>Mallory
"You can, but..." his words trailed off, drifting into the quiet kitchen air. The unfinished sentence hung between us for a mont. My brows furrowed in confusion when he suddenly rose from his seat. His chair scraped lightly against the marble floor, and before I had a chance to react, he placed his palm gently over my forehead.
The warmth of his hand startled . I sat completely frozen, catching my breath with the sudden closeness.
"W-what are you doing?" I questioned, my voice stumbling out in a shaky stutter. Heat crawled up my face from the sudden intimacy of his gesture.
"You sure you look well enough for this conversation?" he asked as he pulled back and settled into his seat again. My brow furrowed.
"I can do it just fine," I replied, making sure my voice sounded final. I held his gaze, refusing to waver.
I had already decided I would stay in this house. I had nowhere else to go, and I couldn’t rely on Mara forever, not when I know she had her own life to take care of. But I hated the feeling of owing soone anything. I hated the creeping sense of being indebted, it’s like being trapped in sothing I might never fully repay.
Accepting help from Mara already made uneasy, even though I knew she ant well and never expected anything back. But accepting help from a stranger—especially a man of his stature—felt like stepping into a dangerous territory.
I shifted my gaze toward Asher, who was nearly finished with his food. His tiny shoulders moved as he chewed, his eyes occasionally flicking up to . I placed my hand gently over his head, brushing his soft hair as he blinked up at with his big, bright eyes.
"Are you done?" I asked sweetly.
He nodded aggressively, his whole upper body rocking with the motion, before he pointed proudly at his empty plate.
"Then can you play over there and wait for Mommy? We’ll brush your teeth later, okay?" My voice softened instinctively as I offered him a gentle smile.
Asher might be small, but he wasn’t clueless. He was a smart kid—almost too smart actually. Before the incident, he’d been borderline genius for his age, absorbing everything like a sponge. So I knew he understood more than he let on.
He flashed a wide smile before hopping off his chair and running toward the living room. I watched him go, noting how he slowed down near the table legs and furniture, stepping carefully around them.
"Then..." I inhaled deeply, steadying both my voice and my nerves. "What will you get from this agreent?"
My tone shifted and it beca serious. His eyes t mine, and neither of us looked away for several seconds. The silence stretched before he finally let out a slow sigh and tapped his fingers lightly on the marbled counter.
"I get a wife." His reply was short—too short—and it didn’t really satisfy .
"Then I don’t think I can do it," I said imdiately. "I’m planning to ask a large favor in return, but this doesn’t sound like a fair deal at all." I set my utensils on the table and began pushing my chair back, ready to stand and leave the conversation entirely.
"I don’t think you understand how big of a deal this is for ..." he spoke before I could rise. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and propping his chin on top of his hand.
"What do you an?" I asked. From what I understood, he just wanted to cancel a wedding he didn’t want. Eleina was out of the picture anyway; the wedding was already canceled. There was no logical reason they’d force it again... right?
"Without you, my grandpa will have a reason to take my company away from ." His stare was so firm and so direct it pinned in place.
"You an your billion-dollar company?" I probed, my skepticism clear. It sounded ridiculous—losing a massive company because he didn’t want to get married?
"Exactly." He snapped his fingers once, like I just hit the nail in the head. "So whatever you want pales in comparison to what I’m about to lose."
"T-then..." I muttered as I lowered myself back onto my seat. My hands fidgeted for a mont before I spoke again. "I want you to help secure a top child psychologist in Country P."
I hated using connections. I hated skipping lines or getting ahead because of soone else’s influence. But this was my son. For him, I would swallow my pride. I would take every advantage the universe threw at if it ant he would get better.
"Just that?" he asked, brows rising slightly, as if my request confused him by being too simple.
"I also don’t want physical intimacy..." My voice wavered, but I pushed through. "Unless approved by both parties."
"Alright."
His easy acceptance woke sothing competitive inside . Why did he sound so casual about everything? Am I asking for so little?
"T-then I also need a hundred thousand monthly paynt since I have to take care of my son... and also, I want both parties to have the right to ask for divorce if the situation calls for it."
I watched him closely, waiting—no, expecting—so sign of hesitation. My heart even beat a little faster from the sheer anticipation.
"Whatever you say, sweetheart." His response was smooth and my heart skipped a beat with his word.
"Oh, I like the sound of that." He smirked, bringing a spoon to his mouth before licking off the last bit of whipped cream.
I wanted to throw sothing. Anything. A spoon, a plate, maybe even him.
Ahhhh! Why is my body reacting like this?! Why were beautiful people legally allowed to exist and flex like this anyway? It had to be illegal sohow.
Heat rushed up my face, spreading until even my ears felt hot. Sothing warm settled in my stomach, an infuriating flutter I refused to acknowledge.
"Oh. You’re beet red," he pointed out. "I think your fever is becoming worse. You should rest."
I glared daggers at him. I desperately wanted to scream, ’It was because of your damn face, you idiot!’ but my pride won’t let . I’ll rather die before it can escape my mouth.
"Shut up! And I forbid you to call sweetheart!" I snapped, standing abruptly and stomping away from him. My footsteps echoed as I marched toward the living room.
"Hey, I can’t have that," he complained behind , but I ignored him entirely as I approached Asher, who was playing with his whale plushy on the carpet.
"Baby, let’s go brush your teeth," I said softly. Asher perked up instantly and ran toward with tiny, excited steps.
---
After brushing and bathing Asher, I let out a long stretch, my muscles relaxing as the warm bathroom steam faded. Asher had already sprinted back to the living room to watch sothing on TV.
"I finally feel better..." I murmured, stretching my arms above my head. That was when my phone vibrated inside my pajama pocket. I pulled it out and glanced at the screen—an unknown number. Sothing told I should answer it.
"Hello! Is this Mrs. Mallory Archeval?" a woman asked through the receiver.
Mrs. Archeval? Already? Did he process everything that fast? I knew he was rich, but his level of efficiency still caught off guard.
"Yes, speaking," I replied cautiously.
"Oh, that’s a relief. This is ABC Hospital. Mr. Archeval called our office to schedule you for a check-up with Dr. Timothy Blake. May I ask what ti you’re free?" the woman said.
I blinked. I got to choose the ti? And it was Dr. Timothy Blake, one of the most sought-after child psychologists in the entire country? They just said they’re fully book for a year yesterday.
"Mrs. Archeval? Are you still there?" the woman’s voice pulled back.
"Oh—yeah. The day after tomorrow will be fine."
We exchanged a few more personal details before ending the call.
So... this is what power can get you.
I walked back to the living room and saw Asher curled up on the sofa next to Venzrich, both of them watching TV quietly. I approached and sat beside them. Asher imdiately shifted and leaned into , and I began gently stroking his hair as he settled on my lap.
"Thank you for the doctor," I said quietly. We hadn’t even signed anything yet, and he was already fulfilling his part of the deal.
"Do you like this kind of show?"I whispered gently at Asher which he nodded.
"That’s no big deal. But you’ll have to settle with Timothy since their top doctor is still in New York," he said casually hand on the remote. His gaze drifted from my face to my hand as I continued playing with Asher’s hair.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Where’s your wedding ring?"
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