She Is His Wife!

She is His Wife

As Diego left the house with a mischievous grin, Leon looked at Nora who was still standing awkwardly in the same place where he kissed her.

“I’m sorry,” Leon said. “I know you don’t like it, but we have to put on an act in front of Diego so he doesn’t get suspicious.”

Nora shook her head nervously. “It’s okay. We... we have to do it.”

“I see you’ve eaten.” Leon looked at the table. “I was going to take you out for dinner. But if you’re already full...”

“Let’s go to dinner,” Nora cut in. “My stomach is still pretty empty.”

“Alright. I’ll get ready. You’d better be too.” Leon was just about to leave the kitchen when he remembered something. “Nora, did you open the closed door at the end of your room?”

“I haven’t had a chance to check anything yet.”

“Just open it. It’s your walk-in closet.” Leon smiled briefly and left the kitchen.

After cleaning up the kitchen as quickly as possible, Nora went upstairs and realized there was a similar door next to her room. Maybe that’s Leon’s room, she thought before entering her own room.

She quickly found the walk-in closet door and opened it carefully, eager to see what was inside. The automatic lights instantly illuminated the spacious room, revealing rows of empty clothing and shoe racks. However, her gaze fell on a large box with a blue ribbon sitting on a glass table in the center of the room.

Nora approached the box and opened it. She saw the folds of a dress that she immediately unfolded. It was a light blue dress with a sabrina neckline. Again, the dress suited her taste and she liked it immediately.

“Now this is from Chanel,” Nora murmured happily. She remembered her knock-offs that she had left at her mother’s house. “I can finally wear original dresses instead of knock-offs.”

She put on the beautiful dress and had almost forgotten about that wonderful kiss with Leon when she suddenly thought that they might have to repeat the same charade in front of the rest of Leon’s family.

“That’s bad.” Nora covered her mouth with the palm of her hand. A blush appeared on her cheeks as she looked in the mirror. They shouldn’t kiss like that too often, as it would jeopardize her self-control.

Leon was waiting for her in the living room. He nodded when he saw the dress Nora was wearing. “That dress suits you very well.”

“You know me again,” Nora commented with a suspicious tone. She saw the corners of Leon’s lips tremble, as if he was holding back laughter. “I still can’t believe you can analyze someone so precisely.”

“Not everyone, Nora. Only you...” Leon said softly, only to himself.

Nora turned her head to him. “I guess I’m still hungry. Can we go now?”

--------

It was their first dinner as a married couple. Nora realized that she had a year to get used to the charade.

The Fiola Mare restaurant that Gina had chosen for them had an open view of the Potomac River.

"Are all your restaurant choices made by Gina?" Nora asked in a joking tone. "I feel like she's your mother, not your personal assistant."

"She's like an older sister to me," Leon said. "Where Diane can only organize, Gina prefers to advise and if necessary direct. And I don't mind being directed."

"Because men always have a boyish side to them," Nora said. "Boys will be boys."

"According to Gina, now I have to put the onus on you."

"Being your big sister?" Nora's eyes widened. "Being your wife isn't enough?"

Leon shook his head. "Very funny, Nora. You love pretending to be stupid and innocent like that. Why, I knew there was a smart person inside you."

Hearing that, Nora was stunned. It was the first time a man had said such a thing to her.

"I... I'm not pretending..." she began to fidget.

"Look, I think I should emphasize to you again, that you can ask me anything, say anything you need to. You can protest and criticize me. Because in return, I will do the same to you. In other words, you can use me within the bounds of the norms of marriage, because with this contract marriage I am using you to shelter from accusations of being gay."

Nora remembered her desire to study at a fashion school. The school she had been eyeing for a long time was one of the best in America. It was very expensive.

"You still have my black card, right?"

"Oh, sure." Nora reached into her bag to find the card. She thought Leon had asked for it back. "Here's your card. Thanks for lending it to me."

"Keep it," Leon said. "You can use it for your needs."

"But..." Nora had never dreamed of holding a black card in her life. She looked at the man and thought how kind he was.

"You can go see Gwen and your other friends in NYC. You can still work as an endorser."

“I want to study at a fashion school...” Nora spontaneously said.

Leon was stunned for a moment. Then he nodded. “Go for it. I think it would suit you.”

“Thank you so much.” Nora’s bright smile was dazzling in Leon’s eyes. He saw pure joy shimmering in Nora’s eyes. Now Leon knew why Nora worked so hard. Apparently she was raising money to attend the fashion school she aspired to.

"Phone call for you, Miss Sophie." Nando handed the phone to her who was enjoying her coffee at the dining table.

They were at his house on Madison Avenue. Nando didn't live in the house, but he always kept a few of his men around to keep watch. He himself played more of a monitoring role from a distance. Because of his striking stature, he often attracted attention. However, at certain times Sophie would need his direct supervision and he would send Nando to be with her 24 hours a day.

The caller began to report. "Mr. Leon Carusso has a female guest at his home."

"Well, do you know who it is yet?"

"Yes, Miss Lombardi. But I still have to confirm it."

"Well, so who is she according to this dubious information?" said Sophie impatiently.

"She's his wife, Miss."

"His wife?" Her surprise caused her to nudge her coffee cup, spilling the contents onto the table. "No way!"