CHAPTER 76: SCANDAL

Alexia’s POV

I threw his stupid hand off me, jerking up and waking him in the process.

"You... you pervert! What do you think you were doing?" I accused, my voice sharp with indignation.

Aiden blinked at me, still groggy from sleep, his dark eyes heavy-lidded. Then, as if he had all the time in the world, a lazy, smug smile spread across his stupidly handsome face.

"Sleeping with my wife," he said smoothly, his voice deep and rough from sleep.

I stared at him, completely flabbergasted.

Did this man have no shame?

"Excuse you?!" I sputtered, yanking the blankets up around me as if that would somehow protect me from his audacity. "Who the hell gave you permission to sleep anywhere near me?"

Aiden stretched, his toned arms flexing as he sat up, looking completely unbothered. "It’s my bed. My house. My rules. I don’t need permission."

I gawked at him. "Oh, so kidnapping me in my sleep was part of your rules too?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Kidnapping? I simply relocated my troublesome wife because she thought it would be funny to drench our bed like a damn child."

I gasped. "You knew?!"

"Of course, I knew," he drawled, running a hand through his tousled hair, looking far too relaxed for my liking. "Who else would be petty enough to pull something that stupid?"

I wanted to throw a pillow at his face. Or maybe something heavier.

"Well, you deserved it," I huffed, crossing my arms. "That’s what you get for being an arrogant, controlling jerk."

Aiden smirked, leaning back against the headboard. "And yet," he said, his voice dropping into that dangerously smooth tone, "you still ended up in bed with me."

My face flamed. "I did not—you put me here!"

He shrugged. "Details, details."

Oh, I hated him.

I needed to get out of here before I actually followed through on my violent thoughts.

I kicked the blanket off and stood up, glaring at him. "You’re impossible. Don’t even think about touching me again, or next time, it won’t be water I pour in your bed."

He grinned lazily. "Looking forward to it, princess."

I froze.

That word—princess.

A strange shiver ran down my spine, something unsettlingly familiar about it. But before I could dwell on it, Aiden had already gotten up and was walking towards the bathroom like he hadn’t just completely ruined my morning.

Ugh. Stupid, infuriating man.

I was so getting my revenge.

Wait. He called me princess.

Did he remember?

Or was he just being his usual sarcastic, insufferable self?

I stood there, frozen, my mind racing.

I had barely thought about my past life since this whole ridiculous marriage started, but now... now my heart was thudding in my chest as memories I had long buried threatened to resurface.

Did he remember?

No. No way.

Aiden was too logical, too skeptical. If I even mentioned something like reincarnation, he’d laugh in my face and call me crazy.

It must have been sarcasm, I reassured myself.

Yeah, that was it. He probably said it to mock me. Like always.

But then why did my stomach twist with unease?

I let out a slow breath and shook my head. Focus, Alexia.

I had bigger things to worry about than whether or not Aiden secretly remembered being a starving stable boy in another life. Like, for example, why the hell I agreed to this stupid marriage in the first place.

Because at this point, I was really starting to forget.

Aiden’s POV

Okay, play it cool.

She was staring at me like I had just grown a second head, her brows furrowed, lips slightly parted, like she was searching for something in my expression. I had no idea what was going through that crazy mind of hers, but I wasn’t about to let her know I was caught off guard.

So, I did what I do best. I teased her.

"Sleeping with my wife," I had said, smirking.

But instead of her usual fiery comeback, she just... froze. That threw me off a little. Was she blushing? No way. Probably just stewing in her own irritation.

I stretched lazily, only for my eyes to catch the clock on the bedside table.

10:27 AM.

What the fuck?!

I never sleep this long. Ever.

In fact, most nights, I barely manage four or five hours. And yet, here I was, waking up feeling... rested? What the actual hell?

I frowned, running a hand through my hair. This is her fault. It had to be. She must have infected me with her ridiculous sleep sickness.

But damn... I couldn’t even be mad about it. Because for the first time in a long time, I actually felt good.

Not that I’d ever admit it.

I forced myself to snap out of it. I wasn’t about to let her sleeping sickness ruin my damn schedule.

Throwing the covers off, I got out of bed, ignoring Alexia’s glare as she wrapped herself tighter in the sheets.

"Get up," I ordered.

She groaned. "No."

"Get up, Alexia." My patience was wearing thin.

"I don’t have an early class today." She mumbled into the pillow, clearly intending to go back to sleep.

I rolled my eyes. "Your first class starts at ten-thirty. It’s already past ten. Get up before I carry you out of this bed myself."

That got her attention. She sat up, her messy hair falling over her face as she glared at me. "You wouldn’t dare."

I raised a brow. "You want to test me? I already did yesterday night."

Her lips pressed into a thin line before she finally gave in, throwing off the covers and stomping to the bathroom like a child. I sighed. Babysitting my wife wasn’t exactly on my list of responsibilities, but here we were.

By the time she was dressed and ready, we were already behind schedule. I grabbed my keys, leading her out to the car. She didn’t argue—probably because she knew she was at fault for once.

The drive was quiet for the most part. She scrolled through her phone, ignoring me entirely. Good. I had enough on my plate without adding another pointless argument to my morning.

When we arrived at the campus, she barely waited for the car to stop before reaching for the door.

"Alexia," I said firmly.

She paused, turning to look at me.

"Stay out of trouble. Go to class. And don’t make me track your phone again." My voice was sharp, leaving no room for negotiation.

She scoffed. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." Then she slammed the door and walked off.

I watched her go for a moment, making sure she actually went inside, before finally driving off to work.

I needed coffee. And maybe some painkillers. Because dealing with Alexia this early in the morning was already giving me a headache.

Back in my office, my assistant, Tobias, hesitated before sliding a tablet across my desk. "Sir, you need to see this."

I took the device, already feeling a headache forming. The screen lit up with a headline that made my jaw clench:

"Aiden Timberlake Carries Mysterious Woman at Gala—Wife Left Behind!"

I scrolled down, my grip tightening. There were multiple pictures—me carrying Liz out of the venue, Alexia standing alone looking... abandoned. The comments were chaotic.

Some people defended me, saying Liz had collapsed and I was simply being a good Samaritan. Others, of course, were calling me an uncaring husband, saying I should have taken Alexia too. A few even argued that I should have let my assistant handle it instead.

And then there were the worst ones—the ones connecting dots that weren’t even there.

"Isn’t that the same Liz from years ago? Weren’t they together before??"

"I KNEW it! This marriage is going to collapse. He’s still in love with his ex."

"Poor Alexia. This man is using her as a cover-up."

I gritted my teeth.

"How the hell did this photo leak?" My voice was dangerously low.

Tobias shifted uneasily. "I don’t know, sir. You paid off the media to keep it quiet, but someone must have taken a private picture and sold it. It’s everywhere now."

Great. Just fucking great. It was only a matter of time before someone dug up my old photos with Liz, connected the dots, and started running with whatever juicy scandal they could spin.

I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to stay calm. This wasn’t good. Not for my reputation, not for my business, and definitely not for the marriage image I was trying to maintain.

I needed to control the narrative before things spiraled further.

"Call my PR team. I want this handled before it gets worse."

Tobias nodded and left the office.

I leaned back in my chair, running a hand through my hair. As if dealing with Alexia wasn’t enough, now I had the whole damn internet picking apart my every move.

And knowing Alexia, she had definitely seen this.

I sighed. I was going to have to deal with her reaction next.