Chapter 33: Welcome Kiss

Daisy crossed her arms, standing still in front of the couch. Theo didn’t flinch after she shouted with her high-pitched voice. "Hmm..." She tilted her head, examining his unbothered, sleeping form. "You’re high on macarons?" She crouched slightly, squinting at him like a detective inspecting a suspect. The man looked strangely peaceful like this, head resting against the cushion, lips parted slightly, his sharp features softened by sleep. Daisy found herself staring longer than necessary, her eyes tracing the slope of his nose, the curve of his jaw, the way a lock of hair had fallen across his forehead. She blinked. "What am I doing?" she muttered, jerking her gaze away like she’d just been caught stealing glances in high school. Fanning herself dramatically, she cast another sideways look at Theo, still sprawled on the couch like he hadn’t a care in the world. "What is this?" she huffed. "Beauty sleep or complete system shutdown? Is he that exhausted?" She stood up and sighed. Wasting her time staring at the Igloo was not an option as the weight of the day settled into her shoulders. Transferring her father to the new care facility, packing enough clothes to survive two days with a man who might be part-time boss, part-time storm cloud, and making sure her mother had enough to eat while she was gone, she had done it all without pausing to breathe. Her muscles ached in places she didn’t know could ache from emotional exhaustion. She moved toward the bed, just to test it—honestly. Maybe sit down for a second. Just to see if it was as soft as it looked. And it was. The moment she sat, her limbs betrayed her, relaxing all at once. Her eyes fluttered shut before she could even tell them not to. Just five minutes, she thought. Just a little break. Then everything went still. Until something felt... off. Like a shift in the air. A presence. A weightless pressure that loomed far too close. Her eyes snapped open—and there he was. Theo Kingsley, very much awake, was squatting right beside the bed, elbows resting casually on his knees, his face far too close and his expression... curious. Almost amused. Like she was the strange one. "Oh God!" she gasped, jerking upright and clutching the pillow to her chest. Her heart nearly leapt out of her throat. "What the—" she stopped mid-sentence, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "Am I still dreaming?" Theo tilted his head slightly, lips twitching into a smug, lopsided smile. "Depends. Do I usually appear in your dreams?" "Wait..." Daisy blinked, her voice full of suspicion. "Are you smiling?" She squinted at him as she was sure a glitch had happened in his simulation. "You are smiling," she whispered, slowly pointing a finger at him like she’d just uncovered a rare phenomenon. "Oh no. What did Miles give you? Truth serum? Personality upgrade? Did you hit your head?" Theo chuckled under his breath, and that only made it worse. "I knew it," she muttered dramatically. "He’s broken. Miles broke The Ice King. Great. Now I’m stuck in a room with a malfunctioning Igloo." He raised an eyebrow. "I’m perfectly functional, thank you." "That’s exactly what a robot would say." Theo just stared at her, his eyes still amused. "So, when did you arrive?" Daisy, still half in disbelief at the whole situation, looked around groggily for her phone. Her fingers fumbled across the sheets until she found it beside her pillow. She checked the screen and her eyes widened. "Wait... I slept for four hours?" Her head snapped toward him. "It’s past midnight?!" Theo gave a slow nod, clearly unbothered. She groaned, dragging her hand down her face. "Why didn’t you wake me up?" "I just woke up myself," Theo said, casually, "only to find a woman sleeping in my room like there’s nothing to worry about." His eyes were actually smiling this time. "So... care to explain? Who are you, and what exactly are you doing here?" Daisy blinked, hard and profusely, as if that might help reboot her brain. ’Was he... serious?’ There was genuine curiosity in his voice, not a hint of sarcasm or recognition. Just an amused man asking a very reasonable question. Her mouth opened, but her thoughts scrambled like puzzle pieces tossed in the air. ’Is this what they meant? The "help" he needs?’ She felt a strange chill prickle her arms as her heartbeat picked up, her earlier drowsiness now fully replaced with disbelief. Theo Kingsley didn’t just forget a conversation. He forgot her. Her eyes narrowed, scanning his expression, searching for even the tiniest flicker of recognition, of coldness, of mockery. But there was none. Just calm confusion, like he was meeting a stranger who had trespassed his hotel room. Her breath caught. Then, with a sharp breath, she leaned forward, her voice was calm but there was a hint of firm in it. "What are you talking about?" she said, watching his face closely. "Did you forget your own wife?" There it was. The provocation. A jab she knew would’ve normally made his jaw twitch in annoyance. Because even if he never called her that, never acknowledged her with anything more than cold business-like tolerance, they were legally bound. A contract... silent and invisible. She waited. But instead of anger, Theo blinked once, slowly. "Wife?" he finally stood up, an amused glint in his eyes. "In three months, he even got married? Fascinating, Theo Kingsley..." He leaned in, narrowing the space between them. Daisy jerked back on reflex, her hands flying to cover her mouth. "What are you doing?" she mumbled behind her palms. "What husbands and wives are supposed to do..." Theo grinned, a teasing glint in his eyes. Her face turned red in an instant. "Ha... ha... ha, that’s funny," she muttered awkwardly, scooting farther across the bed like he might spontaneously lunge at her. "I mean," he shrugged casually, "if you’re going to show up in my room claiming to be my wife, shouldn’t I at least get a welcome kiss?"