Contract Marriage with My Secret Partner in Crime-Chapter 39: Kitchen Crime

Zephany let out another groan as she buried her face into her pillow, dreading the long day ahead. Pia’s enthusiasm was too much for her still-sleepy brain to process.

The moment her phone rang again, she snatched it up, prepared to tell Pia off for not letting her sleep..

But it wasn’t Pia.

"Zeph," a familiar voice greeted, making her bolt upright.

"Reynold?" she asked, surprised. Her older brother rarely called. Their interactions were usually through short text messages, mostly checking in on each other. A call from him meant something important.

"Did I wake you up?" His voice was calm, but there was a slight concern in his tone.

"Uh... yeah, but it’s fine," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "What’s up?"

There was a pause before he spoke again. "I saw your article."

Zephany’s heart skipped a beat. Reynold had never directly commented on her work before. "Oh..." She didn’t know how to respond..

"It was good," he admitted. "Detailed, precise. You’re improving."

Her lips parted in shock. A compliment from Reynold was rare. She opened her mouth to say something, but he continued.

"Just be careful." His voice turned serious. "You’re diving into dangerous waters, Zeph. People don’t like journalists who expose too much."

Zephany frowned. "You sound like you know something."

Another pause. "Just be careful," he repeated. "I have to go."

"Rey—" The call ended before she could ask anything else.

She stared at her phone, feeling uneasy. Reynold wasn’t the type to say things without reason. Did he know something she didn’t? She sighed, shaking her head. Overthinking wouldn’t get her anywhere. Instead, she pulled herself out of bed, deciding she might as well start her day.

In the other room, Kendrick woke up to an unfamiliar sound—soft, barely audible mumbling coming from outside his door. His brain, still foggy from sleep, tried to make sense of it.

For years, he had been used to his sister Levy barging in with some snarky remark about him oversleeping, but this morning was different. Now, instead of Levy’s loud presence, he had... Zephany.

His wife.

Well, his legally bound, contractually obligated, completely unromantic, and totally inconvenient wife.

Kendrick sighed, running a hand through his hair before getting up.

The smell of toast and coffee drifted through the air. He wasn’t sure what to expect from Zephany when it came to breakfast.

Would she be one of those people who made green smoothies? Or was she the type to burn cereal?

He wasn’t entirely convinced she could even use a toaster properly—just like how she had struggled to cook scrambled eggs the day before. They had been overly salty, with one side almost burned, but he still ate them, considering her effort.

Kendrick stepped into the kitchen, pausing as he spotted Zephany standing in front of the toaster, half-asleep. She was aggressively poking a piece of toast with a butter knife, brows furrowed in frustration.

He watched in silence as she flipped it over, revealing the completely charred underside. Letting out a deep sigh, she muttered under her breath, "This is why I shouldn’t be allowed near toasters."

Kendrick leaned casually against the doorway, arms crossed. "Should I be worried that breakfast is already a disaster before it even starts?"

Then he smiled at her. "Good morning."

Zephany jumped at his voice, nearly dropping the knife. "K-Kendrick! When did you—?"

"A while ago. But I was too fascinated watching you commit a crime against toast." He walked over, plucking the ruined slice from her hands and inspecting it. "This isn’t even burnt—it’s completely cremated."

He raised an eyebrow at her, clearly teasing.

Zephany groaned. "I got distracted, okay?"

"By what? A fire safety manual?" Kendrick asked, his voice laced with amusement.

She shot him a glare and grabbed another slice of bread, determined to redeem herself. But before she could put it in the toaster, Kendrick smoothly took it from her hands.

"Yeah, I don’t think so. Consider your toaster privileges revoked."

Zephany huffed, crossing her arms. "I can make breakfast, you know."

"Can you?" Kendrick tilted his head, his expression a little too innocent—like he was holding back a laugh. "Because from what I’m seeing, the evidence strongly suggests otherwise."

She groaned again, slumping into the nearest chair. "You’re making fun of me! I swear I used to be better at this."

Kendrick walked over to the stove, cracking eggs into a pan. This time, his voice was softer, tinged with curiosity. "Used to? What happened? A tragic kitchen incident?"

Zephany hesitated. "I just... never really had to cook before."

"Let me guess—too busy?" He glanced over his shoulder, waiting for her response.

She nodded quickly, relieved that he assumed it was just work keeping her occupied. If only he knew that instead of learning how to perfect toast, she had been mastering hacking techniques and stealth maneuvers as Eclipse.

Though, truthfully, she hated all that technical stuff. Just thinking about it annoyed her.

Kendrick hummed in thought. "Busy or not, you still need to eat properly." He made a mental note to make sure she had balanced meals from now on.

A few minutes later, he placed a plate of eggs, toast (not burnt), and fruit in front of her.

Zephany blinked. "You really didn’t have to do this."

Kendrick shrugged, sitting down across from her. "Well, I’d rather you eat this than... whatever that toast was supposed to be."

Zephany hesitated before picking up her fork. The food smelled good. She took a bite, and to her dismay, it tasted even better.

Kendrick watched her for a moment before casually adding, "Oh, and just so you know—I’m making sure you eat properly from now on. Consider it part of our... unexpected marriage arrangement."

She looked up, startled. "Are you saying you’re monitoring my meals now?"

"Not monitoring," he said lightly. "Just making sure you don’t survive off burnt bread and caffeine. I don’t want Cassius to think I’m bullying my wife."

Zephany bit her lip, unsure how to respond. No one had really looked out for her like this before. Ever since her parents died and her brother became too busy, it had just been her. It was... strange.

Kendrick didn’t push for an answer. Instead, he picked up his own fork and started eating.

"By the way," he said between bites, "I’ll be teaching you how to cook later. For safety reasons."

Zephany groaned. "Do I have a choice?"

"Not if you want to use the kitchen again."

For once, she couldn’t tell if he was joking.

Meanwhile, Kendrick’s mind wandered to his own double life. Cooking wasn’t just a skill he had picked up for himself—it was a necessity. Growing up, he had often made meals for Levy and their mom, Christy. It was second nature to him. But now, here he was, making breakfast for a stranger who had suddenly become his wife.

And yet, as he continued eating, he found himself hoping she wouldn’t burn anything else in his absence.

Especially knowing he would be too busy carrying out missions as Obscura.