          "I'll tighten the security on Lina and the university before she goes back to England." Mike pulled out a phone from his sweatpants and typed away. "Corona or Bourbon?"

          "Corona," I answered as we sauntered down one of the many halls and exited the doors that lead to the side of the palace. The cool breeze swept over my naked chest, the full moon lighting up the sky at its peak with stars twinkling brightly. Sitting down on the steps, I rubbed my tired eyes and yawned. "Did you do what I asked you to do?"

"Yup," he sighed and placed his gun aside. "No one will breathe a word about you and Arie to Verona. I told them to act as if she was Gus' ex, not yours."

"That dick." I groaned at the lie my brother fed and forced us all to play along on. I knew he was going to stretch this whole situation out and have a blast just to torture me. "What about nonna?"

"You know how she gets."

"That's why I sent her favorite boy to appease her," I snarled at him as one of my men placed a case of beer between Mike and I.

          Mike opened the case and pulled out two bottles, handing me one. "And her favorite boy always comes through." He popped his cap open and took a swig of the beer. "She agreed to looking at her as Gus' ex, but I'm pretty sure she's going to make it hard for everyone."

          "I don't doubt that." Giggles tickled my ear, but I decided to ignore it. "That woman loves berating everyone."

"Why don't you tell Verona?" He asked the dumbest question.

"Yeah. I'll tell her how many woman I fucked after she was gone and how I fell in love with someone else all the while she was getting raped and beaten everyday," I quipped in annoyance. He stiffened and refused to meet my gaze as I chugged down the remaining booze in my bottle. "It's not like I haven't offered to tell her." I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. "I've initiated to talk about it a couple times, but she doesn't want to know anything that happened while she was gone and I'm not going to push it. If she ever wants to know, she'll ask me and I'll tell her everything, even about Arie. I won't keep it a secret from her, but I also won't force it down her throat and I won't let anyone rub it in her face when she didn't ask for it. She has suffered enough."

          "But we all thought she was dead, Leo. No one expected her to rise from the dead." Giggles bellowed again, but Mike's voice distracted me. "And you're not happy now."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you're still hung up on Arie."

"Of course I am hung up on her," I sneered. "I love her so fucking much that it actually hurts." I wiped my sweaty palms on my sweatpants and shakily ran my fingers through my hair.

          My heart was a mess because of her. I was a fucking mess because of her. My mind and my soul were still holding onto a woman that ripped my heart out mercilessly and I let her do so without putting up a fight. When I finally came to terms with Verona's passing, she came back the day Arie asked me to leave. With her miraculous reappearance, it should've been easy to move on from Arie who willingly left me with a hole in my chest, but it was the hardest thing to even think about.

"But Arie was the one who walked away," I swallowed hard and continued. "She was hurt and wanted to protect her only family after losing Wendy. I understood her decision and accepted it. I couldn't force her to be with me. Anyhow, Verona came back and I love her."

          "But your heart is with Arie," he blurted out and sat up straight. "I love Valentina too, but Wendy will always have my heart like Arie has yours. Think about it, Leo."

          "I can't divorce Verona if that's what you're suggesting," I shook my head at his idiocy.

          "You're the king," he reasoned. "You can change the rules."

          "I'm not divorcing Verona. That's the end of it."

          "Bitch!"

I finally turned my head and tuned into the conversation that had been taking place in the background. Arie and Sophie were sitting by the pool that was a bit hidden, soaking their feet in the water with their backs to us. I didn't know how Mike and I missed their presence, but they seemed to be having a blast with different bags of chips and chocolate scattered around them.

"How long have they been there?" Mike queried.

"I don't know."

"Change the song," Arie demanded, wiggling in her seat and putting a bottle of what seemed to be wine to her mouth. Well, haven't the times changed! The girls were so engrossed in themselves that they didn't hear us chatting by the doors. Perhaps it was the music that blocked our conversation out which we couldn't hear, but their chatter was as clearly audible as the sky tonight. "Hoe, you want a sip?"

          Arie held out the bottle, but Sophie slowly pushed it away. "Nah, I'm fine actually." Sophie bobbed her head to the song they were listening to. "Wren and I have been doing this sobriety thing for a year now."

          Arie laughed and sipped on the massive bottle. "Why do I have a hard time buying that?"

          "After Rob and losing the baby, I turned to alcohol for comfort," she confessed.

          "I'm sorry," Arie hiccuped, placing the bottle aside.

"Bitch, don't pity me." Sophie slapped Arie's arm. "I was binge drinking and dad talked me into meeting Wren. We didn't like each other at first. He was a real dick."

          "Tell me about it," Arie rolled her head instead of her eyes which made me chuckle at her unusual behavior.

          "He was a heavy drinker too and that's actually what we bonded over. We ran into each other at an elite party, and one thing lead to another and we ended up having sex," Sophie shrugged, her hand delving into a bag of chips. She fisted a bunch and shoved it into her mouth. "This is good just like Wren's dick. Wait, Wren's dick is better actually."

"That's disgusting," Mike and I both gagged while Arie spat out the alcohol in her mouth.

"Bitch, I don't want to know how good his dick game is," Arie grimaced. "Just go on with your story."

"We kept hooking up and we talked a lot, so along the way we fell in love. We keep each other grounded, Arie." Sophie laid on her back and munched on the chips. "On our engagement day is when we made that sobriety pact and I can proudly say that we have been going strong."

"She's good for Wren," Mike commented with pride.

"She is," I agreed with a smile. My brother was happy with her and she certainly made him a better man. That's all I needed. "Athena did good by approaching Zachariah with the proposal."

"By the way, where did you get that scar from?" Sophie pointed to Arie's left upper arm and I felt my throat clog.

"I was shot," she answered leisurely without a care, no sense of distress in her voice. Maybe it was the alcohol in her system clouding her thoughts, or maybe she just didn't want to sulk over it.

"Shit! When?"

"More than four years ago when I was kidnapped and Aunt Wendy was," she paused for a long second to ponder before continuing, "killed."

I looked over to Mike and watched him slowly swallow his beer with a stoic expression, as if trying to suppress his feelings.

          "I have another battle scar," Arie chirped up like a little child. "See." By the position her body was turned in, I could tell that she lifted her shirt, but I couldn't quite contemplate where she was pointing. My heart sank as I wondered if she got that the same day. How did I not notice? "It's a stab wound that I got a couple months later."

"Bitch, I see your titty," Sophie laughed as she pulled Arie's shirt down.

          "Whoops! I forgot I wasn't wearing a bra," Arie gripped her belly and started laughing.

          "Well," I cleared my throat and watched Mike slowly turn to me, wide-eyed and his lips pursed together.

"Interesting turn of events I must say," he commented, trying hard not to laugh and so was I, but we couldn't help it and bursted out into laughter. Thankfully, they didn't hear us and continued rolling over the floor in hysterics themselves.

"I bet they caught your titty on a camera," Sophie chortled. I was tempted to correct her with the fact that there weren't any cameras on this side of the palace, but I refrained.

          "Well, good to know that someone's going to jerk off to me," Arie said with a certain smugness in her voice.

          "You did not just say that," Sophie fell over laughing as I facepalmed.

"She did not just say that," I mumbled against my palms as Mike snickered.

"Actually, these Italian bitches can kiss my ass." I looked up at the sound of Arie's voice and watched her make fake guns with her hands and place it on either side of her breasts before shooting off bullets. "Pew, pew, motherfuckers! Pasta la vista!"

"I'm in fucking tears," Sophie screamed, laughing her ass off as Mike and I cackled, trying to make as little sound as possible. "You need Jesus."

Mike was on his back dying of laughter as I shook my head at Arie's immaturity. This was just as bad as the time she was drugged the night before Sophie's first wedding all those years ago. "Shit! Arie is so much like Wendy."

"She made nipple guns too?" I laughed.

"No, just really childish when drunk and she was a lightweight."

"Pasta just reminded me that I'm starving," Arie pouted before taking a large swig of the wine as Mike and I helped ourselves to another bottle of Corona.

"That's because you threw up the entire flight and didn't eat anything," Sophie shoved a chip in her mouth before abruptly snatching the bottle from Arie's grasp and gasping. "Oh my God!"

"What?" Arie questioned as I put the bottle to my mouth and drank.

          "Are you pregnant?"

          I choked, spitting out the beer. Fuck! After recovering from the coughing fit, I tuned back in.

          "I'm not stupid, Soph. I'm on birth control."

          I sighed a breath of relief and cleaned my mouth. I was glad she was careful, but that meant she was intimate with someone and the mere thought of her being pleasured by some other man burned deep in my chest. The woman that I wanted to cherish forever was someone else's blessing now. Although it shouldn't bother me, it actually did. I'm no one to be jealous. Hell, I have a wife that I'm intimate with and Arie has a boyfriend. We went our separate ways; more like she did, but it was done. Even if she was pregnant with a child, she'd be the most beautiful, kind, and caring mother to her kids without a doubt and that thought made me smile.

          "Even if I was pregnant, Fred would be over the moon. He loves kids and so do I. He's perfect," she sighed in glee and laid down, looking up at the night sky.

"We should kill him," Mike suggested, taking a sip from his bottle.

          "We're not killing him."

          "How perfect is he?" Sophie laid down on her side and gawked at her best friend.

          "We actually met at Athena's birthday party four years ago, but I was with someone else at that time," Arie pondered as I thought back to that day. She's dating that footballer?

          "With who?"

          "He who shall not be named," Arie chuckled. "Let's just call him pepperoni."

          "Nice nickname," Mike smirked at me.

          "Shut up," I nudged his shoulder.

          "Is pepperoni your date from my first wedding?" Sophie asked and shoved a piece of chocolate in her mouth.

          "Yes," Arie sighed. "Moving on, pepperoni and I ended things after the incident with Aunt Wendy. I was depressed. I didn't know what to do with my life. My world was shattering and I felt like I was dying, so I made plans with Ashton and decided to move to California. I contacted Harleen who was Aunt Wendy's best friend from college and she helped us out. I stayed with her while Ashton went away for his games. Freddie helped us move from Queens and he also offered to buy us an apartment, but I refused. After Ashton got his paycheck, we got our own place. Fred always came around and helped me with everything. He always took care of me, looked after me."

          "Because he wanted to get in your pants," Mike mumbled as I scoffed.

          "I resisted him for the longest time because I still loved pepperoni and I think I still do." My heart skipped a beat at her words as warmth flooded me inside out. "After I got to know Fred, I realized he was a beautiful human being with the kindest soul. Yes, he was aggressive. He had anger issues, but he was always so gentle with me. I helped him work through his anger and he's in a better place now." She yawned and tossed a chip into her mouth. "We started dating and I felt safe with him. He almost killed a man once for misbehaving with me. I literally had to pull him off that guy."

My fists clenched at the thought of someone harassing her and I secretly wished she'd reveal the name of the disgusting man so that I could have him killed right now. "We have been together for a few years now and we haven't had a single fight. He's the most understanding person I've ever met. He listens to what I have to say, he respects my wishes, and treats me with care. Now that I'm thinking about it, he reminds me so much of pepperoni. Fuck!"

I snorted, shaking my head and rubbing my tired eyes. "Fred knows things about me that many don't. He knows about the rape and some of the bad things that I've done, but he's still standing there with his arms wide open for me. I would expect any man to run from me after the shit I've been through and the bad luck I bring, but Fred has stood there, waiting for me and it makes me cry thinking about it."

My heart sank when she said that she brought bad luck because she always brought me nothing but immense joy. I don't blame Freddie for standing by her side. She was beautiful, smart, and a mature woman for her age. If I were in Freddie's position, I'd be the happiest man alive. I would be able to hold her, love her, kiss her. Freddie had no idea how lucky he was to have her.

"Fred is every woman's dream man and I know that I'm hurting him," Arie brushed her hands over her face and released a shaky breath that even I could feel. "He always tells me that he loves me, but I haven't said it back. Deep in my heart I know that I love him, but I haven't been able to say it." She groaned in frustration and fisted her hair.

"Well, this is just hilarious," Mike commented whilst shaking his head in annoyance. "You and Arie are alike. You both love two people."

"Fred is perfect. Too perfect for me. I don't deserve a man like him, Soph."

"Stop bashing yourself," Sophie argued. "Just accept him."

Arie deserved nothing less than perfect. I certainly wasn't perfect, but according to her Freddie was. I just wanted to walk over there and tell her that she deserved so much more than she gave herself credit for. To love that woman was an honor, but to be loved by her was a bigger honor.

"He never looks at another woman even when I'm not around and it breaks my heart to see the immense love that he has for me which I can't reciprocate right now. I hate myself for it," she cursed herself as I frowned. "I can certainly see him in my future and being there forever because he's that kind of guy. He's one in a million." She rubbed her eyes and sat up straight, silent for a long minute. "He reminds me of him."

"Fred sounds lovely," Soph laid her head on Arie's shoulder. "Stop thinking about pepperoni and tell me when do I get to meet Fred?"

"I don't know, but don't fall in love with him," Arie laughed and shrugged Sophie off. "Everyone tends to fall in love with him once they meet him, but he's my man." They both giggled and just kept shut for quite a while.

"She seems happy," I breathed out and tried to calm my frenzy nerves.

"But is she?" Mike countered. "Freddie is a good guy. I have met him a couple times myself, but she clearly said that he reminds her of you, so basically she sees you in him."

"She feels safe with him." I cleared my clogged throat along with my feelings. "I guess she didn't feel safe with me."

"I bet she felt safe with you and I can swear on my mama on that. She was really paranoid and scared after Wendy passed away which is why she left."

I shook my head, refusing to listen to anymore of his bullshit. "I'm tired," Arie yawned. "Take me to my room, hoe. I don't want to get lost in the middle of the night."

They both left using another entrance through the back as I sat there in deep thought. Freddie sounded like an amazing guy and Arie did deserve an amazing guy. My mind knew that she'd be happy with him which put my heart at ease, but it also hurt me knowing that I would never be the man to be the father of her kids, to be her husband, or to be the man who woke up next to her every morning. As long as she was happy, I could live.

Pulling out her locket from my sweatpants, I squeezed it in my palm one last time before turning to Mike. "Give this to Arie. She dropped this on the plane."

"Sorry, I don't have hands," he shrugged.

"Don't worry," I tapped his shoulder and chuckled. "I'll put this around your neck and all you have to do is walk to her room."

"I don't have legs either," he stared at me dead in the eye before taking off inside. This motherfucker!

I groaned and made my way to her room using the elevator. Saying that I just guessed her room's location would be a lie. I found out exactly what room she was in before I made an appearance at the party. Why? I don't know. What did I plan to do? I don't fucking know, but it did help me right now. Standing outside her room, my heart was beating a bit faster than usual, my palm sweating like no tomorrow. I felt like a middle school kid about to talk to his crush for the very first time. Fucking stupid.

          I knocked on the door and heard her groan from the other side. "Hoe, let me fucking sleep now!" I decided to turn around and just leave, but she opened the door.

          Our eyes locked and I felt a huge burden lift off my shoulders at that very moment. Her intoxicating scent wafted up my nose along with the wine she was having. A shade of red was sitting on her cheeks and I just wanted to reach down and kiss them. Her hair was a natural mess, absolutely perfect just like her. The bandage on her forehead was peeling off from the side, so my traitorous fingers decided to reach forward and fix it for her. Fucking shit!

          Pulling back and clearing my throat, I held up her locket and watched her eyes widen a bit. She felt up her bare neck, gawking at the locket before looking back at my eyes. She smiled meekly as she situated her hair to one side, silently asking me to adorn the locket around her neck. I hesitated for a second but gave in when a tear dropped down her cheek. Stepping closer, I slowly put the locket around her neck, trying to fasten it in the back. The proximity between us was minimal as her warm breath feathered my naked chest and her eyes drowning me so fiercely.

          No words were spoken, yet we were talking. Weird, but it felt so natural. The more we looked at each other, the more tears streamed down her face that were wrenching my heart out. After securing the locket where it always belonged, my thumbs brushed away her tears slowly as she willingly let me. She tiptoed up and placed a little kiss on my jaw before looking at that tattoo on the left part of my chest.

"I'm fucking hallucinating," she muttered under her breath compelling me to chuckle. "Fuck this shit. I'm way too tired." She shut the door on my face and left me standing there smiling to myself.

Fuck! How am I going to get through the next two weeks?

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Another chapter as promised. Long one, I know. Did you guys enjoy Leo's POV? Yay or nay?

What should Arie and Leo do?

What really happened to Verona?

Who was having Lina followed? Was that man lying till his last breath saying it was Leo?

Much Love ❤️
~Reet