The Deceit Of The Sister-In-Law

Nora didn’t understand why Diane Carusso wanted to see her.

She stepped into The Palm Court with her heart pounding.

The Palm Court was located inside the Plaza Hotel, a luxury hotel in the heart of Manhattan, New York City.

As soon as Nora entered the café, she was greeted by a luxurious and grand atmosphere.

High ceilings, marble floors and walls adorned with murals add to the restaurant’s classic feel.

Natural light floods the room from the large windows overlooking the highway.

A waiter greeted her as she admired the interior of the restaurant.”

“Hello, how may I help you, ma’am?”

“I’m Nora Williams, I have an appointment with Mrs. Diane Carusso.”

“Oh, sure. She’s already reserved a table. I’ll take you there.”

“Thank you.” Nora was relieved that she arrived first. At least, she could ease her tension before meeting Leon’s sister-in-law.

A cup of tea was served as she sat down to wait. Less than five minutes later, the same waiter approached to deliver someone.

Nora looked over.

Diane Carusso had an eye-catching impression.

She had shoulder-length red hair that was tied tightly to the back of her head, emphasizing her sharply faceted face, giving off a dominant impression.

An expensive brand of dresses and blazers clad her tall and slender body.

Nora did a little research on the internet about Diane.

Her family’s name before marriage was Lewis. Her father was a judge and her mother a surgeon.

She was apparently an only child and came from an upper-class family.

Her parents’ wealth was partly inherited from Diane’s grandfather – her mother's father who owned several patents in the field of technology.

Wealth and power radiated from het, along with her cold, distancing smile.

“Hello, Miss Williams.” She didn't even extend her hand to shake. After a small nod, she sat with her back straight and firm, as if ready for an interrogation.

Nora swallowed and tried to hide her anxiety.

‘Come on, Nora, calm down.’ She said to herself. ‘You have nothing wrong with this woman. You don’t even know her. Let her say what she wants, and you don’t even have to say anything if you don't want to.’

Diane waited for a waiter to finish pouring tea for her, then her attention returned to Nora. “Thank you for coming,” she said.

“No problem.” Nora smiled slightly, trying to display the calmness she had learned from her years of professional experience. “To be honest, Mrs. Carusso, I was surprised to receive your call. Is there anything I can help you with?”

Diane gave a brief nod. “We are going to talk about a cooperation project that my brother-in-law, Leon, has offered you.”

“I see.” Nora nodded. “However, I didn’t expect you to handle this project.”

“I hope you don’t mind, considering it was Leon who made the offer in the first place.”

Nora caught the tone of sarcasm in Diane’s sentence. From that moment on, Nora guessed that Diane had a hidden agenda towards her.

“I’m honored to meet you in person, Mrs. Carusso. Because Of course, it’s very unusual for one of the top brass of a company like yours to go to the trouble of meeting an influencer like me to make a direct offer.” Nora quipped back subtly.

She saw a momentary change in Diane’s face, but then she smiled coldly again.

“I’m also part of this project, aside from Diego and Leon. I just always make sure everything runs smoothly down to the smallest detail. Well...” She took out a folder from her bag and placed it on the table between them. “I brought some cooperation agreement documents about this project. I want you to take them home and read them carefully.”

Nora accepted the documents. “Sure, I’ll take a look at them.”

“There is one thing, which you should probably know and underline, Miss Williams. I already know that Leon offered you to live in the new apartment as an endorsement. I’m afraid you mistook the apartment offered to you for one in NYC or this state...” Diane smiled. “Well, Miss Williams, we are actually building a network of apartments in several countries, in cooperation with local property companies. What We would like to offer you is one of our apartments in Johannesburg, South Africa.”

“Johannesburg?” she asked indignantly. She was in danger of becoming homeless soon, but moving to South Africa was not an option.

She knew nothing about the country.

It was just a lie she had originally concocted because the more distant the place she mentioned, the harder it was for others to find out the truth. “Leon didn’t mention Johannesburg to me.”

“Well, he hasn’t been directly involved in the company for a long time. He’s often impulsive in some decisions just to emphasize that he’s still the second largest shareholder in the company.”

“So this endorsement offer is for an apartment in Johannesburg?”

“Yes, Miss Williams.” Diane didn’t even bother to hide her falsely sweet tone. “I think that would be nice for you, don't you? I heard your family is from there. I’m actually very impressed with you. You’re a potential rich heiress of a diamond mine but living independently in America. Not everyone is able to be as successful as you. It would be great for you to work in your hometown for a while, wouldn’t it?”

- - - -

Nora slammed the documents on the kitchen table.

She felt fooled by the proposal.

She could still remember Diane’s triumphant eyes just before they parted at the restaurant door.

Diane doesn’t like me, she wondered. “But why?”

They hadn’t met once even at the fancy parties that Nora often attended, because Diane didn’t seem to be someone who liked that kind of fun.

She seemed serious and her performance earlier as part of her company seemed professional.

She reached back for the documents. Re-reading them carefully as she sat on the sofa. Mojo had just finished eating and was sitting on the windowsill looking out.

“Hey, Mojo, do you want to move to Africa?” She called out to her cat who paid no attention to her at all.

She was still sitting on the couch half an hour later, documents in hand.

Nora was still upset, and wanted to take it out on someone.

Of course, she thought soberly.

She should call Leon and find out what really happened. Whether this endorsement offer was serious or a joke.

Despite the urgency of her economic situation, she had a sense of dignity that deserved to be respected.

She reached for her phone, staring at it with mounting frustration.

Without hesitation she dialed the number she had saved as Leon’s, but of course it was Gina’s voice on the other end.

‘He didn’t even bother to give me his personal number,’ Nora thought irritably.

“Hello, Gina. I need to talk to Leon, please,” she said after her call was answered.

“I’m sorry, Nora. Leon just flew to Paris on diplomatic business.”

“Oh, no,” Nora complained disappointedly.

“What’s going on? You can tell me, and I’ll forward it to him later.”

“It’s about the proposal he offered me. I met Diane this afternoon and she surprised me because she said the apartment I’ll be living in as part of the deal is in SouthAfrica.”

“I never heard that from Leon. He never mentioned SouthAfrica.”

“That’s why I need to set the record straight with him, before I decide to reject

this offer.”

“You’re going to turn down the offer?”

“Gina, I’m not interested.... in going back to South Africa.”

“I understand. Well, don’t worry. I’ll pass on your message toLeon.”

-

Leon had returned to his hotel after a tiring bilateral meeting between the US Secretary of State and the French Foreign Minister.

He read Gina's e-mail about Nora's phone call.

He felt his blood rushing through his veins, and decided to call Diane.

However, it wasn't Diane's voice that greeted him on the other side of the line.

"It's me. Diane is going to the restroom. She had expected you to call her tonight and asked me to take it while she was busy freshening up."

It was Max's voice.

"Are you together?"

"Why are you surprised? Of course we are. We're a happy couple having a romantic dinner to celebrate our wedding anniversary."

"Yeah, you know I don't care, right? I need to ask Diane something. But if you guys are busy, I'll call back later."

"Hold on, Leon. I have to ask you something too." Max's Heavy voice sounded serious.

"I heard from Diane. You're doing something stupid that's potentially very fatal. Is that true?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"That girl, Leon. I must warn you. You're playing with danger."

‘And your wife wasn’t when she killed a…’

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