CHAPTER 354. A NAUGHTY GIRL. My damn astral projectionNoémi and the boys heard the storm's roar as if it were a warning."This has to be a joke!" she growled. "I mean, if I could bottle up all my bad luck from this year, I could sell it as a weapon of mass destruction!"The boys laughed, and one of them shook his head. "We've still got time before it starts. Besides, there’s been a bad weather warning for a week now. Let’s keep going."Noémi didn’t know exactly how much time passed, only that it felt like too much. Finally, they reached that improvised garden on the mountain, and the boys circled the marker flag indicating the snow pit.Noémi held her breath before looking into the hole and exhaled in relief when she saw a shadow hopping from one foot to the other, trying to keep moving and maintain circulation."Levi!" she yelled to get his attention. "Levi, are you down there?!""Of course, I’m not here! This is my damn astral projection!" he retorted, snorting from the cold."Do
CHAPTER 355. A NAUGHTY GIRL. Aren't You Going to Ask?Noémi’s polite, exhausted smile vanished instantly as she imagined that particular scene. "You know what? I’ll do it! He’s a bit of an oaf, you know?! And he's wet; he shouldn’t stay wet...!" she blurted out before heading in the direction Levi had disappeared.Oskar took a deep breath and rubbed his hands together. "Well, mission accomplished. Everyone's safe… time to drink!" he declared, sending out word that everyone was welcome to join him in the library to ride out the storm, Norwegian style.Noémi was relieved to find the hallway wasn’t long and that Levi was moving at an ice cube’s pace. "I didn’t know you lived apart," she murmured, realizing this area was more of an independent section of the mansion."I try to keep Peter and the boys from bothering each other," Levi attempted to laugh, "all six of them are loud."Noémi said nothing but followed Levi inside and was taken aback by what she saw. It was part of the mansio
CHAPTER 356. A NAUGHTY GIRL. Who called us?It was a bold challenge, but the problem was that Noémi had nothing to back it up with, and Levi knew it. He knew her better than he had realized, and that warm bed, along with all the accumulated exhaustion, interrupted her feminist pride speech within a minute and a half. By the two-minute mark, she was already snoring.He tucked her in under the blankets and sat on the edge of the bed, watching her sleep. Outside, the storm was just beginning, so it would still be many hours before she could leave. He let her sleep and went to calm Larsen and the boys, who were in the library celebrating life.The first whiskey brought him back to life, and by the third, he was feeling bold. But really, he was just happy that Noémi was safe.He picked up Peter to bring him along and grabbed just the clothes that he knew Noémi liked. The afternoon passed quickly, and since she didn’t seem to have any intention of waking up for dinner, he did what he did b
CHAPTER 357. A NAUGHTY GIRL. Forever“But miss, you’re not eating,” Isak protested.“Of course, she’s eating… now say ‘Aaaaa.’” Before Noémi could protest, Levi put a forkful of pasta in her mouth, and she blushed but ate.Noémi came from a large family, so she was used to the chaos, but she was impressed by how good Levi was with the boys, especially when he and Peter had been so alone until then.The boys treated the baby like a little brother, and they saw Levi as a respected coach and a pseudo-strict father. But the truth was, harmony reigned in that mansion.After dinner, they shared chocolate ice cream, and the boys began talking about the tragedies of their new prep school in Switzerland. By the end of the night, Noémi realized her schedule for the next week was already packed.“Take them shopping for elegant clothes for the winter dance.”“Chaperone at the movies.”“Give them a tour of the company because they won’t be skiing forever.”“Get a chiropractor.”“Buy them tickets
CHAPTER 358. A NAUGHTY GIRL. Unspeakable thingsNoémi punched Levi hard on the arm, shocked by his declaration.“What did you just say?!” Her eyes locked with his, and she saw the sincerity in his gaze. “You must have a death wish, right? After everything that's happened, after you left me...! Do you think I’m going to forgive you that easily?!”Levi pressed his lips together.“No, I know it won’t be easy, but I don’t want to lose you, and you don’t want me to lose you, or else you would’ve left the moment we came down from that mountain, storm, avalanche, or erupting volcano be damned. Do you think I don’t believe you’re capable of it?” He looked at her with a mix of admiration and certainty. “I love you, Noémi... And I want to marry you…”“I can’t do this, Levi,” she responded desperately. “After everything that happened, how can you even think we should try again...?”“Of course, we should!” he exclaimed, stepping closer and grabbing her by the shoulders. “Noe, things that mess up
CHAPTER 359. A NAUGHTY GIRL. Ten Years in SinFalling onto the rug was the easy part; resisting the pull of sleep was the hard part. But Levi had made that proposal seriously and wasn’t about to give up.“Marry me, Noe, please marry me. I promise I’ll make sure you never regret choosing me,” he said, propping himself up on one elbow and caressing her face.Noémi took a deep breath as she stared at the beams on the ceiling.“Not now, Boss. Ask me in ten years,” she said with a soft smile, and Levi slipped the ring onto her finger, not caring that it wasn’t the best diamond in the world.“That works for me if it means I’ll spend the next ten years with you,” he assured her, kissing her lips. “What’s a decade of living in sin? Besides, married men don’t go to hell—we’ve already served our time here…”“Hey!”Levi burst out laughing and hugged her, kissing her until sleep finally claimed them. He knew difficult times lay ahead, but they had, in their strange way, found their perfect way o
CHAPTER 360. A NAUGHTY GIRL. Happy Endings. Uncertain BeginningsEveryone knew. Now, absolutely everyone knew what was happening between them, but Noémi seemed very content with that. Life was gradually becoming less complicated. The family kept gathering, and just two days before Peter’s first birthday, Levi presented her with that document.They were in the middle of a romantic dinner when he handed her the adoption agreement for her to officially take Peter as her son.Noémi looked at him in astonishment, and Levi panicked, of course he panicked, because up until that moment, he thought this was what she wanted.“I… I’m sorry, I thought this is what you wanted,” he murmured, taking the document back. “But maybe we shouldn’t rush things, right?”Noémi reached out her hand to stop him and pulled her purse closer, taking out an identical document she had prepared herself.“I was going to ask you the exact same thing,” she said, and they both laughed, realizing how in sync they truly
CHAPTER 361. A CAGE FOR THE QUEEN. PREFACE.Chiara Keller was never an angel; she was a queen. As one of the CEOs of Switzerland's largest bank, she had more character and cunning than many of the men she knew, and none of her relationships ever got serious. Maybe that’s why meeting the CIA’s Director of Organized Crime was so unforgettable. Jhon Hopkins was a man who didn’t beat around the bush, a natural fighter who viewed life as a constant battle to be won. In that way, they were far too similar, and for what was a magical moment, the spell endured.But eventually, they had to get out of bed.What will happen when their jobs and lives collide head-on?What’s the worst that could happen when the CEO of a bank in a tax haven falls in love with the man in charge of hunting down all her clients?Betrayal, lies, heartbreak, mistakes that can't be forgiven—because in the end, love is not stronger than the bars of the queen's cage.---A CAGE FOR THE QUEEN. PREFACE.Chiara was desperat