His Wife (A Contract Marriage Story) by Heer Mangtani

Chapter 99 [MIA] In the two days after that dinner, I baked each evening, and it was like someone had brought back life into me.

The next day, there were barely any baking materials present and I had to make do with what was, and not to forget the usual cook had gotten a huge headache withbutterflying around him, but the day after that, I went down to see all materials and equipment there.

They were just there.

And when I asked around, nobody knew who ordered them, all their mouths clamped shut.

I like to think I had somehow managed to make a friendship with Greg, the head chef. “So, baking was kind of an escape," I tell him, after finishing my story of how I had been doing this since sixteen with minimal ingredients at first.

"I am going to take sof your pie for my daughter," he tells me, referring to this five year old girl whose picture he had shownearlier. "She's a sugar monster, I swear." pel by the "I know a little girl who's alike," I smile sadly thinking of Jenny, of the oven indicating my pie was prepared. Handing it to Greg to serve later, I make my way to shower the kitchen smell off and then make my way to the dining room, followed by Lana of course.

Eye roll. As if I could run away from a house whose every inch was under surveillance.

I wait in the dining room, where Alex usually joined me. Although he pretended to be disinterested and even frowned upon seeingevery single tlike clockwork, I happen to think he quite enjoyed my company.

He stared atsometimes when I was talking, and I usually blushed even when I tried not to, mostly because his gaze tookback to the the was between my legs, when he'd broughtto o**m with his tongue. "I think Sir's going to be late," Lana tells me, eyeingp "I- I'll wait," I reply, knowing very well it wasn't needed. Alex and I were plain old nothing.

I put my head down, making exaggerated plans about finding a way to snoop around his room or his study and find more about the fire six months ago, hopefully getting to know he was talking about a different fire altogether, and then I could tell the truth and he would hopefully letgo, and I don't realise when sleep takes over me.

[ALEX] Today was just another day at Grey, with a meeting running later than it should have. It can get exhausting, balancing between both worlds, but according to my twin, I was always an overachiever.

It's how I lived.

I talked to her on video call on my way back home, with Mom and Dad also present.

"What're you even doing here?" I asked Aurora, "And where's Ronan?" "I chbecause I missed mom and dad," she sighed. "Ronan's out for a business dinner. I miss you." "I miss you too." I tell her, staring into lighter brown eyes and dark hair in loose curls. My twin sister may be born at the stas me, but we were different in every way except the slight appearance similarity.

"Liar," she frowns. "If you missed me, you would be here. Not there." Aurora Whitlock was kind, generous, and polite. I... was not.

Chapter 99 I smile at her. "I'll chsoon." "As you should," Dad's voice resonated in the background, and then he appeared in the screen. Gabriel Whitlock used to be the hottest bachelor in the Forbes magazine, till Mom caround. He was older now, even though mom would argue he hadn't aged a day in the twenty-five years that passed. "Don't makebeat up Damien for keeping there too long." I laugh heartily. "Soon, I promise." A visit hwas long overdue any way. "Where's Mom?" "Upstairs," Aurora shrugged, her voice turning into a whisper when dad walked away. "It's their twenty-fifth anniversary this year. We are still surprising them, yes?" I nod. "I've reached home. I'll talk to you later, okay? I'm hungry." "Enjoy eating at your table alone while I'm with Mom and Dad," she taunts as a way to lureback sooner, but I just laugh and say bye to her before we disconnect.

I enter the dining room while removing my coat, surprised to see a sleeping Mia greeting me. Her head was buried in her elbow on the table, her hair a mess.

I had woken up to supermodels by my side, and yet, they couldn't compare the girl in front of me.

Noticing the untouched food still on the dining table, I shake my head.

"Should I wake her up?" Lana's voice fills in from behind.

"Huh?" I half turn. I really hadn't noticed her. "No. Just... leave us alone." She nods, and then disappears.

I walk closer to the sleeping mess. "Mia... wake up," I call to her. "You haven't eaten dinner." "Mm..." she stirs.

"Mia." Louder this time.

"Mm..." A groggy whimper.

My c**k strains against my pants, and I groan. I needed to stop behaving like a teenager in my own house.

"Mia." I call even louder, and she wakes up in an instant, panic written on her features.

It takes her a second to study the situation before her eyes land on me. "Oh." She blinks, “I fell asleep waiting for you."

I contemplated between calling Aurora and telling her I wasn't eating at an empty table, and asking Mia, asking M something dumb like why were you waiting for me, when I knew the logical answer for it was that I was her only human interaction in a day. Instead, I settled on, "If you ever s ki p dinner for any reason, I will punish you. Clear?" She mumbles something under her breath that I don't quite hear and don't bother asking her to repeat.

I quietly take my seat across from her, and she perks her head up. "I have to tell you something about me, right?" She makes conversation!" had a honey obsessed phase when I was thirteen. I ate a spoonful of honey with every meal, and that's why I got kicked out of my foster hat thirteen- because my grocery bill was too high. Who knew honey was expensive?"

"It isn't," I reassured her. When I made this deal with her, this om information was not the kind I had in mind. And yet, I couldn't find it in myself to stop her. Slowly, I was realising, while working amongst killing machines... she was my only human interaction X