Page 11 of The Mogul: Leonard

She thinks I’ll say no, and it hurts that she sees me like that. I know I’m not the easiest person to get along with, that I’m stubborn and always do what I want, but I have a heart too. She’s family, and I would never let her down just because I feel itchy at the thought of putting on a fancy dress and high heels to spend my evening with a bunch of disgustingly rich old men who think they have the world at their feet.

“Okay, but I have the final say on the dress,” I grumble.

She grins, and I can’t stop my lips from tugging at the corners. She is so happy it’s contagious.

“Thank you! I mean it. I owe you this one.” She’s sincerely grateful for something so small.

I know she still feels guilty for disrupting our lives and leaving our family in shambles so many years ago, but I never blamed her for what happened. On the contrary, I was proud of her bravery in doing the right thing, no matter what.

“We’re going shopping, but you owe me a dessert,” I say when we leave the food court and walk through the mall.

“That’s why we’re here,” she says, waving at the Cheesecake Factory on the other side of the walkway next to the movie theatre.

“No Rodeo Drive today?” I raise a suspicious eyebrow.

She is used to fancy shops and luxury brands, while I’m the poor one who can’t afford them.

“I thought you’d be more comfortable at Nordstrom than those stuffy high-end shops.” She frowns like she’s wondering if she made a mistake.

I smile. “It’s perfect.”

She nods but says nothing. Sometimes we tiptoe around each other. We both grew up second-guessing our decisions because the cost of making mistakes was high. Being in the witness protection program for eight long years changes your behavior. And when you get out of it because the universe cuts you some slack, it’s challenging to go back to being carefree. And it shows in how we behave around each other.

“So, do we have a theme for this party?” I ask, breaking an uncomfortable silence.

“It’s Starry Night. We’ll be dancing under the stars at the observatory.” She beams like this one was her idea.

“Wow, fancy. I’ll have to find something that lives up to the hype.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine. You’re gorgeous even in that ugly tank top.” She chuckles, and I look down at my chest, pretending to be offended.

“What is wrong with it? It’s hands down my best one!” It’s not true, but seeing her face scrunch up in disgust is funny.

“Jesus. Your taste is worse than I remember,” she teases.

I laugh out loud as the guard at the front door looks amused. Then he lands eyes on my sister and her bodyguard and almost trips to open the door for us. It’s so strange to witness this behavior when I’m with her that sometimes I almost feel like I’m in a movie.

“Let’s go get this dress and not talk about the fact that you probably sleep in your fancy businesswoman clothes,” I mock, and she rolls her eyes.

It’s not a very senator-wife reaction, but I like it when she loosens up a bit when we go out. She reminds me of my old sister.

It is almost another three hours before I return to my apartment, but when I enter, I’m so exhausted I don’t even have the energy to get angry at the usual players on the couch.

“I have cheesecake for everyone,” I announce, putting the box on the table.

They all drop everything and run to the food.

“Jesus, are you people starving? Don’t you have a home with food to go back to?” I mutter, feeling a bit of that disappointment sneaking in that I push down into my gut every time I come home.

Candy approaches with paper plates for everyone.

“Thank you.” I smile at her, but she says nothing. She is always so shy that sometimes I just want to shake her to get a reaction.

“So, what’s the occasion?” Spike asks while handing out slices to the other five guys who have been playing until five minutes ago.

I know he noticed the fancy bag with my dress inside it. He laid eyes on it as soon as I entered the room. Some suspicion and maybe a bit of concern crossed his eyes. He is not a fan of Raphael, my sister’s husband, and he is slightly unsettled when I spend time with her. He says Raphael will find a way to drag me into a business that will land me in jail. I’m aware that Raphael’s father is far from honest, and Spike knows it, too, but Raphael is a good guy. He is more than okay, or I wouldn’t have let my sister marry him. I checked, and I found nothing wrong with him.

“I have to attend a fancy party, and I needed a dress. This is my sister trying to bribe me to go shopping.”

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