Contract Marriage with My Secret Partner in Crime
Chapter 114: Alarms

Chapter 114: Alarms

Before Kendrick could even skim through the encrypted folders Sophia handed over earlier, his phone buzzed sharply on the table beside him. He sighed, already knowing what it was before even glancing.

Another alarm.

The screen lit up: "6:00 PM — Start preparing dinner"

He ran a hand through his hair, a tired smile touching his lips. It had become part of his routine. Ever since Zephany collapsed from overwork that day weeks ago, he promised himself he’d take better care of her—even if she didn’t ask for it.

So he set alarms. Morning for breakfast. Noon for lunch delivery. Evening for dinner. It was his way of staying grounded and reminding himself she was here. With him. And not just pretending.

He pushed back from the desk, the files forgotten for now. The shadows of Barmon and The Archive could wait. Right now, there was dinner to make. He walked out of the high-tech room, stepped into his room, and stretched his arms before making his way to the kitchen.

As he passed through the living room, the front door suddenly creaked open.

He turned.

Zephany stepped inside, her face looking slightly flushed, probably from rushing home. She glanced up and immediately saw him standing there. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Ah! You’re here," she said quickly, hurrying to take off her shoes and slip into her soft home slippers. In one hand she was holding a paper bag. "I’m home."

Kendrick gave her a small smile. "Yeah, welcome home. You seem early tonight. Got off from work early?"

She nodded, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear as she walked toward him. "Yeah. There wasn’t much going on at the office, so Pia let me time out early."

She raised the paper bag in her hand. "And... I brought dinner."

Kendrick blinked. "You did?"

"Mmhmm," she said, holding it out for him to see.

As soon as Kendrick saw the logo on the bag, he raised a brow. "Isn’t that the seafood place we went to last time?"

Zephany smiled proudly. "Yep. I passed by on the way home. Thought it’d be nice for a change. You looked like you really enjoyed the food there."

"I did," Kendrick admitted, reaching out to take the bag from her. "You remembered."

"Of course," she said softly, almost shyly. "Perfect timing for dinner, right?"

He nodded. "Definitely. I was just about to cook."

"Then I saved you the trouble," she said, pulling back slightly. "I’ll go change first."

"Go ahead. I’ll set this up."

Zephany gave him a small nod and padded off down the hallway to her room, while Kendrick made his way to the kitchen. He pulled out the containers from the bag and opened them one by one, letting the scent of garlic butter shrimp and grilled squid fill the space. He grabbed two plates, utensils, and a pitcher of cold water from the fridge.

By the time he finished setting the table, everything was neatly arranged. The warm tones of the seafood contrasted nicely against the ceramic plates. Kendrick sat down, but found himself glancing toward the hallway every now and then.

She was taking a while.

He didn’t mind. He just hadn’t realized how used to her presence he had become. Strange how the apartment felt so much quieter when she wasn’t in the same room.

Finally, the sound of footsteps approached. Zephany emerged from the hallway wearing a simple oversized tee and soft cotton pants. Her hair was tied up again, this time looser. She looked comfortable.

Kendrick smiled. "Right on time."

Zephany took the seat across from him and looked at the spread. Her eyes lit up. "Whoa. You really set it up."

"Well, it deserves to be presented properly," he said, gesturing toward the shrimp. "They don’t peel themselves, though."

Zephany giggled and reached for one.

But Kendrick was faster. Without saying anything, he grabbed a shrimp, expertly peeled it, and dropped it gently onto her plate.

She looked at it, then at him.

He gave her a look. "You need to eat well. Can’t let my wife starve."

Her ears turned pink immediately.

There it was again. Wife.

He always said it so casually, but somehow it hit differently every time.

She looked down quickly, grabbing a piece of squid to distract herself.

Maybe it was Pia’s fault.

Yeah, definitely Pia.

Ever since her teasing began, Zephany had started to notice things she didn’t before. The way Kendrick always cooked exactly the kind of food she liked. The way he adjusted her chair without saying anything. The way his voice lowered slightly when he talked to her.

And worst of all, the way her eyes kept wandering to his lips.

No. Stop that. Don’t think about that.

She shoved a spoonful of rice into her mouth.

Kendrick noticed, of course. He didn’t say anything, but he smirked slightly, amused by how red her ears had gotten.

They ate in mostly comfortable silence for a while, broken only by the clinking of utensils. Kendrick kept peeling shrimp and quietly sliding them onto Zephany’s plate without asking.

She stopped him once. "You don’t have to do that every time."

"I want to," he replied simply.

She pressed her lips together, unsure how to respond to that. Her heart was thudding again.

She watched as he took a sip of water and leaned back slightly. He looked content. More relaxed than she had seen him in days.

"You’ve been busy lately," she said gently.

Kendrick nodded. "Yeah. Some work stuff."

She tilted her head. "Serious?"

He paused. "Kind of. But nothing to worry about."

She didn’t press further. He always gave her that kind of vague answer when he didn’t want to talk about it. She respected it. But it didn’t stop her from worrying. She didn’t want him to overwork himself like last time.

Still, tonight, she wanted them both to rest. No questions. No work. Just dinner.

She reached across the table and poked one of the shrimps he peeled for her.

"Thanks. For this."

Kendrick looked up. "It’s just shrimp."

"No. I mean... all of this. The cooking. Taking care of me. Even though I never asked."

Kendrick looked at her seriously, then spoke, voice soft. "You don’t need to ask."

Silence stretched for a moment.

Zephany blinked and looked away, pretending to drink water to hide the way her chest felt tight.

What was this strange feeling?

She didn’t want to name it.

Not yet.

Or maybe it’s time she did.

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