Later that afternoon, the mansion had fallen into an almost suspicious silence.
Santino had eventually given up on trying to leave.
Since his security team had been instructed not to let Cassandra out, and Cassandra had made it perfectly clear that she would rather lock him inside with her than surrender the keys, Santino had accepted his temporary imprisonment and decided to work from home.
He sat comfortably on the large couch in the living room, his laptop open in front of him.
Several documents were spread across the coffee table, and his attention was fixed on the screen as he reviewed a business proposal.
His phone sat beside him, constantly receiving notifications.
Emails.
Messages.
Calls he ignored.
For the past hour, Santino had managed to concentrate despite the unusual circumstances.
Then—
Footsteps.
He continued typing.
The footsteps stopped directly in front of him.
Santino's fingers paused.
He slowly lifted his eyes.
Cassandra stood there.
Her arms were folded across her chest, and she was staring at him with an expression that immediately made him suspicious.
Santino stared back.
"What now?"
Cassandra didn't answer immediately.
She simply continued looking at him.
Santino raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I'm hungry."
He blinked.
That was it?
After everything that had happened that morning, she had come downstairs just to announce that she was hungry?
Santino leaned back against the couch.
"If you're hungry, go make yourself something to eat."
Cassandra's expression became completely blank.
"Santino."
"Yes?"
"You know I can't cook."
He stared at her.
There was a brief silence.
Then he slowly closed his laptop.
"How could I forget?"
Cassandra narrowed her eyes.
"What does that mean?"
Santino looked her up and down with exaggerated seriousness.
"It means I somehow managed to marry a spoiled wealthy princess."
Cassandra's mouth fell open.
"Excuse me?"
"A wealthy princess," he repeated calmly.
"I am not spoiled."
Santino gave her a look.
"You couldn't make breakfast without nearly setting off the smoke alarm."
"That was one time."
"You burned an egg."
"It was an accident."
"You nearly destroyed the kitchen."
"I did not nearly destroy the kitchen."
"The kitchen staff still talk about it."
Cassandra's face reddened.
"They're exaggerating."
Santino nodded thoughtfully.
"Of course. The smoke was probably also exaggerating."
Cassandra glared at him.
"You're making fun of me."
"I'm stating facts."
She unfolded her arms.
"I'm hungry."
"And?"
"And I'm telling you."
"I heard you."
"So?"
Santino pointed toward the kitchen.
"So go make something."
Cassandra stared at him as if he'd just suggested she build the entire mansion herself.
"I already told you I don't know how to cook."
"And I already told you I have work."
She frowned.
"You're my husband."
"And?"
"A husband is supposed to take care of his wife."
Santino's eyebrows rose.
"Oh, now I'm useful?"
Cassandra's expression changed.
"What does that mean?"
"This morning I was controlling you. Now I'm your husband again because you're hungry?"
She opened her mouth, then closed it.
Santino smiled faintly.
"I see how this works."
"Don't start."
"I haven't started anything."
"You're annoying."
"And you're hungry."
"Yes!"
"Then we're both suffering."
Cassandra huffed and turned away.
She took two steps toward the kitchen before stopping.
She looked back at him.
"Do you know how to cook?"
Santino stared at her.
There was a long silence.
"Not really."
Cassandra slowly smiled.
"So you can't help me either."
"I can order food."
"That isn't cooking."
"I never claimed to be a chef."
She walked back toward him.
"Then what am I supposed to eat?"
Santino opened his laptop again.
"There's plenty of food in the kitchen."
"I don't know how to prepare it."
"Then learn."
Cassandra gasped dramatically.
"Learn?"
"Yes."
"Right now?"
"Why not?"
"Because I'm hungry right now."
Santino looked at her.
"So am I."
Cassandra blinked.
"You're hungry too?"
"Yes."
She immediately pointed at him.
"Then you cook."
Santino stared at her.
She stared back.
Neither moved.
Finally, Santino closed his laptop again.
"You're unbelievable."
Cassandra smiled.
"And you're my husband."
He shook his head.
"I knew marrying you would be troublesome."
She walked around the couch and dropped herself onto the seat beside him.
"Well, you married me anyway."
Santino glanced at her.
"That is becoming increasingly difficult to deny."
Cassandra leaned back comfortably.
"So what are we eating?"
Santino sighed deeply.
"I'll order something."
Her face immediately brightened.
"Good."
He reached for his phone.
"But you're paying."
Her smile vanished.
"What?"
"You heard me."
"Santino!"
He calmly began searching through his phone.
"You're the spoiled wealthy princess, remember?"
Cassandra grabbed a cushion and smacked him with it.
Santino caught it before she could hit him again.
"Violence won't change the facts."
She snatched the cushion back.
"I hate you."
"No, you're just hungry."
"I can be both."
For the first time that afternoon, Santino laughed.
And despite all the arguing, the locked doors, and the impossible woman sitting beside him, working from home suddenly didn't feel quite as unpleasant as he had expected.
Several minutes later, the two of them were still waiting for the food.
Santino sat on the couch with his laptop open again, calmly going through his emails as though nothing in the world could disturb him.
Cassandra, on the other hand, was having a completely different experience.
She paced back and forth across the living room.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
She stopped and looked toward the front door.
Nothing.
She checked her phone.
Nothing.
She paced again.
Her stomach suddenly growled loudly.
Grrrrrrr.
Cassandra froze.
She looked down at her stomach.
"Seriously?"
Santino glanced over the top of his laptop.
Cassandra immediately glared at him.
"Don't."
"I didn't say anything."
"But you're laughing."
"I haven't laughed."
"You're smiling."
"That's because you're pacing around like you're waiting for an emergency evacuation."
Cassandra ignored him and continued walking.
"Why is the food taking so long?"
Santino looked at his phone.
"They said twenty minutes."
"That was fifteen minutes ago."
"So you have five minutes left."
"Five minutes?"
She looked horrified.
"My stomach doesn't understand five minutes."
Santino lowered his gaze back to his computer.
"You'll survive."
Another growl came from her stomach.
Louder this time.
Cassandra stopped again.
Santino's shoulders shook slightly.
She pointed at him.
"Don't laugh."
"I didn't."
"You're laughing inside."
"I might be."
She folded her arms and began pacing again.
"I should have gone to the kitchen."
"You don't know how to cook."
"I could have tried."
"You nearly destroyed the kitchen last time."
"I could have ordered something myself."
"You didn't."
"Because you were already ordering!"
Santino nodded.
"Exactly."
Cassandra stopped in front of him.
"How much longer?"
"Five minutes."
She stared at him.
"You said that three minutes ago."
"Then you have two minutes left."
Cassandra groaned dramatically and dropped onto the couch.
"I've never been this hungry in my life."
Santino glanced at her.
"You had breakfast."
"That was hours ago."
"That's generally how hunger works."
She gave him an annoyed look.
"You're not helping."
"I wasn't aware I was supposed to."
Cassandra leaned back and closed her eyes.
"My stomach is eating itself."
Santino shook his head, trying not to laugh.
Then—
The sound of a vehicle stopping outside reached them.
Cassandra's eyes immediately opened.
She shot to her feet.
"Is that the food?"
Santino looked toward the window.
"Probably."
Cassandra rushed toward the door.
Santino watched her go and muttered under his breath,
"Apparently, food is the only thing capable of making her forget she's angry with me."
Cassandra turned around.
"I heard that!"
Santino smiled.
"I know."
She rolled her eyes and waited impatiently by the door, practically ready to attack the delivery driver the moment he arrived.
By the time the food finally arrived, Cassandra's earlier frustration had completely disappeared.
The dining table was covered with different dishes, and Cassandra had wasted no time digging in.
She was already halfway through her meal when Santino looked up from his plate.
Cassandra's cheeks were puffed out with food, making her look completely unlike the composed woman who had been arguing with him earlier.
"This is so good," she mumbled through her mouthful.
Santino raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
She swallowed quickly and pointed at the food.
"I said it's really good."
"You could have waited until you finished chewing."
Cassandra ignored him and took another bite.
A few moments later, she picked up some food and placed it onto Santino's plate.
"Eat more."
Santino looked at the extra food.
"I'm eating."
"Not enough."
He glanced at her.
"I'm hungry too, you know."
Cassandra nodded approvingly.
"Exactly. So eat."
Santino shook his head with a faint smile before continuing his meal.
For several minutes, the only sounds were their forks against the plates.
Then Cassandra took another bite.
A small smear of sauce remained at the corner of her mouth.
Santino noticed.
Without thinking much about it, he leaned toward her.
Cassandra looked at him curiously.
"What?"
Santino didn't answer.
He simply raised his hand and gently wiped the food from the corner of her mouth with his thumb.
Cassandra froze.
Her eyes widened.
Santino froze too.
Their eyes met.
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
The playful atmosphere disappeared, replaced by a sudden, unexpected silence.
Santino's gaze remained on her face.
Then, almost unconsciously, his eyes dropped to her lips.
Cassandra noticed.
But she didn't pull away.
Santino slowly leaned closer.
His movements were hesitant at first, as though even he wasn't certain what he was doing.
Cassandra remained completely still.
Their faces were only inches apart.
Santino closed his eyes.
Then his lips met hers.
The kiss was soft and tentative, lasting only a moment before the realization of what they were doing seemed to settle over them.
Cassandra's fingers loosened.
The piece of chicken she had been holding slipped from her hand and landed back onto her plate.
Santino opened his eyes briefly, almost dazed by the moment.
He looked at her as though he couldn't believe he had actually kissed her.
Then his hand moved gently to the back of her head.
He leaned closer and kissed her again, this time with more certainty, his eyes closing once more.
Cassandra's surprise slowly faded.
Her eyes fluttered shut.
Her hands lifted hesitantly before settling against his shoulders.
Neither of them spoke.
For once, there was no argument between them.
Only the quiet realization that something between them had just changed.
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
Cassandra could feel Santino's hand resting gently behind her head, while her own hands remained on his shoulders. The kiss had begun unexpectedly, yet neither of them seemed ready to be the first to pull away.
Eventually, Santino slowly broke the kiss.
He remained close, his forehead almost touching hers.
Both of them were silent.
Cassandra opened her eyes first.
Santino did the same.
They simply stared at each other.
The confident expression Cassandra usually wore was gone. She looked genuinely stunned, as though she was still trying to understand what had just happened.
Santino seemed equally caught off guard.
His gaze moved briefly across her face before he finally lowered his hand from the back of her head.
Cassandra swallowed.
"You…"
Her voice came out softer than she expected.
Santino looked at her.
"I know."
"You kissed me."
"Yes."
Neither of them knew what to say after that.
Cassandra glanced down at their plates, suddenly remembering that they had been eating only moments earlier.
The piece of chicken she had dropped was still sitting beside her plate.
She quickly picked it up and placed it back.
Santino almost smiled.
"You're eating again?"
Cassandra looked at him.
"What else am I supposed to do?"
He gave a quiet chuckle.
"I don't know."
She picked up her fork, trying desperately to behave as though nothing unusual had happened.
But her hands were slightly unsteady.
Santino noticed.
He said nothing.
Instead, he picked up his own fork and continued eating.
For a while, they ate in silence.
Then Cassandra suddenly spoke without looking at him.
"Don't think this means you can start acting differently."
Santino paused.
"Differently how?"
"Like…" She struggled to find the words. "Like we're suddenly some romantic couple."
Santino looked at her.
"I didn't say we were."
"Good."
"Good."
Another silence.
Cassandra took a bite of food.
Santino watched her for a moment before asking quietly,
"Do you regret it?"
Her fork stopped halfway to her mouth.
She looked at him.
"Do you?"
Santino didn't answer immediately.
Then he shook his head.
"No."
Cassandra's cheeks warmed.
She quickly looked down at her plate.
"Then I don't either."
Santino's expression softened.
Neither of them mentioned the kiss again.
But the atmosphere between them had undeniably changed.
And for the first time since their arranged marriage, neither of them seemed quite as eager to keep their distance.