CHAPTER 317. A NAUGHTY GIRL. Short Phrases with Long FeelingsAn hour later, they had the keys in hand, and Levi and Noémi rushed to gather things from the apartment to move in immediately. Noémi wasn’t surprised by how little Levi had; she had already noticed that he wasn’t the kind of man who clung to material possessions, so everything fit into two cars for a single trip.At the new house, while Levi unloaded, Noémi set up a cozy room for Peter, and Levi stood in the doorway, watching her. If he had been told three thousand francs, he would have said no, and the negotiation would have ended there. But she hadn’t said no, not once; she had just dived headfirst into a strategy that had gotten him a lovely house for exactly the price he wanted to pay, even though it was definitely worth more.He felt so proud of her that he didn’t even know how to express his admiration, and for a few moments, he couldn’t understand what the CEO of Asterion Bank was doing cleaning his son’s room. How
CHAPTER 318. A NAUGHTY GIRL. Surrendering ControlLevi opened the door and found Noemi on the other side, her face tired and worn, eyes downcast, with a smile that tried to be sincere. She was almost leaning against the doorframe, as if she were about to collapse at any moment."Baby? What's wrong?" he asked, unsure of what else to say. "Are you okay?"She shook her head slightly and rested her forehead on his shoulder."I'm just tired..." she murmured.Levi opened the door wider and stepped aside, placing an arm around her shoulders and gently nudging her to come inside."Come in," he said softly.Noemi entered the house slowly, her eyes searching for a corner where she could curl up."Do you want something to drink? Are you hungry?"Noemi shook her head."No, thanks. Where's Peter?""He's out like a light."Levi studied her for a moment. She looked extremely exhausted."Noe, how long has it been since you last slept?" he asked, gently rubbing her arms up and down.She pouted, tryin
CHAPTER 319. A NAUGHTY GIRL. Are you going to train me?"Are things really that bad?" Levi asked with concern, and she shook her head."I don't like making a mountain out of a molehill, but... well, we're making some hostile acquisitions, small banks that haven't managed to develop well or that are trying to compete with us, and of course, they aren't too happy about it," she murmured with a sigh. "There's one in particular, Axel Grimma, who took it the worst way possible.""And he has to? I mean... isn't there enough for everyone?" Levi asked while preparing breakfast, and Noemi smiled because sometimes he could be adorably naive."Well, when was the last time you let another skier pass you and said, 'Go ahead, beat me, I'll give you the chance'?" she asked."Never," Levi replied as if it were obvious."And why not? Isn't there enough for everyone?" Noemi teased, and he stuck his tongue out at her."I get it, I get it. You don't want to give the competition a chance.""Of course not
CHAPTER 320. A NAUGHTY GIRL. Attack by CompetitorIt was tough, but Levi was surprised at how disciplined that damn woman could be. She liked being with him, and he liked being with her. So when her phone rang during lunch, she simply turned it off."Just close my eyes and that's it? No incentive? No cuddle? Not even a little orgasm...? Nothing?" she complained the first time Levi made her take a nap."You only have half an hour; that’s not enough time even to start, but I’ll tell you what—if you manage to finish today before eleven at night, I promise to do unspeakable things to you."Noemi smiled, and since that deal seemed good enough, she closed her eyes, cuddled up next to him, and slept for at least half an hour before returning to the battlefield at the bank."Mr. Boss, I'm really swamped, but I’m starving. Can you bring me something to eat at the office?" she asked him a couple of days later, and Levi chose something with fish to stimulate that brain of hers.The first week w
CHAPTER 321. A NAUGHTY GIRL. No, of course not!It didn’t take him long to sneak into the emergency room and identify two of Noemi's brothers in front of one of the doors. He ran toward them, but he was only a few feet away when Milo stepped in his path."What the hell are you doing here?" Milo growled, grabbing him by the jacket violently as if he was ready to hit him.Levi was stunned; he couldn’t understand why Milo was treating him like this, but he kept trying to drag him out of the hospital."This is all your fault!" Noemi's brother exclaimed, raising his voice above the noise of the bustling hospital staff. "How dare you show up here?"Levi couldn’t believe what he was hearing and stood there, mouth agape."What are you talking about?" he growled, trying to break free. "I just want to see Noemi, to make sure she’s okay... Why the hell are you saying this is my fault?""Don’t play dumb now!" Milo roared, "because I’m not the type to buy into coincidences!""Enough!" Levi exclai
CHAPTER 322. A NAUGHTY GIRL. I’m so sorryLevi wanted the ground to swallow him up.“It wasn’t a coincidence…” he stammered, his voice breaking. “It wasn’t a coincidence that I found him.”“No, it wasn’t,” Noémi replied. “I believe you when you say you didn’t know him, but that doesn’t change the fact that he approached you for information. Try to remember, Levi, what did you tell him?”He felt tears of anger and helplessness welling up in his eyes, and he ran his hands through his hair as if he wanted to tear it out.“I… I did tell him, damn it, I did! I told him what time we were going to have dinner, what time you were getting off work,” he murmured as guilt consumed him. “I told him you were important to me.”Noémi swallowed hard and took a deep breath. Everything hurt, but at that moment, more than ever, she knew she had to take control of the situation.“Open the door, please,” she asked, and Levi obeyed. Milo came in immediately and gave him a stern look. “Leave him alone, Mil
CHAPTER 323. A NAUGHTY GIRL. AccusationsSo when she got into that sedan, her order was simple.“Eliyaz, take me to the police station.”“Are you crazy?” Milo scolded her. “You just got out of the hospital!”“I know, but I’m not going to my apartment to lie in bed,” Noémi replied. “Axel Grimma is still there, and I need to talk to him. I want to know what’s going through that man’s head, or I’ll never be at peace.”Milo had no choice but to keep his thoughts to himself and follow her to the police station. Grimma was still in custody, being interrogated. He swore up and down that it was just a tragic accident, but the police didn’t believe him, and they were just waiting for Noémi Keller’s statement and the charges she wanted to press against him.One of the officers let her into the interrogation room, and with some effort, the young woman managed to sit down in front of the man, letting out a small grunt of pain.“Either I have very bad luck, or you have too much,” she hissed, seei
CHAPTER 324. A NAUGHTY GIRL. For nowThree days, five, a week. Levi hadn't heard a thing from Noémi, only that she had been discharged from the hospital. He didn’t want to text her because he had no idea where things stood between them. But the worst part was that Danna had given him unsettling news: Noémi had been out of the hospital for days, and still, she hadn’t contacted him.That evening, he closed the shop after Danna left, wishing her a good rest. He spent a long time staring at his phone, debating whether to text her, but finally decided it wasn’t the right time to bother her. He was about to turn off the lights when he heard a soft knock at the back door, the one that led to the storage room.He cautiously walked over and yanked the door open, freezing for a second before pulling her inside.“Noe...!”“Hi!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck. “I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner!”Levi lifted her by the waist, breathing a sigh of relief as if the world around him