Sham Marriage Quit Real Heiress Strikes Back novel Chapter 155

Chapter 155 Dinner Without Him

That struck a nerve with Catherine.

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She had gone out of her way to track Evelyn down, hoping she would step in and talk some sense into Alexander. Instead, Evelyn refused outright and didn’t even bother to be polite about it, shutting her down so bluntly it still stung.

Since Evelyn wasn’t an option…

Then she would just go straight to Alexander’s wife.

Elena, that ungrateful opportunist, didn’t deserve anyone standing up for her anyway.

By the time Elena got home from work that evening, Alexander still hadn’t returned.

Martha stepped out of the kitchen when she heard the door. “Mrs. Kingsley, do you want to eat now, or wait for Mr. Kingsley?”

Alexander had specifically reminded her more than once to make sure Elena ate on time every day, and Martha had taken that instruction to heart.

Elena slipped off her coat and headed to the sink. “I’ll eat now.”

After washing her hands, she didn’t just sit down and wait, instead, she walked straight into the kitchen and started helping carry dishes out.

Martha hurried after her, clearly flustered. “Oh no, Mrs. Kingsley, please, I’ve got it. You should

sit.”

Elena smiled, already rolling up the sleeves of her blouse in a smooth, practiced motion. “I’ve been sitting in the office all day, I need to move around a little.”

She casually rinsed the dishes again before bringing them out, then set everything neatly on the table, served herself a plate, and began eating slowly.

Martha stood nearby, watching carefully, as if ready to step in at any moment.

Elena noticed and looked up. “Have you eaten yet? If not, sit down and join me. There’s no way I can finish all this.”

She genuinely wasn’t used to being watched while eating. It made her feel awkward, even if she understood it was part of Martha’s job, so she chose to break that distance herself.

The Kingsley family ran a tight ship.

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Chapter 155 Dinner Without Him

At Kingsley Manor especially, the household staff was managed directly by Evelyn, and she kepa standards high.

There was no way she would ever allow staff to sit down and eat at the same table as the family.

Martha shook her head quickly. “No, no, Mrs. Kingsley, I’m fine. You go ahead.”

Elena set her fork down and looked at her with a bit more insistence. “Eating alone is kind of boring, and I don’t eat much when I’m by myself. Alexander’s not here tonight anyway, just sit with me.”

She meant it.

She had always preferred lively meals, the kind where people talked, laughed, and filled the silence naturally.

Back when she lived in the countryside, every meal had been like that. She would sit with her adoptive parents, talking about what happened at school or what they did during the day, and somehow, no matter how stressful things were, it all felt lighter by the time dinner was over.

Elena stood, gently pulled out a chair, and guided Martha into sitting before going back to the kitchen to grab another plate and utensils. Ignoring Martha’s attempts to refuse, she served her a portion herself.

Martha had no choice but to accept, her heart warming at the gesture.

“Mrs. Kingsley,” Martha said as she carefully ladled some soup into a bowl, “try this, it’s really good for you.”

“Okay.”

Elena really was hungry. She picked up the spoon and finished the entire bowl without leaving a drop.

Martha hesitated for a moment, thinking about what had happened earlier that morning. She wanted to say something, but didn’t know how to bring it up directly, so she chose a more indirect approach.

“I wonder if Mr. Kingsley has had dinner yet,” she said softly.

Elena paused, her movement slowing.

She glanced at her phone. It was already 8 p.m.

Her lips pressed together slightly before she picked up her phone and typed a message.

Elena sent, “Have you had dinner yet?”

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Chapter 155 Dinner Without Him

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She didn’t know exactly why Alexander had been upset the night before, but she wasn’t planning to let the marriage fall apart over something unclear.

This kind of quiet, steady arrangement actually feels… comfortable.

So checking in on him felt like the right thing to do.

Not long after she set her phone down, it buzzed.

She picked it up and read the reply.

Alexander replied, “About to.”

Elena stared at the two words for a second.

…Seriously?

It was so short it came off kind of distant.

She didn’t reply again, just set her phone aside and said to Martha, “He’s about to eat, don’t worry about him. He’s an adult, he knows how to take care of himself.”

Martha sighed, but her tone carried something heavier. “That’s true, but… he’s had a hard life.”

Elena looked up at her.

Martha continued, her voice softening as memories surfaced. “Mr. Kingsley lost his father very young. His parents had a strong marriage, so when his father passed suddenly, it hit his mother hard. She was hospitalized for years because of it.”

s hand stilled slightly.

was only fif feels overwh day, and af

Her ey

Sho

ck then,” Martha went on. “Still in school, at that age when everything

yet he dealt with something like that. But he still went to school every would go straight to the hospital to take care of his mother.”

she spoke.

scing, she was intentionally telling Elena this.

differently Alexander treated Elena, and she hoped Elena might soften if just a little.

woman’s sympathy could mean more than love.

red her gaze, quietly absorbing what she had just heard.

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She had never imagined that side of Alexander.

He always seemed so composed, so distant, as if nothing in the world could shake him.

When his father died… did he ever completely break down? Or did he just endure it alone?

Almost without realizing it, she picked up her phone again, intending to send him another message.

But before she could, her phone rang.

She answered immediately.

“Mrs. Kingsley, this is Fiona,” Fiona said, her voice carrying a trace of urgency.

Elena straightened slightly. “What happened?”

“We had a minor accident on the way back. Mr. Kingsley has a head injury. We’re heading to the hospital now, and they may need a family member to come in.”

Elena’s grip on the phone tightened instinctively. So he had been with Fiona this whole time.

But this wasn’t the moment to dwell on that. “Which hospital?” Elena said quickly. “I’ll be right there.”

She grabbed her keys and rushed out the door.

Twenty minutes later, her car pulled up outside the hospital.

She hurried

from a c

went straight to the nurse’s station. “Hi, someone was just brought in

ere is he?”

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