Sham Marriage Quit Real Heiress Strikes Back novel Chapter 67

Should she send him another message, just to remind him?

But what would she even say? A meme, or something else?

Elena hesitated, scrolling through her stickers. Her finger slipped, and one got sent by accident.

The moment she saw what she had sent, her face flushed bright red. She quickly unsent it.

This was all Chloe's fault. Chloe loved sending her outrageous, borderline inappropriate memes, and just to mess with her, Elena had saved quite a few of them.

And just now, she had sent that landlord a ridiculous "you down?" meme.

There's no way he sees it, right? Just as the thought crossed her mind, her phone buzzed.

She picked it up, and her vision nearly went dark. He had replied.

A single question mark popped up on the screen, simple and painfully clear.

Elena froze, completely speechless.

Elena sent a message, "Sorry, that was an accident. I wanted to ask how you prefer the rent to be paid, monthly or quarterly?"

The agent had rushed everything before, clearly eager to close the deal. The contract was signed, and then they disappeared without explaining much.

The landlord replied, "Whatever works for you."

That was surprisingly easygoing.

Elena replied, "Thank you."

She was just thinking how lucky she was to have found such a great landlord when another message came in.

The landlord sent a message, "You're welcome, Miss Sterling."

Elena paused, caught off guard.

A face surfaced in her mind.

But within three seconds, she dismissed it. The landlord must have seen her name on the lease, or maybe the agent told him.

Before she could think further, another message came in.

The landlord sent a message, "It's Alexander."

Her fingers tightened around her phone, and before she could react, another message followed.

Alexander sent a message. "I'm next door. Want to grab a late night bite, Miss Sterling?"

Elena stood there, stunned into silence.

She grabbed her phone, slipped on her shoes, walked next door, and pressed the doorbell.

Soft footsteps approached from inside. Elena suddenly felt her breathing go uneven.

The door opened.

Warm light spilled out first, followed by Alexander's strikingly handsome face. He wore a light linen home shirt with dark pants, gold rim glasses resting on his nose. One hand was tucked casually into his pocket as he leaned against the wall.

A faint smile touched his lips. "What a coincidence, Miss Sterling."

"No need to change," Alexander said. "The unit you're in was where I used to stay occasionally. This one, I just bought."

That explained everything.

For the sake of "building their relationship," he really did not hold back.

He returned to the kitchen.

Elena felt awkward just sitting around, so she followed him and leaned against the doorway, watching him cook.

He was cooking pasta on the stove. The meat sauce simmered gently, thick with ground beef and slow-cooked tomatoes. He tied an apron around his waist, then tossed in a handful of fresh spinach from the cutting board beside him.

It was all simple, but he moved with ease.

"You can cook?" she asked.

It was hard to connect this version of him with the cold, distant man she first met.

"Sometimes."

"Smells really good."

"Tastes even better."

Elena almost laughed. Somehow, the weight on her chest had lightened. Above them was a cloud shaped ceiling light.

Under the warm glow, they sat across from each other. In front of them sat steaming bowls of pasta coated in rich meat sauce, topped with a perfectly fried egg and a sprinkle of bright green spinach.

Elena suddenly had a strong appetite. She lowered her head to eat, occasionally glancing at the man across from her.