Friendship is an arrangement by which we undertake to exchange small favors for big ones.
-Charles de Montesquieu
Leandro Salazar's POV
"We need to talk." She barged into my office here on the second floor of Castillo de Joya without notice. She stood in front of my mahogany table as her hands place on each side of her waist. I knew that stance so well.
I looked up from the paper I've been reading about the monthly reports of my bank finances. I smiled pleasantly in her direction when I knew that this conversation would only lead to trouble. "What do you want to talk about, wife?"
"Let's clear some things here, Your Excellency."
I smiled at her evenly. I sat back from my chair and silently study her pregnant form. She's really beautiful in her cream-colored dress. We fought for at least half an hour in my villa when I saw her wearing a black dress for our wedding. Thank goodness, I convinced her to wear this dress after an argument. "What is it, darling?"
"I want to have a separate bedroom from you." Her green eyes flashed with defiance in their depth.
"What?" I frowned at her. Is she playing games with me? I asked myself silently. "You are my wife so it's only natural that we will sleep in the same bed."
She focused her expressive eyes straight on my face. I couldn't fathom what she thinking at this moment. "But I don't want to share a bed with you again, Leandro. I want my own bedroom in this huge palace. I'm sure you can give me one."
"No," I scowled at her beautiful face. What's with this ridiculous notion she thought about our arrangement as a married couple? "You are my wife and you will sleep where you are supposed to be sleeping—that is, in my bed beside me, Leila."
"No, I don't want to." She defied me bravely, her eyes flicker with fire. "We are not going to sleep in the same bed ever again."
I smiled evilly in her direction. "I will not be so sure if I were you, my darling. I'm expecting our wedding night. We will have our honeymoon but not now. I need to finish some matters first in the office before I can take a leave. Besides, since we met you only sleep in my bed."
"Well, those days were over now."
Why does she have to be stubborn about it? I'm quite excited about our wedding night after our long separation. I frowned at her. I'm starting to lose my patience here. "What's with this ridiculous notion you have, Leila?"
"I might marry you against my better judgment," She answered proudly. "But that doesn't mean that I will let you rile me over and over again. It's time for me to have some say to our arrangement now that we are married for the sake of our child."
"Are you sure about this?"
She lifted her chin in an act of defiance in my path. "Yes."
"Very well," I hide my smile as I looked at her silently. Let her think that she won the first round but one thing that I'm very sure she would sleep in my bed sooner or later. "I will tell the maids to arrange the bedroom across to mine. It will be your new bedroom." At least, for now.
My wife threw me a victorious smile. "Thank you, Leandro."
"Anything else, wife?"
"Oh, yes." She said with an accusing look on her aristocratic face. I could now see the difference between her and her identical twin sister. I would never make that mistake again. My oversight earned me a punch from her twin sister's husband. "What's the deal between you and your sister-in-law?"
"What's with the accusing look, mi dulzura?" I inquired casually as my eyebrows snap together. I don't think I like the way she's staring at me with those eyes.
She shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing, I just want to know the real score between the two of you. I just want to know if we're three in this marriage, Leandro."
"You are not making any sense, Leila." I glared at her when she still has the condemning look on her face. "I don't have any kind of relationship with her, if that's what you implying, mi amor."
"If you say so, darling." She still has the look on her face that I think I don't like. The scorn in her voice was enough to give me a pause. Is she jealous? "I'd better go and leave you to your work."
"You're not going to stop until you get the information you need, don't you?" I asked when she was about to leave my office.
She looked at me from her shoulder and smile coolly in my direction. "What do you think? You should think about this before you dragged me to this marriage. Just so you know, no one played the fool to Leila Fiorenza or there is hell to pay for it."
After she gave me her warning she left my office with such confidence in her walk. I consciously pinched the bridge of my nose and close my eyes. I landed myself trouble here, I mused silently. But on the second thought, it seems that I married the trouble herself.
Leila Fiorenza's POV
I walked out of his office angrily. I went straight to the master's bedroom where Leandro told me that's our 'bedroom' at the far end of the east wing of the palace. Walking on these corridors reminded me of the cold palace where I grew up. The paintings, the carpeted floor, the priceless vase that you wouldn't dare to touch the heavy furniture and antique chandeliers in the ceiling.
I opened the heavy wooden door of his bedroom furiously. I would not let him trap me in this marriage and dance with his tune. I would fight him with everything I have. I would have my revenge on him. I would show him that marriage to me was hell.
I stood dead in my place when I saw a maid cleaning the room alone. I gave a friendly smile as I entered the room further. "Hello," I said pleasantly.
I was not sure if she understood English as she just merely bowed in my direction before leaving me alone in this ridiculously huge bedroom. I closed my eyes and sigh. I want to take a shower to clear my head I wonder where did they put my clothes. My head snapped on the dresser table, what dress? The last time I check, I brought an overnight bag for my sudden trip here to Spain, but that bag was in his villa! I don't have anything for me here.
I decided to borrow some clothes from Leandro's sister, Lucia. I went out into the master's bedroom and searched for Lucia's room in this huge palace. Thankfully, a maid passed by in the hallways so I ask about Lucia's room. The young maid led me to her room.
Once we reached the room two hallways away from Leandro's room, I knocked at the heavy wooden door. "Entre," Lucia said cheerfully.
I slowly opened the wooden door and peek inside. "Lucia?"
Leandro's sister beamed at the sight of me in her doorway. "Come in, por favor." I smiled shyly in her direction before entering her room fully. I closed the door behind me and walked further inside her room. "Sorry for the mess, sister-in-law."
"You are a fashion designer?" I asked when I saw her room turn into a workroom with piles of fabric and thread along with several sketches scattered on the long table.
She smiled sheepishly in my direction as she stops sketching on her notebook. "More like an aspiring fashion designer. Are you bored? My brother must be busy again to leave you alone hours after your wedding ceremony. But I'm glad that you come to me for a chat."
"I would like to borrow some clothes from you if that's okay," I said as I look at the sketch she finish. "Your brother brought me here without notice. I left my things back to his mansion in the city."
Her hazel eyes lit with glee as she put down her pencil and led me to the adjoining door of her room. "Oh, you came to the right person to ask for clothes. I bought several outfits on my last shopping expedition that I didn't wear yet. Come inside."
She led me to another room as big as her workroom but this time it has a bed, dresser table, and other stuff. She opened another door and her walked-in closet greeted me. Amazing, I thought with a smile. She reminds me of Laila when it comes to the size of her closet it's like a mini department store the only difference was that my twin favored wearing only black dresses. She only has changed the taste in color for her outfit when she met Nikos.
"Now pick what you like."
I wrinkled my nose when I see that most of her clothes were straight from catwalks. I'm not that formal-wearing kind of girl. I want casual outfits only however my father chastised me for it but I don't care whatever he says to me. "I'm thinking of something more of a casual. Some t-shirts and shorts, if you have."
"Oh, I have some," Lucia answered searching for my request. "But they are kind of old so..."
I smiled at her. "They would be perfect." I sat on the stool where the table at the middle of her walked-in closet. I studied the jewelry and perfume collection she had. Then, I remember to gather information about the association of Leandro and their sister-in-law. "Mind if I ask you something?"
"Sure," She answered while collecting all the casual clothes she could excavate in her collection.
"What's the real score about between Leandro and your sister-in-law?" I asked casually as if it wasn't that important question for me. I couldn't stop thinking about the deathly glare she'd sent in my direction a while ago.
Lucia stopped from digging from her mountain of neatly folded clothes on the shelves and stared at me in surprise. "Oh, that..."
"Yes, what do you know about their association?"
She looked away from me and continues her search. "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. You should ask Leandro about it."
"I asked him but he refuse to tell me."
"Then, I cannot tell you." She glanced apologetically in my direction. "Leandro might kill me if I tell you. But nothing's going on between the two of them I assure you."
Now that I am sure that she knew something. I would not stop until I get the information I want. I could be pretty convincing when I want to. "You can trust me, you know. I promise not to tell your brother about it. I'm just curious, though."
"Are you sure?"
I gave her a reassuring smile. "Yes, I promise."
She sighed and went to where I sat along with the clothes I requested. She took the opposite stool across to mine and stared deep into my eyes. "Natalia was the widow of our older brother Luis..."
"Older brother?" My eyes widened at the information. I didn't realize that they have an older brother that died.
"Yes," Lucia answered gravely, probably remembering the memories of her deceased older brother. "You see, Leandro isn't really the heir to the title, it's Luis."
"I still don't understand why I received a deathly glare from your older brother's widow awhile ago, Lucia."
She eyed me in surprise. "You did?"
"Yeah."
Lucia sighed again and studied her perfectly manicured hands. "Oh, Leandro might kill me for this. Back in college Leandro and Natalia were classmates and had this 'thing'. But he was so handsome that he ruthlessly used those looks to change women as he often change his socks plus he was a commitment probe. He wasn't ready yet to have a serious relationship."
"I bet."
Leandro's sister looked at me with amusement in her eyes. "Natalia get tired waiting for the playboy spare heir to court her and have a serious relationship when the heir to the title was so fascinated with her raging beauty."
I think I have a clue where this story was going. But I remained silent and continue to listen to the tale of Lucia. "So she married our older brother Luis to probably show Leandro what he threw away with his womanizing ways. Your husband wasn't aware of their union after he went home after years of traveling around the world living his life in gambling, women, and a jet-set lifestyle. Imagine his shock he went home the woman he was infatuated with back in college was now married to his older brother."
I reassuringly smiled at Lucia. I felt that my jaw would crack at the effort. My nails dug deep in my palms but I couldn't feel any pain. "Go on."
"Our father was still alive that time but he's already ailing from a disease. That's why Leandro went home because our father summoned him back here in Spain before he died. It would not take long for Luis to ascend the title because of our father's poor health and Natalia couldn't wait for her to have the title of Condesa. But a week after Leandro went home our older brother had a tragic car accident that took his life. Natalia became a widow before her husband ascends to the title and my father died a month after Luis's death. That makes Leandro the new Conde de Parama."
My heart lurched at the crisis they faced that year when two members of their family died in two months. "I'm so sorry."
"It's okay," She said with a sad smile on her beautiful face. "You will learn about it, eventually. That's our family history."
"How long does this happened?"
"Five years," She answered, her eyes held sadness in their depth. "You must be wondering if that happened that long why Natalia was still here. Well, the only answer I can give you was that I believed that your husband out of respect to Luis he will not throw out of the house our brother's widow unless she wants to leave for herself."
"Does she?" I asked when I think I knew the answer already.
Lucia smiled warily in my path. "I strongly believe that she's hoping now that she's a widow Leandro and she would take off where they left back in college that's why she stayed here. I know she is still in love with Leandro even she married our older brother. But I guess that dream will only remain a dream from now on because you came along. Leandro—the commitment probe man married you."
"Because I'm pregnant." I reminded her thoughtfully.
"I wonder if that's the only reason he married you."
I stood from the chair and pick up the clothes on the table. "What else?" I asked her dryly, avoiding her knowing eyes. "Thanks for the clothes I will leave you in peace now." I didn't wait for her reply before I went out of her room. I don't want to dissect the other reason why Leandro married me.