His innocent wife is a dangerous hacker.

Chapter 667 Genius

Leo stood in the doorway for a moment, watching her. The way her fingers tapped against the screen. The way she bit her lip, a habit she had when she was nervous. The way the morning light caught the gold in her hair, making it shine.

"You saw?" she asked, not looking up.

"I saw," he said.

She looked up then, her brown eyes wide, her cheeks flushing deeper. She set her phone down, her hands twisting in her lap.

"It’s not that big deal," she said.

"It’s a very big deal." He crossed the room, his footsteps soft on the rug, and sat down beside her. The couch dipped under his weight, and she swayed toward him, as if pulled by gravity. He reached out and pulled her into his arms, his hand settling on her back, her body fitting against his like she was made to be there. "Perfect score, Bella. That’s unreal."

She buried her face in his chest, her voice muffled against his shirt. "I studied a lot."

"You’re brilliant," he said.

"I’m lucky," she mumbled.

He pulled back just enough to look at her face, his hand coming up to cup her cheek. His thumb brushed the soft skin beneath her eye, tracing the curve of her cheekbone. His touch was gentle, almost reverent, like he was holding something precious.

"You’re brilliant," he repeated, his voice low and warm. "And I’m proud of you."

Her eyes glistened. Tears filled her lashes, making her brown eyes shine like glass in the morning light. She blinked, and a single tear escaped, trailing down her cheek.

In the past, no matter what she did, there was no one to tell her anything. No one to say "well done" or "I’m proud of you" or "you’re brilliant."

She had studied alone, learned alone and succeeded alone. And she had told herself that was enough, that she didn’t need validation, that her own satisfaction was all that mattered.

But hearing it from him, feeling it from him, made something crack open inside her. Something she hadn’t known was there.

"Really?" she whispered.

"Really." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering on the shell of her ear, tracing the delicate curve. His touch sent a shiver down her spine. "My wife, the genius."

She laughed, a small, breathless sound, and buried her face in his chest. Her tears soaked into his shirt, but he didn’t seem to mind. His arms wrapped around her, holding her close, his chin resting on top of her head.

"I’m not a genius," she mumbled against his chest.

"You scored higher than anyone in the history of the exam," he pointed out.

She pulled back just enough to look up at him, her cheeks flushed, her eyes still wet. "That’s just because no one else has my study methods."

He raised an eyebrow, his lips twitching. "Which are?" he asked.

She looked up at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes, her tears forgotten. "Hacking into the university’s database to access past exams."

He stared at her. "Bella," he said, his voice flat.

"I’m kidding." She grinned, her teeth catching the light. "Mostly."

He leaned down and bit the tip of her nose, gently, just a soft press of his teeth against her skin. "Naughty bunny," he murmured, and then his hands were on her sides, his fingers finding the spots that made her squirm.

She gasped, then giggled, then laughed outright as he tickled her, his fingers dancing over her ribs, her waist, the soft curve of her hip. She twisted in his arms, trying to escape, but he held her close, his deep laughter mingling with hers.

"Leo, stop—" she gasped, breathless.

"Say you’re brilliant," he demanded.

"I’m—" She squealed as his fingers found a particularly sensitive spot. "I’m brilliant!"

"Say you’re a genius," he pressed.

"I’m a genius!"

"Say you’re my genius," he said softly.

She looked up at him, her chest heaving, her hair a mess, her face flushed and tear-streaked and smiling. "I’m your genius," she said softly.

He stopped tickling her and pulled her close, his forehead resting against hers. Their breath mingled, warm and shared.

"That’s right," he murmured. "My genius."

She closed her eyes, letting herself feel it. The warmth of his body, the steady beat of his heart, the quiet pride in his voice. It felt unreal. Like something she had dreamed but never thought she would have.

Later that day, Leo told everyone about Bella’s score.

He told Jay first, who was in the kitchen making coffee. Jay’s jaw dropped, his coffee cup forgotten, the dark liquid splashing onto the counter.

"Perfect score?" Jay said, his voice high. "As in perfect? One hundred percent? No mistakes?"

"None," Leo said, his chest puffed out slightly.

Jay turned to Bella, who was standing in the doorway, her cheeks pink. "You’re a monster," Jay said. "A brilliant, terrifying monster."

Bella laughed. "Thank you?" she said.

Jace was next, reviewing documents in the study. When Leo told him, he set down his pen and stared at Bella with new respect.

"That’s impressive," Jace said quietly. "The exam is designed to be impossible to perfect."

"I had good study habits," Bella said.

Jace nodded slowly. "Apparently," he said.

Leo called his parents. Lina answered on the second ring, and when Leo told her, she gasped so loudly that Alessandro came to see what was wrong.

"Perfect marks?" Lina said, her voice trembling with emotion. "Bella, sweetheart, that’s wonderful. That’s absolutely wonderful."

Alessandro took the phone. "We’re very proud of you," he said, his voice gruff but warm. "You’ve made this family proud."

Bella’s eyes filled with tears again. "Thank you," she whispered.

Nonna called in the evening. Her voice was crackly through the phone, but her pride was unmistakable.

"You are the first in this family to score perfect marks," Nonna said. "In this family, no one has a perfect score. Never. Not even Nardo had a perfect score! You have done something extraordinary, Isabella."

Bella clutched the phone, her heart swelling. "Thank you, Nonna," she said.

"We are all proud of you," Nonna continued. "And I am going to tell everyone. Everyone. The neighbors, the mailman, the priest. Everyone."

Bella laughed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Nonna, you don’t have to—"

"I do," Nonna said firmly. "This is worth celebrating. You are worth celebrating."

When she hung up, Leo was watching her from across the room, his arms crossed, his expression soft.

"Happy?" he asked.

Bella nodded, wiping her eyes. "Very," she said.

"I’m going to organize a party," he said. "To celebrate your success."

Bella shook her head, laughing. "Leo, it was just a placement exam."

"It was a perfect score," he countered.

"It’s not graduation. It’s not even the first day of class," she pointed out.

"It’s still worth celebrating," he insisted.

She walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist, looking up at his face. "Let’s wait. Until I actually finish something. Then we can celebrate."

He studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. But I’m telling everyone."

"You’ve already told everyone," she laughed.

"Everyone else," he said with a smirk.

She laughed, burying her face in his chest.