Wife for Hire

Chapter 4: I'm Old Fashioned

Chapter 4: I'm Old Fashioned

When Noah said penthouse, I imagined a luxury apartment with fancy jacuzzis, hot tubs, balconies, views, and furniture.

I was absolutely right.

What astonished me the most was the clear windows in the living room looking out into the ocean. I never realized how much beauty came with money.

"I didn't realize you were . . . rich," I told him honestly.

He snorted. "We got lucky. Mom and dad worked hard in their fields to earn the top positions. Otherwise, we would all still be stuck in some lowly apartment."

I didn't offer a reply. Maybe one day I'd have enough money to ridicule the lowly apartments my family and I survived in.

For now, I could just enjoy the penthouse.

Noah didn't seem to notice my change of mood, which was a positive thing. I didn't want him to pay attention to me. Frankly, I wished to be like a piece of his fancy furniture. I would stand next to the sofa like a Rodin statue until I got my green card. He would notice me once in a while and continue his everyday routine. After that, I'd be disposed of, but we would all gain something out of me being there.

"Let me show you your room," he said.

He had walked to a spiral staircase. I carefully followed behind him up to a room that was the size of my entire apartment floor. The hardwood floor shined under tiny lights installed in the ceiling. There was a purple sheeted, queen-sized bed waiting for me. Next to it was a flatscreen TV and a couch.

"This is my room?" I asked for clarification.

"Yes. Sorry, I didn't know what kind of furniture you'd need, so I went with the basics. Let me know if there's anything I can get you to make you feel at home," he said quickly.

I exhaled softly. "This is perfect." He seemed relieved by my happiness. "Honestly, I would've gladly taken the couch in the living room. I don't want to intrude your space when you're doing so much for me."

"Oh please," he said. "We are both helping each other out. Don't fret over this." I put my suitcase down by the bedside. "My room is across the hallway, so if you need anything, you know where to go."

I gave him a nod and he left me standing there.

I wish the cloud of formality and awkwardness would fly away in the next few hours. If I was going to be his penthouse mate, we needed to have a better relationship. Especially when we had to come together in front of his mother.

I strode around the bedroom to a mahogany door. It revealed an enormous bathroom all for me. There were two sinks! A hot tub sat to one side of the space next to a window.

Before I could worry about my future with Noah, I needed to enjoy my present with the hot tub.

I wasted no time shrugging off my clothes and using the luxury in front of me.

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"Hey Noah, when do we tell your mom about us?"

He had also taken a shower when we got home, so his hair was dripping wet all over his dining room rug.

He took the chair next to me and dove into his bowl of fruit salad. I had decided to cut up some fruit in his fridge to give us both a fresh boost of energy. As I ate my honeydew melon, he answered me.

"All she knows is that Olivia and I broke up two months ago."

"I thought you did that fake breakup last week?" I asked confused.