Chapter 11: It’s A Business Meeting!

Diane strode in just as Leon finished dressing in his room.

He had to leave in an hour to meet Nora at Per Se.

“Where’s Leon?” He heard Diane’s voice as she met Gina. Her assistant hadn’t left her suite yet and was still working on her schedule.

“Leon’s in the room, Diane.” Gina’s voice replied casually. There was a satisfying note of rebellion in her voice.

It was no secret that Gina had never liked Diane. Gina never called Diane ‘ma’am.’

She always referred to Diane by name, instead of Mrs. Carusso, because to Gina, the only Mrs. Carusso was Angela.

“He didn’t pick up my calls. I called him ten times,” came Diane’s quite desperate voice.

“He’s been very busy while he’s been in town. This morning he had to go to the UN Headquarters. I think he turned off his phone and didn’t have time to turn it on.”

“Isn’t it the personal assistant’s job to take over their boss's phone when he’s busy?”

“You called his personal number, Diane. That’s not under my authority,” Gina replied.

Leon rushed out of his room to meet them before any bloodshed occurred.

Gina had a very high patience limit, but Leon didn’t want to give her the challenge of dealing with an irritated Diane.

“Hello, Diane. Good to see you.” He greeted his sister-in-law with a fake smile on his lips.

Diane never meant any harm, she was just bossy and perfectionistic.

Even his mother couldn't stand Diane’s standards of perfection, and often let Diane organize family events.

“You’re very hard to reach, Leon. I have something to talk to you about.”

“I’m going to be very busy all day, Diane. Why don’t we postpone the conversation for tomorrow morning, before I leave for the airport?”

“I want us to talk right now.” Diane frowned.

Leon rolled his eyes. He had always wondered why his brother was so stoic with his bossy wife. What was Max’s secret to being so relaxed with Diane? He had to ask him sometime.

“I’m sorry, but I have to go now.”

Diane’s eyes scanned him. “Are you going to meet a girl?”

Leon cursed silently.

He forgot his sister-in-law had an eagle's eye.

“Yes, and I’m almost late.”

“The same girl you dated last time?”

Diane grinned. Her face showed interest.

“Well, this is good news.”

“Not what you expected.”

“Oh yeah? Who are you going to meet?”

“A business friend.”

Diane shook her head. “You’re a very bad liar, Brother-in-Law.”

Leon shrugged. “Whether you believe me or not is up to you.” He started moving towards the door. “Listen... I’ll call you tonight, okay? Now I really have to go.”

Leon left Diane in the sitting room. He was looking forward to seeing Nora.

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Per Se restaurant was located in the heart of Manhattan.

The building exuded luxury with large glass windows, allowing light to pour into the room. The interior was luxurious with soft lighting that made the atmosphere feel warm and cozy.

The sound of music was soft. Leon didn’t know much about songs, but the song somehow brought back memories of the past.

The girl from the past was already seated at the table he had reserved for their lunch.

She arrived first and the waiter escorted her there.

Nora sat with her back to him.

This afternoon she apparently didn’t tie her hair. She seemed to glow under the soft light of the restaurant’s crystal chandelier.

Her presence seemed to carry the entire room.

Several men stole glances at her, drawn to her like magnets.

Nora had always been that beautiful, even when she still wore braces . But that wasn’t what made him fall in love with Nora in the first place.

The old Nora was much different from the girl who always looked moody and nervous.

The old Nora wouldn’t have gone through life pretending to be rich and being someone fake.

“Hello, Nora. Sorry I’m a little late.” Leon sat in front of Nora. “Have you been waiting long?”

“I just came too.” Nora’s smile seemed strained and it made Leon wonder. “I’m surprised you invited me to lunch. Didn’tyou say you were going back to D.C. soon?”

“Well, I postponed it because of a few things. But tomorrow morning I’ll really be back, because office work awaits. Well, Nora. I hope I didn’t disrupt your schedule.”

“Considering your pushy assistant, what else can I do?” The tension on Nora’s face melted a little when she said that.

‘Apparently she liked Gina,’ Leon thought amused.

He didn’t know what she said that made Nora willing to make the time.

“I’m afraid I caused Gina to force you to come. But I want to talk to you about something important, related to your work.”

Nora’s brow furrowed. “So this isn’t a date? Miss Arnolds gave me the impression...”

“Oh, let’s just say it’s a business date.”

“I’m getting confused, Leon. Can you tell me right away what you mean by business?”

“I’ll explain. But I have a question that you must answer. Nora, will you move out of your current apartment?”

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Hi everyone, it's the writer here!

I hope you're all liking this book. I know it might start off a bit slow, but trust me, it will get really exciting as you keep reading.

I'm having a great time writing this book. It feels different from my usual style, and I hope it gives you chills and gets you pumped for what's coming next.

Thank you for all your support! As a writer, it's really important to me that you enjoy what I create.

What is going to happen next? Do you think Nora is going to move out from her apartment as per Leon’s request?

Swipe up to find out! ~