“Audie, I got you some little-boy urine. Fry it with sesame oil and drink it. Guaranteed—you’ll get a son in one shot!”

“You’ve been married into a rich family for three years and still don’t have a kid to secure your place. How are you supposed to keep Spencer Kingsley by your side?”

At the old Kingsley residence, Audrey Sinclair was in the kitchen, slowly simmering a pot of squab soup.

Reading the messages from her mother, she unconsciously touched her flat stomach, her brows knitting tighter and tighter.

Ding—

Another text from her mother popped up right away.

“Oh, and I found a bunch of bedroom seduction tricks too. I’ll bring them to you next time!”

Audrey took a deep breath and had zero desire to reply.

Spencer had never once shared a bed with her. So what was the point of drinking weird remedies or learning all those so-called tricks?

Just then, her phone pushed another entertainment headline.

She tapped it open. In the photo was a lavish banquet hall packed with blooming flowers. The girl in the picture only showed her back, slim and graceful, the kind of silhouette that practically radiated happiness.

Standing beside her was Spencer Kingsley, holding an exquisite gift box. A faint smile rested on his handsome face.

Headline: Last night, the president of Kingsley Group booked out a famous sky restaurant in a grand gesture to celebrate one woman’s birthday.

Audrey’s hand paused in the soup.

A bitter little smile tugged at her lips.

No wonder.

So that was why he hadn’t come home last night.

They must’ve had a great time... right?

“Audrey, what are you dragging your feet for?”

From outside the kitchen, Spencer’s sister, Helena Kingsley, called out impatiently, “It’s just soup. How long can it possibly take? Are you seriously making everyone wait for you?”

Audrey turned off her phone and lowered her eyes. “Coming.”

She took the seat beside Spencer, dressed in a simple cream-colored dress with clean tailoring, her long hair neatly pinned back.

Throughout the meal, she served food, poured tea, and kept busy taking care of everyone at the table.

She was used to it by now.

Halfway through dinner, Helena curved her lips into a half-smile and looked straight at Audrey.

“Audrey, honestly, I kind of envy you. You stay home every day, cook a little, do some laundry, and never have to stress about anything. Unlike Tara, who has to help manage her family’s company and run all over the place.”

Audrey froze for a beat.

Tara Townsend.

In their circle, pretty much everyone thought she was the one who truly matched Spencer.

And she was also the woman from that news article—the one Spencer had booked the whole venue for.

Audrey set down her chopsticks and said evenly, “Everyone chooses a different kind of life.”

“What a shame, though. My brother almost married Tara back then.”

Helena leaned forward a little, her voice not loud, but just enough for everyone at the table to hear. “If you hadn’t milked that favor and forced my brother to marry you, how would you be living this cushy life now?”

The air instantly went still.

Audrey turned her head and looked at the man beside her.

Spencer wore a dark gray bespoke suit. His jawline was sharp, cold. His fingers lazily traced the rim of his glass, his expression flat, not even a ripple on his face.

He glanced at Helena and said in a calm, cool voice, “Eat. Stop talking nonsense.”

Helena pouted and shut up, but the resentment in her eyes didn’t fade one bit.

After all, everyone knew what had happened two years ago.

Grandpa Hale had suddenly fallen seriously ill, and Audrey had saved his life.

She hadn’t asked the Kingsleys for money.

Instead, she had asked Spencer to marry her.

At the head of the table, Walter Kingsley gave a light cough, his old but sharp gaze moving between the two young people.

“Spencer, Audie, you’ve been married for two years now.”

There was expectation in his tone. “I’m getting older and older. The one thing I want most is to see the Kingsley family welcome a younger generation. Don’t you think it’s time the two of you started seriously planning for that?”

The topic landed, without warning, on having children.

Audrey’s heart quietly sank.

She said nothing. She only looked at Spencer.

Spencer spoke, his tone cold and blunt. “I agreed to marry Audrey. I never promised I’d have children with her.”

The words hit the dining table like a slab of ice.

Walter’s face darkened on the spot, his brows drawn tight. “You two are legally married! If you don’t have children, what, is my Kingsley family line supposed to end with you?”

Spencer said, “Grandpa, I have my own plans.”

He put down his spoon and elegantly wiped the corner of his mouth. “Take your time eating. I have something to handle, so I’m leaving first.”

Audrey got up in a hurry and followed him out.

At the entrance of the Kingsley residence, Audrey stood in the night wind, waiting for Spencer to drive the car over.

It felt a little wasteful.

She had spent so much effort preparing that whole table of food tonight, and Spencer had barely taken a few bites.

Out of nowhere, Helena appeared again and blocked Audrey’s path.

“Sister-in-law, what I said at dinner earlier was really thoughtless. Don’t take it to heart.”

With her eyes lowered, Helena looked unusually sincere. “The night after tomorrow, there’s a business dinner at Summit Club. It’s for a major partnership our group is working on.”

“The other party’s boss is super hard to deal with. I honestly can’t handle him on my own, so I wanted to ask you to come and help me hold things together.”

Audrey’s guard went up immediately.

Helena had never liked her. Why would she suddenly come asking for help?

“For business situations like that, you should ask Spencer or one of the senior executives,” Audrey declined gently.

“My brother’s buried in a cross-border acquisition right now. He’s been so busy this past month he barely has time to breathe.”

Helena stepped half a step closer, lowering her voice. “Just think of it as giving me a chance to apologize, okay? After this, I swear I won’t make things hard for you anymore.”

Audrey hesitated.

Lately, Spencer really had been leaving early and coming back late. There were faint shadows beneath his eyes, and he looked noticeably more worn out.

After a brief moment of weighing it, she nodded slightly. “Okay. I’ll go.”

Helena’s eyes lit up at once, and a bright smile spread across her face. “That’s great! Seven o’clock the night after tomorrow, Summit Club. I’ll come pick you up.”

After saying that, Helena turned and ran off lightly.

In the courtyard, the evening breeze swept over carrying the fragrance of osmanthus.

Audrey stood by the steps, looking into the deep, heavy night in the distance.

Scene after scene from the past two years of marriage flickered through her mind.

Back then, using that life-saving favor to trade for this marriage had been half because something had happened to the Sinclair family, and she needed to buy herself a little breathing room.

The other half...

was that vague, secret crush from her youth.

That face of Spencer Kingsley’s—it was the kind of heart-flutter she just couldn’t let go of, no matter how hard she tried.

A car stopped behind her, and Spencer rolled down the window.

“What did Helena say to you?” Spencer asked, his voice chilly.

“She asked me to go to Summit Club the night after tomorrow for a business dinner,” Audrey answered honestly.

“The Kingsley family business has nothing to do with you!”

Spencer turned his head, his expression cold and severe. “And one more thing—stop using the child issue to stir Grandpa up. Don’t start fantasizing about things that were never yours.”

Audrey choked on her breath for a second. She lowered her head and murmured, “I didn’t...”

Yeah.

She had used a favor to make him marry her, and for two full years she had taken care of him in every possible way.

But between them, there still wasn’t even a trace of warmth.

Sometimes, she honestly couldn’t tell whether she was Mrs. Kingsley...

or just a live-in housekeeper staying under the Kingsley roof.