CHAPTER 45: SHARING A ROOM

Alexia POV:

Okay, let’s just set aside the grumpy, perpetually annoyed Aiden for a moment. Honestly, if glares and snark could power a city, he’d light up half the country. And as for those insufferable Black brothers? Ugh. The fact that they didn’t remember me stung, but seeing them today—it made me feel something I hadn’t felt in a long time. Nostalgia.

It was like a cruel twist of fate. Here I was, reincarnated, stuck in this odd, transactional marriage, while the very people who once shared my past seemed blissfully unaware of it. But seeing them, even in their goofy, annoying state, felt... comforting. Almost like the old times.

Luke, with his relentless teasing and never-ending wit. Henry, the one who always thought he was smarter than everyone else, constantly dropping half-baked wisdom. Martin, the quiet one who came alive when food or pranks were involved. And then there was Mike—the loudest and most obnoxious of the lot—who had been unusually silent today. That part had me curious. Did he sense something? Did he... remember me?

I shook the thought away. Wishful thinking wasn’t going to get me anywhere.

Still, for all their idiocy, those brothers had been a constant in my past life. Whether it was them sneaking into my room with ridiculous schemes or their endless antics that drove my parents mad, they were there. They made my gilded cage bearable. And now, seeing them in this new life—even if they didn’t recognize me—felt like a small piece of my old self was still alive.

There was definitely something Aiden wasn’t telling me. Why on earth did he need a wife so badly that he was willing to go through this whole charade? I wasn’t exactly the picture-perfect bride, and this marriage was far from a love story. No, there was more to it—something deeper, something urgent.

And I was pretty sure it had everything to do with that lawyer.

When we walked into the lawyer’s office earlier, Aiden’s entire demeanor changed. He was calm, collected—too calm, actually. The kind of calm that screamed calculated. The man behind the desk, who had that oily, smug look of someone who thought they had the upper hand, seemed ready to pounce until Aiden casually introduced me as his wife.

The shift was almost comical. The lawyer’s smirk faltered, replaced by a look of mild shock, then grudging acceptance. Clearly, Aiden had accomplished whatever he set out to do by parading me in front of that man.

But what was the issue?

I replayed the interaction in my mind. The lawyer had muttered something about "inheritance" and "conditions being met." Aiden had barely batted an eye, just handed over some documents with his signature on them. Then, with a smug smirk of his own, he made it clear that he’d fulfilled whatever absurd requirement the lawyer—or whoever was behind him—had demanded.

And just like that, we left.

The problem was, I didn’t get to learn exactly what the issue was.

But if there was one thing I knew for sure, it was that Aiden didn’t marry me because he wanted a companion. He married me because he needed one—fast. And from the way he’d strutted into that office, practically daring the lawyer to say he hadn’t met the terms, this whole thing was about proving a point.

What point? Well, that was the question, wasn’t it?

As I sat in the passenger seat on the way back, stealing glances at Aiden, his jaw set in a hard line, I couldn’t help but feel like I was a pawn in a much larger game. The problem was, I had no idea what game we were playing—or who all the players were.

But one thing was clear: Aiden wasn’t the type to let anyone win but himself. And whatever battle he was fighting, he wasn’t above dragging me into it.

Well, two could play that game.

If Aiden thought I’d just be a silent, clueless accessory in whatever scheme he was running, he had another thing coming. Because if he wasn’t going to tell me why he needed a wife, I’d find out on my own.

After all, curiosity didn’t just kill the cat—it also found the truth. And I was very, very curious.

As we drove back from the lawyer’s office, I stared out of the window, lost in thought. The city buzzed around us, the hum of modern life so vastly different from the ornate, golden halls of my previous existence. It was strange how time could change everything and yet leave some things untouched.

The brothers might not remember me, but their dynamic was the same. They still had that unbreakable bond, that mischievous energy that made them unforgettable. And for a fleeting moment, I felt like I wasn’t completely alone in this new world.

But then reality came crashing back. They weren’t my brothers anymore. To them, I was just Alexia Timberlake, Aiden’s wife. A stranger.

And Aiden... Well, he was a whole different story. Grumpy, bossy, and frustrating as hell, yet undeniably intriguing. He was so different from the servant I’d known in my past life. He wasn’t timid or humble now—he was sharp, commanding, and ridiculously wealthy. Part of me wondered if he had truly forgotten who I was or if he was just playing the long game, waiting for the right moment to reveal the truth.

The car stopped, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Home," Aiden said curtly, stepping out of the car without so much as a glance in my direction.

I sighed. Leave it to Mr. Sunshine to ruin even the faintest hint of nostalgia.

But as I followed him inside, I couldn’t shake the feeling that my past was closer than I realized. The brothers might not remember me now, but fate wasn’t done playing games yet. And if there was one thing I’d learned from my first life, it was this: fate always had a way of revealing the truth, whether you were ready for it or not.

The moment we stepped into the house, Aiden went straight to the study and locked himself in, leaving me, his newly wedded wife, to... well, do whatever I pleased. How thoughtful. Honestly, I wasn’t complaining. If this meant I didn’t have to slave away doing menial tasks, then this marriage might not be such a bad deal after all.

Left to my own devices, I decided to explore the perks of my new life. And what better way to kick things off than to indulge in the one thing I rarely got to enjoy as a broke girl—ice cream.

I made my way to the kitchen with the intent to raid whatever high-end, organic, gold-leaf-topped dessert stash rich people kept in their fridges. But, of course, William, the ever-dutiful butler, intercepted me the moment I set foot in the kitchen.

"Is there something you need, Miss Alexia?" he asked, his tone as polished as his perfectly combed hair.

Caught off guard, I sheepishly muttered, "Uh, I was just looking for... ice cream?"

William didn’t miss a beat. "Of course, Miss. I’ll bring it to you. Any particular flavor?"

"Anything chocolate," I said, feeling a little guilty about making him wait on me, but also secretly thrilled that this was my life now.

"Very good," he replied with a small bow, as if retrieving ice cream for me was the highlight of his day.

Left without a task, I wandered into the living room, sinking into the ridiculously plush sofa that probably cost more than my mom’s old house. I grabbed the remote and began scrolling through the seemingly endless streaming services. Rich people had everything.

A few minutes later, William returned with a bowl of ice cream so large it could’ve doubled as a centerpiece. "Here you are, Miss Alexia," he said, setting it down on the table in front of me like it was a priceless artifact.

God bless William and his soul. The man was a hero.

"Thanks, William," I said, already digging in.

"You’re very welcome," he replied with a polite nod before disappearing into the shadows like some kind of domestic ninja.

I took my first bite and nearly melted along with the ice cream. It was the creamiest, richest, most decadent thing I’d ever tasted. My life had gone from scraping together change for cheap pints to sitting in a mansion eating gourmet chocolate ice cream out of a porcelain bowl.

Maybe this whole marriage thing wasn’t so bad after all.

I stretched out on the sofa, bowl in hand, and let myself sink into the mindless comfort of a reality TV show. Sure, my life had taken a bizarre turn, but at least for this moment, it was starting to feel pretty sweet. Literally.

.....

I was halfway to the door, ready to escape the suffocating silence of dinner, when Aiden finally emerged from his gloomy cave of a study. His mood matched the storm clouds that seemed to perpetually hover over his head. Ignoring him entirely, I focused on the perfectly roasted chicken in front of me, savoring every bite. If he wanted to brood like a vampire in some gothic novel, fine by me.

When I was done, I stood up and stretched, fully intent on heading to my room and crashing for the night.

"Where are you going?" Aiden’s voice cut through the quiet, calm and steady, but with an edge that made me pause mid-step.

I turned around, arching an eyebrow. "To sleep, obviously," I replied, my tone laced with annoyance.

"Where?" he asked again, just as calmly, as if we weren’t about to descend into yet another argument.

"In my room," I said firmly, already turning to walk out. The audacity of him thinking he could police where I slept!

"You do know we’re married now, right?" His words made me stop dead in my tracks.

I turned slowly, narrowing my eyes at him. "And?"

"And," he continued, completely unbothered by my sharp tone, "you’re to sleep in my room."

The audacity of this man. "What the fuck?" I blurted out, louder than I intended, my voice echoing off the dining room walls.

Aiden stood there, his expression unreadable, like this was the most natural thing in the world. "You’re my wife now," he said matter-of-factly, as though that explained everything.