Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.
-Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Leandro Salazar's POV
I still don't know if my decision had been correct coming here in the quest house and see Natalia. But I cannot let things the way they were back at the manor. Leila was stressing herself much from this thing and it's not healthy for our baby. From the start, I knew that she doesn't like Natalia still staying at the palace after my brother's death. But I cannot send her away I think it is like respect to Luis' memories that his wife should stay with us.
Nevertheless, I guessed it's time for me to make a decision. I slid out of my Range Rover and went directly to the dark guest house situated near the manor. I could bet my fortune that Leila will learn about this trip of mine in the morning and there's hell to pay for her wrath. However, I hope that she would be happy with the decision I will be making tonight.
I unlocked the front door and was greeted by a warm glow from the nearby lampshade in the living room. I saw Natalia patiently waiting for me sitting on the sofa.
"Finally, you're here." She said with a pleased smile on her face. "I knew you would come to me because you still love me."
What?
Before I could even react to her statement, she surprised me when she stood on the sofa and hugged me tightly. My body went rigid at the gesture. "I never stop loving you, Leandro. I sorely regret my decision to marry your brother to make you jealous and make you pay for your playboy ways before."
"Please don't go there, Natalia," I said, forcibly removing her arms that wrapped around me. "Please don't tell me that you regret marrying my brother. I cannot forgive you if you repeated those words. Luis loved you with all of his heart."
"But I don't love him!" She exploded angrily. "I thought for a time that I would learn how to love him but I can't. It's you that I love always."
I shook my head regrettably. "I'm sorry but I don't love and never did love you even once. I only see you before as one of those girls I can play with. I'm very sorry for my action from those years. I took it for granted that I can play with whoever I want and never thought of the consequence of it."
Her dark eyes narrowed. "It's all because of that woman, isn't it? You've been poisoned with her sultry looks and body."
"It's not only on the appearance that made me captivated by her," I answered with a mocking smile slipped on my face. "It's her zest for life. Her intelligence, her rebelliousness, her smile when I know she's enjoying a private joke on my benefit. I knew from that moment I saw her dancing in a bar to earn money for a living she's the one I've been waiting for. She shooed away wealthy men asking for a single night date with her like they were kind of insects."
Natalia snorted, her eyes filled with rage in their depth. "You only say that because she's a novelty to the women in your past. Women you associated with want to pleased you so badly so they could have a relationship with you while she is the opposite."
I nodded slightly. "You might be right. At first, I thought that she's a wayward waif traveling around the world with no permanent home. So I took it for granted when I finally caught that elusive fairy on my net to shower her with the luxury it never occurred to me that woman was a true-blue princess. And the reason she agreed to be my kept mistress was that she wanted to not because of my money."
"Then you accidentally made her pregnant." She said acidly.
"Then I made her pregnant," I repeated her word with a self-satisfied smile on my face. This might be the first time I would confess this. "Later on in our affair, I could see that she's started to get bored in our relationship I noticed that she's always on deep thoughts. I thought she wants out of our liaison and it got me scared so I ruthlessly thought of a plan on how to bind her to me forever."
She shook her head in disbelief. "You are crazy, Leandro. Throwing your valued bachelor life for such woman."
"I believed it's worth it."
She tucked her hands in the middle of her chest as I stared at her unblinking. "Still, that is just a waste, don't you think? I mean, you are here so it means I won the bet."
I frowned at her. I think I don't follow. "What do you mean? What bet?"
She smiled knowingly in my direction. "You see, I made a deal with your wife. If you come here tonight you will be mine. Your wife knew that you will come here. I bet I saw you coming here."
I cursed myself silently. Why Leila didn't tell me anything about this? That woman, after she went behind my back and sees my mother and proudly announced it in my face she didn't bother to tell me this wager she had with Natalia? "Still, don't you think that's rather ridiculous? I'm not some sort of trophy that can pass on to the winner? I will be the one to choose who I want to stay with not the two of you."
"But..."
I slightly raised my hand to stop the words from her. "That's enough. I think I said all the things I want to say to you tonight. I didn't come here to rekindle any relationship with you, Natalia. You are my late brother's wife and you will remain as one to me forever. Goodbye." I was about to walk out of that door when I remember something important. "By the way, you are always welcome to stay here in the estate but I cannot let you reside inside the manor anymore." I looked around the guest house. "If you want you can live here I can contact someone to redecorate this place for your liking."
"You cannot throw me away in the house because of that woman!"
"I can and I will if my wife wishes," I answered, narrowing my eyes towards her. If it would help Leila to have peace of mind when we don't share a roof with Natalia I would gladly give it to her. "If you don't want this house then you are welcome to find a new house in the city on your own. But you cannot live in the manor anymore."
I didn't wait for her reply before walking out of the guest house. Despite my bad parting with Natalia, I felt that my lips were twitching with a smile. I hope Leila would be happy about this new arrangement. I went to my car and drove to the manor after a moment I walked inside the silent corridor when I realize that Leila is now sleeping in her old room. I knocked at the door but no one answered.
She's probably sleeping soundly by now, I thought silently. That's right. Tomorrow morning I will tell her my good news. I will let her sleep now she needs it. So I slowly walk to my bedroom that was across from hers. "Good night, darling," I muttered in her doorway before closing my bedroom door.
Laila Pallis's POV
"Are you sure about this?"
I stopped from packing my things in my luggage bag and look at my husband with a tilt of an eyebrow. "You've been asking that questing since breakfast, Nikos. Don't you think it's rather annoying by now?"
He sighed deeply and snaked his arms around my waist from my back. "I know. But are you sure you can travel by now? Italy is such a long journey from New York. What if something went wrong during the flight?"
I laughed and kissed his lips briefly. "Don't be silly, mister. I'm fine. The doctor permitted me to travel abroad. Besides, it's Marco's birthday we cannot let it pass. He's one of your best friends, after all."
"That sarcastic Italian can celebrate his birthday to himself for all I care," Nikos said in a snappy tone. "I'm worried about you."
Sometimes I thought that Nikos overreact about my pregnancy. Not that I can blame him he always told me that he was so excited about our first baby. That's why he's taking good care of me so much than necessary. "I know. But I think this might be a good reason to visit Patri also. It's been how many weeks since Leila runaway and married her baby's father in Spain. I want to check if we still have our ancestral home standing proudly or that house is now the only a piece of rubble."
Nikos groaned, releasing me from our embrace, and looked at me. "I just recover from his last lecture a few days ago. Do I need to suffer from another round of lecture when the topic goes to your wayward twin?"
I couldn't help but laugh remembering that day we broke the news to Patri that there would not be a wedding in Sicily instead in Spain. "I'm sorry for that day, Nikos. Maybe this time it wasn't that bad."
"So promising, agápi mou."
I brushed off the invisible fleck in his shirt. "You'll keep, love. Now enough of this for now you should pack your things we don't want to be late for our flight."
He eyed me with amusement in his attractive pale blue eyes. "You are excited about this trip, aren't you?"
I nodded eagerly. "I'm so excited to see our friends and Francesca gave birth last month I want to see Audrianna who according to Tatiana is a pretty girl and resembles her mother."
Nikos suddenly laughed. "Yeah, what's why Marco is asking for justice about the child's appearance he's expecting that their baby would inherit some facial feature to him." He became silent for a moment before speaking again. "Any news about your twin?"
I shook my head regrettably. "I don't have any idea. She hasn't called me since she informed me that she married that titled Spanish man. Sometimes I couldn't help but worry but I know Leila is a strong woman she can take good care of herself."
"I hope you are right."
I grinned at my husband. "We have to trust her, Nikos. I don't know if a person can who can rile Leila Fiorenza in my life."
"I don't trust that man she married," Nikos muttered as he finally starts to pack his clothes. "He's like a cold and calculating man."
I stared at him for a moment. I knew part of the reason that he doesn't trust Leila's husband was the fact that he mistakenly abducted me when he thought that I was Leila. But my instinct told me that he's a good man and will take good care of my twin and their baby. I saw it in his gold eyes that he's a fine man. "Leila chose to marry him so he's a good man, Nikos. I'm more worried about Rafe."
"Excuse me?"
I laughed heartily as I met Nikos's angry eyes. "What's with that look, Nikos? I don't think I like the way your judging eyes were evaluating me. It's not the way you think. I'm just worried about him because of their financial ruining."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes," I answered, as I pretended to glare at him but the smile on my lips keeps slipping. "He didn't deserve all of this mess. On the top of the news about their family's financial bankruptcy there's the news that his bride left him the eve of their wedding...stop sending me distrustful looks."
"I don't do such things." He said his accent is hardening which means that he's consumed by his emotions right this moment. "You have the right to worry about him. He's your first love, right?"
"I can smell a strong scent of jealousy in our bedroom, Nikos. Can you smell it?" I goaded at him. I knew I would be paying this goading sooner or later but it's worth it.
"So what if I'm jealous?" He asked and he surprised me when he suddenly throw me to the bed and lay on top of me. "I will show you how jealous I am when it comes to other men, agápi mou."
"We need to pack!" I said laughing as he started to tickles me with his little hot kisses.
"Later."