Chapter 18: Mrs. Kingsley

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley." Applause echoed through the nearly empty bureau hall. A few staff members, clearly working overtime just for this, smiled politely as they clapped, more out of formality than actual celebration. Daisy blinked and blinked again. She wasn’t even sure, the ink on the marriage certificate had dried yet. This morning, she’d woken up planning to beg for a job, just a simple, respectable job to keep her life from crumbling any further. And now, before the day even ended, she was legally married. To him. Theo Kingsley. The human glacier in designer suits. The billionaire who made her sign her life away with the same expression someone might have while approving a quarterly report. Daisy glanced at her new husband. He didn’t even blink at the clapping. Didn’t nod. Didn’t smile. Just accepted the congratulations like it was nothing much. Daisy forced a stiff smile. Her brain felt like it had been thrown into a blender, set on high, and then poured back into her skull with glitter on top. Then someone tugged gently at her arm. "What is happening?" Aurora whispered sharply into her ear. Daisy turned to face her best friend, who was trying very hard to keep her composure while clearly screaming inside. She had called Aurora just an hour earlier, asking—no, begging her to be a witness. Because who else could she call? Not her mother, obviously. And not her father, who was still lying sick on the bed, unaware that his daughter had just signed her life away to a man who could freeze water with a glance. "It’s long—nope, short? Ah, it’s complicated but I’ll explain later, promise! Thanks!" Daisy whispered back with a twitchy smile, her eyes darting back to Theo, who was already walking toward the exit. She quickened her steps to catch up, the slit of her dress tugging annoyingly at her stride. She had nothing on her, no purse, no plan, just a freshly signed marriage certificate and a head full of chaos. "Daisy!" Aurora called after her, jogging a few steps forward. She held out Daisy’s phone, pressing it into her hand. "Remember—if anything happens, call me. Don’t ever make this kind of big decision alone again..." Her voice softened, thick with worry. "You’re too innocent for this world." She sighed, lips pressed into a thin line, silently blaming herself for letting it get this far. Daisy froze for a second at Aurora’s words before a smile tugged at her lips. "I’m okay. You know... I’m not that innocent." She winked, trying to ease the anxious weight pressing on her friend’s shoulders. "I’ll call you tonight, once I’m back home." She turned to follow Theo but Aurora’s hand shot out, gripping her wrist again. "You’re married," Aurora said, her voice dropping low. "Do you really think he’s going to let you go home?" The words hung heavy in the air. Daisy blinked. Right. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. In fact, her brain had sort of stopped at ’Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley.’ She remembered Theo’s earlier demand, around him, 24/7. Now that they were married, did that mean... "Crap," Daisy muttered under her breath. "I didn’t pack anything." Aurora raised an eyebrow and leaned in, whispering, "Use your charm. Ask for a week to sort things out at home." Daisy frowned. "I tried before. My charm bounced right off him. The man’s basically an emotional igloo." Across the street, Theo sat behind the wheel, his fingers drumming against the steering wheel. His jaw was tight, eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Daisy chatting away on the sidewalk. He didn’t honk. Didn’t lower the window. That would be too loud. Instead, he exhaled through his nose, leaned back in his seat, and stared. The kind of stare that could melt glass if it tried hard enough. Or at least make Daisy’s skin itch from across the road. He really didn’t like to talk and unfortunately, glaring wasn’t nearly as effective. Luckily, Daisy finally glanced over and winced, the moment their eyes met, "Oops. Gotta go." Aurora followed her gaze and gave her a sympathetic look. "Yup. The igloo’s simmering." Daisy blew her a quick kiss, whispered, "Pray for me," and scurried across the street, the slit of her dress catching the evening breeze as she slid into the passenger seat. Theo didn’t say a word. The engine started with a smooth purr, but the silence inside was anything but. Daisy peeked at him sideways. "No ’welcome back, dear wife’?" she offered, half teasing, half testing the water. Nothing. She slumped a little in her seat. "You really do come with a mute button, huh?" Still nothing. Suddenly holding out both her palms toward him, she said, "When will I get my black card?" Theo, eyes still fixed ahead, furrowed slightly. "Half of the money will be transferred tomorrow." She pouted. "Ugh, you’re ruining my imaginary drama. I was asking about the black card a wife or girlfriend usually gets from a rich husband... tch." She pulled her hands back with a dramatic sigh and rolled her eyes. That’s when he looked at her. Just briefly. "You’re neither of those." The car suddenly felt colder. Daisy sat back, her lips pressing together. "Ouch," she muttered under her breath, staring out the window. "Thanks for the reminder, Mr. Husband-By-Contract." The rest of the drive was drowned in silence. Theo looked completely at ease, one hand on the steering wheel, his expression calm and unbothered, like silence was his favorite language. Daisy, on the other hand, wasn’t used to this kind of quiet. Not this kind that pressed down on her chest. Her expression was unreadable but for a different reason. She kept blinking, her fingers twitching occasionally on her lap, lips pressed tight like they were holding back too much. She took another slow breath just as the car curved into a wide, gated driveway. And then there it was. The Kingsley estate. Larger than she imagined. Colder than she expected. The kind of place that didn’t feel like home but a museum where people lived in silence and rules. She stared up at it as the car slowed to a stop. They stepped out of the car. Daisy didn’t speak. Not that there was anything left to say after "You’re neither of those." The words had stuck with her. Lodged under her skin like a splinter she couldn’t dig out. She adjusted the slit of her dress, forcing her chin up as she eyed the grand entrance ahead. The Kingsley mansion. Polished, perfect, cold. Just like the man beside her. She didn’t expect him to wait. But he did. And she definitely didn’t expect what came next. Theo, without a word, circled to her side. And just as she took a step forward, his hand reached out, calm, steady and slipped into hers. Her breath caught, "What are you doing?" Daisy stared down at their joined hands, unsure what shocked her more, the contact or the fact that it made her heart ache a little. Theo looked at her, his expression at that moment showed a subtle change, it was gentle. For someone who stuck with his cold, rude expression since this morning, she noticed the difference. "Let’s go, honey." But as they walked toward the door together, hand in hand, only one thought spun through her head, ’If this is what pretending feels like... what happens when it starts to feel real?’