All Chapters of THE WIFE'S GAMBIT: CONTRACT MARRIAGE : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Lenora's Pov:I sat next to Richard, sitting across from Dad and Mom, at the mini-dining table. Mom had wanted Remo to join the family dinner, but unfortunately the dining table was so miniature that mom had to struggle to get the four of us comfortable. My eyes wandered to where Remo had sat in the parlor, his eyes were so fixed on his cellphone. He had been so engrossed with the games he had busied himself with instead of eating. My mind suddenly reeled back to mom’s word about hooking Remo up with Ghislaine, she doesn’t mean that, right?The thought of Remo ending up being my in-law would definitely be shocking, not only to me but also to Yara, who would end up tearing my flesh apart.I tore my gaze away from him to my mother, had her gaze perfectly fixed on me with an impish smile on her lips. Why was she staring at me instead of eating?“How long have you been staring, mom?" I frowned slightly.“I wasn’t.” She denied and continued with her meal.“How long have you two been marrie

Lenora's pov:Could it have gotten worse?“Mom, has your illness worsened?" I asked, staring at my mother, who suddenly went quiet after a while.“Why would you think that?” She finally voiced out after a long silence.“I’m totally fine.” Mom said and spun around, trying to act like she was okay, but I knew she wasn’t.I looked over to dad, who also gave a reassuring smile. I knew he was only trying to cover up too, but I didn’t want to ruin the moment. I smiled back at mom and went to my seat.I passed mom another tissue, which she used to gently wipe off her mouth. I mean, the little stain of blood that I saw, was she coughing out blood?Her health must have deteriorated more when I wasn’t around.“Do you want seconds, son?” Mom broke off the silence that was resting between us."No, mother, I’m okay. I’m feeling full already." “I can’t believe I almost ruined the blissful moment.” Mom said and chuckled quietly.“You didn’t.” Richard smiled back at her, while Dad nodded in agreemen

Lenora's Pov:“What do you think you are doing?” I asked, squinting my eyes as I stared at him in confusion. He ignored me, making himself even more comfortable on the bed. “You can sleep on the floor.” Richard said, throwing a pillow at me without any consideration."I'm expected to sleep on the bare floor." I scoffed, unable to believe my ears.I got on my feet, regaining my composure.“What do you think you are doing?” I yelled, but Richard ignored me, and rolled over to his side. I tried to push him off the bed, but boy, did he weigh a ton. ************The sun rays emitted on my face, waking me from sleep. With my eyes partially open, I rolled over on the bed, snuggling closer to my pillow. The surface of what I slept on felt soft, wasn't I sleeping on the floor last night, how had I ended up on the bed? I sat up straight rubbing my eyes, I scanned through the empty room, and began to wonder where on earth that stupid man could have gone. Jus

Lenora's Pov:I stretched my body the moment I alighted from the car. We were at a park, a familiar one at that.Looking around the Park's environment, I noticed that for some strange reason, there wasn't any sign of life in it—by that I mean people. No doubt, Richard had something to do with it; he'd probably reserved the park for us and already had our picnic spot set up. The day was warm, sunny and perfect for a picnic. I inhaled the fresh air produced by the plants in the park. Turning, my gaze landed on Richard who had a frown on his face, normally I wouldn't care less but with my family around I had to make it seem like I did. Mom and Dad were having an out-of-the-picture conversation between themselves, it seemed intense which had me wondering what they were conversing so seriously about. Ghislaine kept on taking snaps of anything and everything while Remo was nowhere to be found. Soon Remo came back with two workers who carried baskets of fruits and snacks. Richard really

Lenora's Pov: “I mean, no… we're only surprised to see you here.” I replied, trying to clear whatever misconception she already had.“Really? That look on your face looks like you don't want me here, are you hiding something?” Giulia said teasingly but Richard and I didn't take it the way she did, at least not immediately. I cleared my throat and chuckled moving closer to the stairs. “What secret could we possibly be keeping from you, mother?” I said jokingly, and moved towards her, gesturing to Richard for backup, but what more did I expect?He ignored me, and moved towards his mother, like a good wife does, I followed behind him.“Why are you here? I thought you were supposed to be in Italy right now.” Richard said to his mother.I didn’t get what she said next, but it was in Italian, so naturally, I didn't understand it.Richard's brows scrunched and it was obvious he was displeased with her response. I wondered what it could be?“What did she say?” I asked Richard in a low tone,