All Chapters of Beloved Wife Of A Contract Marriage : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

"Mama, can we really go home now?" Evie asked, her small voice thick with impatience as her eyes darted across the room. She heaved a sigh, one that copied the tiredness of an adult. She sat at the edge of the hospital bed, clutching her stuffed toy to her chest, her legs swinging back and forth as she watched her mother move about the room. Elise was folding the last of their things into a single bag, a spare change of clothes, Evie's colouring book, the half-eaten packet of biscuits a nurse had slipped the child the day before. The little girl's dark eyes glistened, not with the dull sheen of fever that had frightened Elise so badly three nights ago, but with happiness.Elise glanced back at her daughter and smiled, looking at her daughter with a helpless gaze. She crossed the small room, reached out, and smoothed a hand over Evie's hair."Yes, baby. We're going home," she said.“Yay!” The child squealed in happiness. She almost jumped to her feet, if it had not been Elise's gaze

Standing well over six feet tall in a sharply tailored grey suit, the man stepped into the house. The fabric clung to his muscular frame, accentuating every line of his build.Elise didn't even try to look away. She could not help but run her eyes over his body. He carried himself with an effortless, undeniable elegance, a fact that she could not deny. Her gaze tracked upward to his face – dark, sculpted, and striking. The sharp, clean line of his jaw only deepened the contour of his cheekbones. If she were being entirely honest with herself, he looked like a flawless piece of art, and she felt absolutely no shame in ogling him so openly.I work for him anyway, she rationalized, keeping her eyes locked on his unsuspecting form.Oblivious to the fact that his solitude had been breached, he reached up to unbutton his suit jacket. He slid the fabric over his broad shoulders, draping it carelessly over one arm. Then, his free hand moved to his shirt. He popped a button, then another, slow

The car stopped in front of the office building. Elise looked out through the window, marveling at the six storey enormous structure towering in front her. She pinched the corner of her dress and heaved a sigh.It turned out that the reason the man had asked if she had any plans was because he intended to bring her along to the press conference that would be held regarding the scandal flying around about him."It's fine if you don't want to do this," the man beside her finally spoke, breaking the silence in the car.Elise turned around and looked at him, pressing her lips together thoughtfully. She was indeed nervous but this would be her first job appearance, so she didn't want to blow it just like that. After all, she'd signed up for the situation."No, no… it's fine," she muttered."I actually didn't intend to make you show up at the conference at all in the first place. But the public opinion took a turn this morning. Ethan suggested it was more conservative that you show up along

"That was a good act right there," Elise blurted before she could hold herself back, as soon as she stepped into the car with Declan after the long press meeting.Declan cast a sidelong glance at her and said nothing. Elise nearly rolled her eyes at him. She wondered why he was suddenly so quiet now when he'd been so talkative some moments ago.Seeing that he was not responding to her, she became even braver and decided to tease him."I didn't know you were so good," she uttered with a sweet smile.When he turned to look at her, she grinned and flashed him a wink. "So eloquent. Tell me, did you cook up the story on the spot, or did you have a script beforehand?" She really wanted to know.Declan stared at the woman; unexpectedly, he did not ignore her as she thought he would."It was not scripted.""Not scripted? So you just flowed with words just like that?! Just how smart are you?"Declan looked intently at her, his eyes conveying words he did not speak. It was as though he was aski

"Mama, where are we going? Are we really going out to play today?" Little Evie's voice cracked with excitement as she followed her mother out of the room.The adult and the child – one four, the other twenty-five – looked strikingly alike when dressed so similarly in matching white shirts and jeans. However, over the years, Elise had remained young and vibrant, making it hard to believe that she was the child's mother. She could easily have passed for her elder sister instead.Elise bent before the child at the door and pinched her face softly. "Hmm, mama is taking you out to play and to also meet your god mama. Do you remember her?"Without having to think too deeply, little Evie immediately recalled the sweet aunty who always gave her gifts and played with her whenever her mother was very busy. The child nodded her head eagerly in response."Yes mama, I remember her!""Very good. We are going to meet her today and play with her, okay?""Hm!"After explaining very clearly to the chil