3

Chapter 3: Living Together

Brenda looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, nervously adjusting the simple dress she had worn for their fake wedding. Although she knew this marriage was just a temporary arrangement, she couldn't help feeling anxious about what awaited her at Giovanni's house.

Finally, she gathered her courage and stepped out of the bathroom to meet Giovanni in the living room. He greeted her with a calm smile, but Brenda couldn't help but notice the glint of complicity in his eyes.

Her stomach fluttered slightly, but she remained composed, at least on the outside.

"Welcome to our temporary home," Giovanni said, gesturing towards the house they would now share.

Brenda nodded, trying to hide her nerves as she followed him inside. The house was impressive, with high ceilings and elegant furniture that seemed straight out of an interior design magazine. However, Brenda felt a little uneasy when she realized she didn't know where she would be sleeping.

"Where's my room?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

Giovanni gave her a strange look.

"I've prepared the guest room for you. Don't worry, I won't intrude on your space," he assured her, with a friendly smile.

Brenda felt somewhat relieved, but she couldn't shake off a slight sense of mistrust as she followed Giovanni to the room designated for her.

She didn't know why, but something in the air made her suspicious of her new husband's intentions.

"Thanks for this," she murmured, trying to sound grateful as she entered the guest room.

Giovanni nodded understandingly.

"Don't mention it. I want you to feel comfortable here," he replied, before disappearing down the hallway.

Brenda sat down on the bed, feeling slightly overwhelmed by everything. This marriage was just an agreement, a deal between two people who needed something from each other. But despite that, she couldn't help feeling a pang of disappointment when she realized Giovanni had no intention of touching her.

"What the hell is wrong with me? It's obvious he's not going to touch me. Why would he?" It's in the agreement.

She couldn't deny that he was an attractive man. She had been impressed to see him dressed in that leather suit when he had told her he was the CEO of his family's company. She imagined he would get married in a suit and tie.

A small smile adorned her lips as she thought she was like a rebel, but she quickly erased it and prepared to change into her sleepwear.

She looked towards the closed door of the room.

"Calm down, Brenda," she told herself, trying to shake those thoughts out of her head. "This is just temporary."

She decided to put on an old and worn-out pajama, a ploy so her new "husband" would be disillusioned with her appearance and wouldn't try anything strange.

"Anyway, we are alone," she thought, clearing her throat.

She decided to go out to the living room after brushing her teeth, where she could see Giovanni's surprised and apprehensive look at her neglected and holey clothes.

"Nice outfit," he commented with a mocking tone. "Is it the new fashion in your country?"

"I like to be comfortable," she said, shrugging. "I don't need silk suits or anything too fancy, I'm just going to sleep."

"As you wish," he said disinterestedly, making her smile.

It seemed she had achieved her purpose.

But as the minutes passed, Brenda couldn't help but notice the way Giovanni looked at her. It was subtle, barely perceptible, but it was there.

As if he were seeing something in her that she couldn't see herself.

She quickly slipped away to her room with the excuse that she needed to sleep, but the truth was that his gaze made her nervous, and she hated feeling that way.

“Everything all right?,” asked Giovanni, suddenly appearing in the doorway of the room.

Brenda nodded, trying to hide her discomfort.

“Just thinking about what the next few months will be like," she replied, trying to sound carefree.

Giovanni smiled, but there was something in his look that made Brenda shudder.

“Don't worry, Brenda. I have no interest in you in that way," he assured, although his eyes seemed to contradict his words.

Brenda was relieved for a moment, but then she remembered the picture of the woman she had seen on the mantelpiece in the living room, a face that had looked vaguely familiar on the day of her quickie wedding.

She didn't want to wonder who she was and why in the photo she looked very intimate next to him, but she assumed she was a bride or something special.

She didn't even know what her name was, but the mere thought that Giovanni had someone else filled her with a strange resentment.

“Does the door have a lock?,” she asked suddenly.

“No, it doesn't... I don't usually attack my guests at night," said Giovanni, mockingly.

He was amused by so much suspicion on her part, he looked like a frightened and trembling little mouse.

“I'd like to put one up," Brenda grimaced, crossing her arms.

He raised an eyebrow, pursing his lips.

"If I wanted to come into your room, I wouldn't be stopped by a deadbolt," he said seriously, a shudder running down Brenda's spine, "but you don't have to worry...I've got my sex life perfectly covered.”

"That means he does have a girlfriend or something," Brenda thought.

“Hey..." she started to speak, but he interrupted her.

“You see, I don't need to rape schoolgirls. I like women," he said in a jocular tone.

Brenda pressed her lips together, trying not to feel offended. Did he consider her a child?

“It's better this way," she said with a harsh tone, which Giovanni noticed immediately. Good night then.

She closed the bedroom door with a soft knock.

She let down her hair and slipped under the covers, trying not to think about the way Giovanni was looking at her. She placed a chair in front of the door, just in case, before turning off the light and closing her eyes.

Meanwhile, Giovanni stood in the hallway, staring at the closed door to Brenda's room with an amused smile on his lips.

He found it witty and amusing the way she had protected herself, something he had not expected from her.

“Good night, Brenda," he whispered, before retiring to his own room.

They both went to sleep, aware that this marriage was only a temporary arrangement, but unable to ignore the growing tension between them.