As they entered his mother's room, his mother was shocked to see Serena in a wedding dress.
She stared, her eyes wide. Is this true? Or am I dreaming? she thought.
She reached out her hand. Leonardo approached her slowly, smiling.
"My son… is this happening? Is this real? I'm so proud. Please, come. Let me hug you," she said, slowly forcing herself up and hugging him.
Leonardo smiled. "Mom, I just had to do this. This is the girl I've been seeing. You told me you wanted her—the girl who writes. This is her. She's the one for me, and I like her."
Serena walked forward. She was shy and didn't know what to say. She bent her head. Without thinking, she said, "Good evening, mother-in-law."
Shit… did I just say—no, no, no… I hope I didn't speak out of line, Serena thought.
"Raise your head, my beautiful daughter. Let me see you,"my beautiful daughter. Come here, give me your hand," Leonardo's mother said and kissed Serena's hand.
"Thank you.
Thank you for choosing my son.
Thank you for being with him," Leonardo's mother said to Serena.
Serena was shocked. She didn't expect that. "Thank you, Mom. I really appreciate it."
"You did well, my son," Leonardo's mother said.
"I appreciate this, Mom," Leonardo replied.
"Hey… I need a child. When are you going to give me a child?" she asked. "You should be working at that fast. You and I both know I don't have much time. So the little time I have, I want to enjoy it—seeing my grandchild. Does your father know you've gotten married already? Because I know how you are—you're secretive in some things you do."
"Mom, no. It hasn't been long since we got married. It was a quick decision. You know how I am. When something comes to my mind, I act on it immediately," Leonardo said, walking closer and placing his hand on his mom's shoulder.
"I'm really proud, son. Now I can die in peace," his mother said.
"No, Mom. Don't say that. The next two years, you might survive. You don't have much time, but you still might survive.
"You'll see my children—and everything good life still has to offer,"Leonardo said, holding her hand gently.
Serena watched them from behind. Guilt filled her heart. She felt terrible for lying to Leonardo's mother. She wished she could tell her the truth—that it was all fake.
But she had already signed the contract—and she needed the money.
Leonardo's mother was so happy that, even if she wanted to, Serena could never bring herself to tell her the truth.
Seeing Leonardo talking and smiling with his mom reminded her of her parents—both gone. Still, she wanted to make sure the mission was successful. Her plan, the one now fixed in her mind, was clear: All I need is two years. Just two years, and I'll never need to work again. Then she could invite her siblings and shock them with how everything had changed. I promised them a better life than the one our parents gave us. They would be shocked, but for now, she needed to stop thinking about that. Let me focus.
Why is his mother so trusting? She believed everything. She didn't even question whether it was a lie.
Serena kept watching Leonardo and his mom, still chatting and smiling together.
"Shouldn't you be heading out? It's getting very late. You know tonight is important—it's your wedding night. Don't forget that," Leonardo's mother said.
"Hmm, Mom… okay. I think we should get going. It's already late," Leonardo replied.
"Hey, Serena." His mother raised her hand and smiled warmly. "Come visit me again. Just you and me. I want to have a little one-on-one talk."
Serena smiled brightly. "Yes, Mom."
"To Leonardo's mother, Serena was truly beautiful," she thought.
"She's going to make a wonderful wife for my son," Leonardo's mother imagined with joy.
Leonardo urged Serena to open the door, and they walked out of the hospital. As they reached the car, Leonardo was about to enter the SUV when Serena stopped.
"Wait—I need to change. I want to get out of this dress fast. Please, I'd really appreciate it if you could take me home," Serena said.
"What do you mean, take you home? What home?" Leonardo turned to her. "You can go tomorrow and collect your things. But tonight, you're coming to the family house. That's where we live. You're my wife now."
"What do you mean by that?" Serena's voice sharpened. "Just open the car. I need to change."
He paused, his voice softening. "Serena, I know this is hard. But… "Do as I say." It's better for both of us this way. Just two years, remember?" He pulled a folded check from his pocket and handed it to her. "Let me show you this. It's the five million dollars I promised. You can buy whatever you want. Your life will change."
Serena took the check and looked at it—five million dollars. Her heart raced. I hope this is real. It feels like a dream. I haven't sent anything to my siblings in so long. When I'm free, I'll visit them. I'll buy them what they need. I'll pay their school fees.
She looked up at Leonardo. Let me just do what he says—for now. She took a deep breath and said, "Let's go to your family house."
Leonardo opened the door for her, and she got in. He got behind the wheel and drove off.
As they reached the compound, Serena's eyes widened. The house was an enormous mansion. It stretched long and wide, like something out of a fairy tale. She had only seen houses like this in the movies she watched as a child.
Leonardo honked. The sound echoed through the large gate. The gateman opened it, and he drove in.
The garden alone was massive and beautifully lit. As they approached the main entrance, Serena noticed people already standing outside, lined up like they were waiting for something.
"Oh! Who are those?" she asked nervously.
Leonardo glanced back at her. "My family. I wonder how they knew. It must be my mom—she probably told them. It was a good decision bringing you."
He turned off the engine and stepped out. Serena followed, heart pounding.
His father. His brother. His sister-in-law. All of them stood in silence, watching them as they stepped out of the car.
As they stepped out of the car, Leonardo immediately moved close to Serena and grabbed her hand. Together, they began walking toward the family members waiting at the entrance.
Leonardo's older brother, Raphael, was the first to react. "You're kidding, right? You're seriously married already and didn't even tell us?"
"Sorry, paps. Sorry, bro," Leonardo said with a shrug. "I just thought it was for the best. You know me—I hate all that attention. If I had told you guys, you would've turned it into a huge wedding. You know I don't like that kind of stuff."
Their father, Mr. Edward, stepped forward with a firm but calm voice. "Well, aren't you going to introduce me to your wife?"
Leonardo's sister-in-law was also watching closely as Serena stepped forward, still in her wedding dress and holding a white bouquet. Nervously, Serena bent down to place the bouquet on the ground, unsure of what to do next.
"No, no, no. Pick it up," the sister-in-law said, stepping forward. She gently took the bouquet from Serena's hands with a smile.
Serena gave her a soft greeting and they hugged.
Then Mr. Edward approached Serena. He rested his hand on her head and said, "May you be blessed. I hope my son hasn't given you too much trouble."
Serena replied quietly, "No, sir. He hasn't."
Her voice was calm, but her heart was still pounding. Everything felt so surreal.
Then Leonardo's brother, Rafael, stepped forward, and they greeted each other. Rafael said, "You're too good to be my brother's wife." As he said that, the whole family burst into laughter—his father and sister-in-law included.
"Come on, bro, come on, stop it. The signs are going to change," Leonardo said, smiling.
Leonardo's sister-in-law added, "Come in, come in, come in."
It felt like Serena had suddenly stepped into a new world. She never expected this closeness with family—especially from different relatives. Even when her parents were alive, she wasn't on good terms with their relatives. After her parents died, when she called them, they wouldn't answer. Even her father's brother wouldn't pick up, thinking she just wanted money. It made her a little sad, but now she was happy. She wondered why everyone here seemed so joyful—this was a different world.
They moved to the living room and sat down. Leonardo's sister-in-law said, "I know you're not comfortable, right? Don't worry—I'm not even going to take her to your room. Let her get changed first; she's still wearing that dress."
"Oh, oh, oh, my bad," Leonardo said quickly.
"Please, Serena, follow me," Leonardo said, reaching out his hand. Serena stood up from her chair and took it.
All the family members watched Leonardo's sister-in-law as she guided Serena. Then she exclaimed, "Wow, you've already changed! Bro, Mr. Lover, so you're Mr. Lover now?"
Rafael laughed, and Leonardo turned his head toward him. "Aren't you tired of teasing me?" he said.
Leonardo held Serena's hand and led her toward an elevator inside the house. Serena was shocked. She knew what an elevator was—she had seen and ridden one at the mall with her parents—but seeing one inside a home amazed her.