Lina didn't realize how exhausted she was. She had closed her eyes on the cold marble counter and then woken up in a warm bed. When she opened her eyes again, it was already nightfall.

  Lina knew it was because she hadn't slept the night before. But she wasn't complaining. Kaden was amazing at cuddling. His arm was snug around her waist, hugging her from behind. Even though his powerful body was built with muscles, his other arm served as a great pillow.

  Lina hugged the blanket and snuggled into his embrace. He responded by tightening his grip. When she turned her head behind her to look at him, she saw he was still deeply asleep.

  "Such a pretty Sleeping Beauty…" Lina mumbled to herself.

  Lina admired him for a little bit longer. In the dusk of the moonlight, his features were enthralling. His brows were taut, his nose angular, his jawline sharp, and his lips the perfect thickness. You wouldn't think his features meshed well, but they did. Together, it crafted a man so blinding, her eyes hurt from looking at him.

  Lina was particularly jealous of his long lashes. Why did men always have lashes longer than women? What was the purpose?! The Heavens must be trolling her.

  "How nice," Lina whispered.

  With a longing glance in his direction, Lina slowly rose from the bed. As much as she loved his warmth, she had to use the bathroom. With great wriggling and struggling, she slipped from his embrace.

  Lina replaced her spot with a pillow. Then, she saw it. A glass of water was waiting for her by the nightstand. Next to it was the bottle of contraceptive pills resting on a silk handkerchief.

  Lina's breath caught in her throat. She knew Kaden left this for her. He'd prepared the water for her to drink so she could take the pills when she woke up. He agreed with her decision, but why didn't she agree with herself?

  "Right when I didn't think it was possible to fall even more in love with you," Lina said.

  Lina picked up the bottle, where the plastic wrapper was still intact. She touched the plastic seal with her delicate fingers while she became engrossed with thoughts of the Heir Race. Did she truly want to become a Chairwoman? Was that her desire? Was this the path she had chosen for herself? Or was it something that people had tricked her into wanting?

  It was Lawrence's plan after all. To corner her until she was forced to reach for power. But no one was pressuring her anymore. No one was trying to get her married off. No one was controlling her.

  Lina's grip tightened on the bottle. With a final glance in its direction, she placed it down and went to the bathroom——

  When Kaden woke up to sunshine and roses, he expected his wife by his side. Instead, he was hugging her cheap replacement. A damn pillow. His eyes snapped open. He let out a growl and flung the pillow across the room. Damn furniture.

  At her lacking presence, Kaden shot upright. He frantically glanced around the room and didn't see her anywhere. His heart dropped. Who took her this time? Who dared to covet what was his?!

  Kaden ripped the blankets off of the bed. But something caught his attention. A bright pink note. When he picked it up from the nightstand, he saw her handwriting:

  'Downstairs <3'

  Kaden narrowed his eyes on the weird symbol. What the hell was that? Less than three? A failed ice cream cone? Wasn't she good at drawing? He decided to sign her up for lessons. Even children could draw better than her.

  "Crazy woman." Kaden placed the note back onto the nightstand.

  Despite his harsh words, a smile curled on his lips. She was cute. He'd give her that. When he settled the note down, he saw the untouched birth control bottle. The glass was in the same place. So was the amount of water.

  Did Lina not see the nightstand? She couldn't have missed it. She left the note there. Which meant…


  She was stupid.

  Kaden picked up the bottle and glass. He left this for her, but she didn't know what to do with it. He held back a sigh. It was a good thing she had found someone so loving to tolerate her lack of common sense.

  "Book smart but not street smart." Kaden shook his head. He went downstairs with the glass of water and the birth control in hand.

  When Kaden reached the last flight of stairs, he caught the scent of something burning. This dove of his.

  Kaden saw a group of servants gathered near the first-floor kitchen. Maids were whispering to each other, their faces filled with worry. Even Theodore looked disturbed. There could be a tornado approaching the house and Theodore would just tell the tornado to go elsewhere. He wouldn't even panic.

  "Is that my lovely wife?" Kaden dryly asked.

  At the sound of their Master's voice, the servants quickly scrambled back to bow. They loudly greeted him.

  "Good morning, Master!"

  Kaden hummed in response. The servants parted like the Red Sea. Only Theodore had the guts to step forward.

  "Indeed, Master. The Madam arrived when the sun rose in the sky, informing us not to cook breakfast," Theodore stated.

  "Yeah, because she's cooking poison for me," Kaden grumbled.

  Kaden stalked into the kitchen. Theodore had the decency to close the doors for privacy. When he walked into the room, he saw her. His lips curled upwards into a smirk. On the same countertop he fucked her brains out, she was diligently chopping something on a wooden board. That was fine. The servants always cleaned before they slept.

  Kaden had to hold back a sigh. That wooden board was designated for meat. But she was chopping fruits on it.

  "Even if you feed me cross-contamination, I'll eat it," Kaden deadpanned.

  At the sound of his voice, Lina's head flew up. Her eyes lit up at the sight of him. His heart melted right then and there. He even froze. A charming smile slipped onto her features.

  "I made you pancakes!" Lina chirped. "And waffles, crepes, some burnt sausage, as well as overcooked eggs!"

  "You mean hockey pucks, flat car tires, cooked fabric, questionably black meat, and curdled chicks?" Kaden dryly asked, doubting her abilities.

  But to his surprise, there was truly a tray of pancakes, waffles, and crepes awaiting him. His brows shot up with pleasantness. The food… It looked edible!

  "That's so rude," Lina huffed.

  Lina finished slicing the fruit at the same time he placed the items onto the countertop. When she saw them, her smile fell. She was hoping for him to understand the message.

  "You're right, you shouldn't take this on an empty stomach," Kaden informed. "Let's get the pills inside of you, so I can be inside of you later."

  "You—"

  "Ah, so you can only cook sweet things, but not savory things," Kaden realized, noticing the burnt savory foods.

  Kaden narrowed his eyes onto the scrambled eggs. Why did it smell like… vanilla and almonds?

  "Don't tell me you used sweetened almond milk to make the scrambled eggs," Kaden deadpanned.

  "About the pills—"

  "For scrambled eggs, you have to make it rich with whole milk," Kaden informed her.

  Then, Kaden approached her from behind. He wrapped his arms around her waist and peered over her shoulder.

  "This cutting board is only for meat. Look, it even has the word imprinted at the bottom," Kaden nudged. "For fruits, you use the other one so you don't—"

  "About the pills," Lina insisted. "I—"

  "I know, dove. I know. You'll want to take it after breakfast," Kaden murmured, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "Now, leave the meat to me. You always like the way I prepare my meat."

  Were they talking about the same sausage?