Marrying the Hired Suitor

Simon hadn’t come home all night.

At dawn, the buzzing of my phone jolted me awake.

The moment I answered, his commanding voice came through the line. "Make a few of your best dishes and deliver them to the address I just sent before noon."

"Uh—"

Before I could say a word, he hung up.

I glanced outside at the raging storm.

Visibility on the road was terrible, and I nearly got into an accident several times.

After finally picking up the ingredients, I rushed home, working frantically to prepare four dishes and pack them into an insulated container.

Drenched in sweat, I hurried to the hotel room Simon sent me and knocked on the door.

But the person who answered wasn’t him—it was Yara.

She stood in the doorway wearing nothing but a bathrobe, her exposed skin marked with the remnants of a night of indulgence.

Beaming, she took the container from my hands. "You must be Rosalyn. Simon told me you're a great cook. Thanks for going out of your way to bring me food."

Her gaze swept over me from head to toe.

"I really envy your cooking skills. Unlike you, I’m hopeless in the kitchen. Last night, I tried making dinner for Simon, but I ended up cutting my finger."

She held up her bandaged finger, waving it in front of me.

"He was so worried about me," she continued sweetly.

"He wouldn’t let me cook anymore and said there’s someone at home who can bring me meals whenever I want. I guess that must be you—his on-call housekeeper."

Her words were a clear provocation, and I couldn't take it anymore.

I snatched the container from her hands.

She tried to grab it back but quickly realized she wasn’t strong enough to overpower me.

Then, without warning, she lowered her head and sank her teeth into my hand.

A sharp pain shot through me, forcing me to let go.

The container tumbled to the floor, its contents spilling everywhere.

Some of the food even landed on her bare legs.

Feeling the greasy food on her legs, Yara let out a panicked scream and quickly released her bite.

Hearing her cry, Simon rushed out of the room, shirtless.

Without hesitation, he pulled Yara into his arms, his voice full of concern. "What happened?"

The tenderness in his eyes was something I had never seen in all our years together.

Yara didn’t say a word.

Instead, she pointed at me, pretending to be frightened as she nestled deeper into his embrace.

Simon’s brows furrowed as he snapped at me. "What did you do to Yara? I only asked you to deliver a few dishes. How did it turn into this mess?

"If it weren’t for the fact that Yara injured her finger last night, five millimeters long, I wouldn’t have even asked you to come."

I clenched my fists and defended myself. "She bit me first."

I held up my hand, blood still dripping from where she had bit.

But Simon only grew more impatient. "It’s just a little blood. How is that the same as Yara’s injury?

"She’s always been kind and delicate. If I ever catch you bullying her again, I’ll call off the engagement immediately."

As he moved to slam the door shut, I quickly wedged my hand into the gap.

He scowled. "Do you want to lose your hand?"

Ignoring his anger, I looked him straight in the eye. "Simon Page, are you cheating on me right in front of my face?"

For a brief moment, a flicker of panic crossed his expression.

His voice lacked conviction as he scoffed, "What nonsense are you talking about? I’m just taking care of an old friend."

With that, he pried my fingers off the doorframe and shut the door without hesitation, leaving me standing there in a daze.

By the time I dragged my exhausted body home, my phone buzzed with a call from Simon’s mother.

"Rosalyn, as Simon’s fiancée, don’t forget to attend his grandmother’s birthday banquet in three days."

Suppressing the pain in my heart, I forced out a response. "Alright."

Attending the banquet as his fiancée would be my final act as a member of the Page family.

Once it was over, it was time for me to leave.