Chapter 4 - The Midnight Proposal
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The words hung in the heavy, cigar-scented air of the study. Norah stared at the terrifying man sitting across from her, trying to process the absolute absurdity of the situation.
“Legal marriage. Separate rooms. Separate finances,” Luca continued, his voice as clinical as a board meeting. “You become Leo’s permanent family on paper and in practice. In exchange, I protect the household, and you never have to worry about a bank account for the rest of your life.”
Three days after fighting her way out of a toxic, suffocating marriage, Norah almost laughed out loud. The sheer irony of the universe was staggering.
“And if I say no?” Norah asked, keeping her chin raised.
“You leave in the morning with a driver and enough cash to get safely wherever you choose to go,” Luca answered smoothly.
Norah shook her head immediately. “No money for the answer. I don't take bribes just to exist in a room.”
Luca stopped swirling his whiskey. He studied her intently, his gaze dragging over her exhausted posture, noting the fierce independence burning in her eyes.
“Then no money,” Luca agreed softly.
Norah leaned forward, placing both hands flat on his polished desk. “And if I say yes, you need to understand something very clearly, Mr. Castellano. I am not your employee. I will not be ordered around, I will not be silenced, and I will never let a man control my life again.”
A long, heavy silence passed between them. The clock on the wall ticked loudly. Luca’s eyes darkened, analyzing the fire in her spirit. Men had been buried for speaking to him with a fraction of that tone.
Then, Luca nodded once.
“You have until morning to decide,” Luca said, standing up to signal the end of the meeting. “A guest room has been prepared for you.”
May you like
Norah walked out of the study, her mind racing. She had thirty-six dollars to her name. She had nowhere to go. And a mafia boss had just offered her a kingdom to be a mother to a broken little boy.
She didn't need until morning to decide.
