Do You Think I Really Know You?

Nora never expected to meet Leon again so soon.

Gina told her on the phone that Leon really wanted to have lunch with her. She thought it was a date, so she dressed up a bit.

When she saw Leon approaching, her heart fluttered.

Although she still had her fears and suspicions about Leon, how could she ignore the undeniable handsomeness in front of her?

It’s a business date, Leon said.

That confused her.

Then, Leon asked if she was willing to move out of her apartment. Nora's Confusion turned into something she couldn’t explain.

What was Leon really planning?

“Nora, are you okay?” Leon addressed her, noticing her frozen state at the table.

“Are you hungry? My bad. We shouldorder food first.” Leon’s arm raised to call the waiter.

“I don’t understand...” Nora shook her head, ignoring the arrival of the waiter who brought them the menu book. “Why Do I have to move?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll explain later. We’d better eat first.” Leon checked the menu book and looked up at Nora. “What would you like to eat?”

Nora stared at the other menu book that the waiter handed over. “I... I don’t know.” Her head suddenly went blank as she was still shocked by Leon’s question.

“Can I choose for you?”

Weakly, Nora nodded.

“Alright, we’re ready to order,” Leon told the waiter.

“Please, sir.”

“For this lady, Roasted Chicken Breast with Truffle. For me, Ribeye Steak with Red Wine Reduction. For both of us, Truffle Macaroni and Cheese.”

“And for dessert, sir?”

Leon looked at Nora. There was a small sparkle in his eyes that made Nora wonder what he was thinking.

A faint smile flashed for a second at the corner of Leon’s lips. “Chocolate And ice cream,” he said. His eyes softened. “Is there chocolate and ice cream on your menu?”

“Of course, sir. On the next page.” The waiter replied politely. “Chocolate Soufflé with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.”

“Very well, please bring that for us. And a bottle ofChardonnay.”

“Of course, sir.”

The waiter walked away and Nora saw Leon’s face look satisfied.

‘How did he know I like chocolate and ice cream?’ Nora wondered.

As far as she could remember, she had never told Leon about it before.

Chocolate, ice cream and potato chips were the must-have foods in the house when she still lived in Bar Harbor. And those three foods were always the cause of arguments between her and Katie, or between her and her father.

Katie would eat her ice cream and her dad, instead of eating the popcorn that Nora bought for him, he ate the potato chip while watching football games on television.

She would yell angrily at Katie if she found that the ice cream she had hidden in the freezer had disappeared.

Katie would respond with the same annoyed shout from upstairs where their rooms were located. “Just count all your ice cream thatI’ve eaten, Nora. I’ll pay you back ten times when I graduate and start working. Stingy!”

Nora's eyes were misty. Lately, her memories with Katie had been running through her mind.

"Are you alright?" Leon observed her.

"Yes. I'm fine." She tried to smile.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Nora nodded quickly. "I just remembered my sister. She also really liked ice cream."

"You... remember your sister?" Leon's face looked intrigued. "You two must have a lot of memories together. You said you were very close. What other memories do you have of her?”

Nora furrowed her brow, slightly surprised by Leon's interest. "Just fleeting memories related to something we liked. To be honest, I haven't remembered Katie for a long time. Not because I don't love her, but remembering her makes my heart ache and confused. I'm even often unsure if she's really dead or just gone for some reason."

"You can always visit her grave," Leon said.

"I don't have the time. But my mom once said that she always found a bouquet of fresh flowers on Katie's grave every year on the date she died. She said it was probably from one of Katie’s best friends who still remembers her."

Their meal arrived while they were talking. "Oh!" Nora's eyes widened as she saw the food on her plate.

"What's wrong?" Leon asked.

"Katie really loved roasted chicken. She even had a secret recipe." Nora stared at Leon, as if she had just realized something. "Leon... why do you order all the food we like, as if you knew about it?"

"Do you think I really know?" Leon asked.

Nora shook her head. "How could you know? Unless you're a psychic."

"Well, I'm not a psychic. I'm a diplomat. Well, let's eat first before we continue our conversation."

--------

“So, Nora, now I’m going to ask you the same question again. Are you willing to move out of your apartment?”

They had just finished eating, and all the plates had been carried away by the waiter at Leon’s request.

On the table was only a bottle of Chardonnay and Nora’s glass. Leon’s glass was in his hand. He had just taken a sip from it.

“Wait a minute. I don’t understand, why are you asking me that?”

“Because I’m going to give you an apartment.”

Nora gaped. “Why would you give me an apartment?”

“Because I’m going to offer you a business deal.”

“Mr. Carusso, please don’t talk in such manner. Can you talk about what you mean in chronological order? You can’t just tell me to move out of my... my luxurious and pleasant apartment in Central Park for no apparent reason.”

The corners of Leon’s lips curled briefly. It was as if he was enjoying Nora’s lies.

“Miss Williams, one of my father’s real estate companies, is building a luxury apartment for the upper class. You’re a well-known influencer who has a wide influence among socialites and the wealthy. Believe me, I’ve done my research on it. If you become our endorser for the new apartment, it would be very beneficial in terms of publicity.”

Nora gaped at Leon’s explanation. She didn’t know which one surprised her the most. Leon’s eloquence when offering collaboration that made him transform into a marketing director instead of a diplomat.

Or the lucrative offer that she really needed.

Her mind drifted to her shabby apartment and the letter from her landlord giving her two weeks to move out.

But she couldn’t afford to look like someone who had just gotten off death row in front of Leon.

“Can I consider it first?”

“Sure,” Leon replied. “The offer documents will be sent to you soon.”

Now the curve of his lips was real. In Nora’s eyes, he looked confident.

_ _ _ _

“I don’t understand why you made the decision to choose an influencer for my project!”

Diego’s voice rose on the other end of the line. “You should talk about it in a meeting. Geez!”

“Because I’m the largest shareholder?” Leon replied calmly.

“That’s not the reason. Don’t be so knowing. You’ve always only cared about diplomatic affairs with neighboring countries, not this company.”

“Well from now on I’ll care more. Just trust me about this. The influencer I chose will be very great for the publicity of our new apartment. She is very famous and has nearly 5 million followers and subscribers.”

“Really? But....”

“Gina will immediately call your secretary to ask for the offer documents.”

Leon hung up the phone before Diego could respond.

Suddenly Gina walked up to him and handed him another phone. “This is Diane,” she said with a wink.

Leon took it. “Hello?”

“Leon, seriously!” Diane’s voice was low, exhausted. “Do you think I won’t know what you’re hiding?”