Fated Marriage Spoiled by My Ice Billionaire novel Chapter 783

19:08 Sat, Jul 4

Chapter 783 The New Shirt

Chapter 783 The New Shirt

སཊྛི7

+5 Free Coms

Had she never intended it that way in the first place? Maybe she’d only said it for Darrell’s sake.

For a moment, he felt a little foolish. So what if she was nervous? Most people would kill for a body like his. Why not just let her get a proper look?

They were going to share a bed sooner or later anyway–she’d have to face it eventually.

And honestly, it was probably happening tonight.

He ran his fingers over the soft cotton of the T–shirt, a smug smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Inside the other bag was a small gift box. He opened it carefully. A tie.

Claudia hadn’t really known what else to pick out for him, so she’d just grabbed one off the rack.

Still, Harold was genuinely pleased with her choices. After his shower, he changed into the short–sleeve loungewear set–the kind he hadn’t worn in ages.

When he returned to the master bedroom, Claudia and Zander were already asleep.

Claudia lay on her side, Zander curled against her chest. The space behind her was left open–for him.

He slipped into bed but didn’t lie down right away. Instead, he sat for a long moment, just watching the two of them in the dim light.

Finally, he leaned down and brushed a kiss over Zander’s hair, then another gently on Claudia’s forehead.

“Goodnight,” he murmured. He switched off the lamp, turned on his side, and carefully draped his arm over Claudia’s waist, drawing both her and Zander close against him.

Claudia’s body stiffened briefly. She cracked her eyes open just enough to see Harold’s arm resting across her, holding Zander in place.

He wasn’t pressed flush against her back, but she could still feel the warmth radiating from him.

She tried to keep her breathing even, but the effort only made her more tense.

Earlier, when she’d laid down to help Zander fall asleep, she’d secretly hoped he wouldn’t drift off so quickly.

But the boy was out almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Worn out from the last couple of days herself, she’d ended up falling asleep faster than she’d expected.

Now, though, sleep was the last thing on her mind. Behind her, Harold’s breathing had already settled into a slow, steady rhythm.

She hadn’t meant to sleep like this. Originally, she’d put Zander in the middle, but her arm had gone numb. The moment she turned over, Zander had wriggled from the center to her other side and snuggled

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Chapter 783 The New Shirt

right back into her arms.

She’d been too tired to move him again.

“You okay?”

Harold’s voice, low and close to her ear, made her jump.

His tone was soft, nothing out of the ordinary, but his breath was warm against her skin.

“I’m fine,” she whispered back.

Harold gave a quiet chuckle and reached over to touch her forehead.

No fever. Probably just nerves.

He let his hand rest on Zander again. “Get some sleep.”

“Okay,” she replied, squeezing her eyes shut.

+5 Free Coms

Harold swallowed hard. Falling asleep was turning out to be even harder for him than it was for her, but he stayed where he was, not pushing any further.

*****

The next morning, Zander had squirmed his way right between them, nudging Claudia halfway onto Harold’s chest. Now the boy was sprawled entirely on top of Harold.

If Harold hadn’t opened his eyes and seen it for himself, he might’ve thought he was stuck in one of those sleep–paralysis dreams.

He let his hand slide to Claudia’s waist and gave a slight, possessive squeeze.

Honestly, he was tempted to carry Zander right out of the room.

From the kitchen came the sound of Megan fixing breakfast. The noise stirred Zander awake, and he was about to call out when Harold gently pressed a finger to his own lips.

“Don’t wake Mommy,” Harold whispered. “Go use the bathroom by yourself, then head out for breakfast.”

“Okay,” Zander pouted. He clambered off the bed on his own and padded out of the room.

Harold frowned. Kid had zero sense of atmosphere–didn’t even bother to close the door behind him.

He glanced down at Claudia, still sound asleep beside him.

Something about her didn’t seem quite right.

Harold reached over and felt her forehead, then slipped his hand gently under the hem of her shirt to check her back.

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19:08 Sat, Jul 4

Chapter 783 The New Shirt

Her forehead was cool, but her skin along her back was noticeably warm.

He didn’t realize that the touch of his hand under her shirt had startled Claudia awake.

Her breathing grew a touch tighter.

+5 Free Coms

Sensing the shift, Harold tugged the blanket up over her, carefully got out of bed, and headed back to the guest room.

The door clicked softly shut behind him. Claudia sat up, her cheeks still flushed with warmth.

After washing up, Claudia stepped out of her room just as Harold was leaving the guest room.

He was already wearing the short–sleeve set she’d bought him.

It was a simple, well–fitting T–shirt, and on him it had that effortless look–trim when dressed, but hinting at the build underneath.

“I’ll take you to get something for that later,” Harold said.

Claudia nodded. “Alright.”

Harold glanced down. “The clothes fit perfectly, by the way.”

Claudia offered a small smile but didn’t reply.

“Daddy! Mommy!” Zander was perched in his booster seat, munching on a piece of toast by himself.

Megan had seen Harold’s text about Zander earlier, so when she noticed the boy come out, she started pulling together a proper breakfast for him too.

Not only that–she’d also caught Harold leaving Claudia’s room in his loungewear earlier. Looked like things were patched up between them.

Harold walked over, ruffled Zander’s hair, and took a seat beside him.

Claudia settled on Zander’s other side.

Megan smiled to herself and brought over the rest of breakfast.

Later that morning, Harold drove Claudia and Zander to the local pharmacy.

Meanwhile, Lucas and Lynn were deep in conversation across town, while Lowell lounged in a porch rocking chair, nibbling casually on roasted nuts and swaying back and forth in the morning sun.

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