The Heir's Bride

I

Henry had once presented a list of strict instructions that she has to follow as his bride— Never disobey him or leave their manor without his consent, Ensure that their manor is clean and that he returns home to food on the table, And provide an heir.

The last one always seemed to be the hardest for her but she had tried.

Henry was the heir to one of the most influential companies in the world, it was only fitting that he had desired an heir of his own and groom him to take over the company in the future. He had always demanded a son, but he never forced her once. Kiana was always surprised by how respectful he was on this.

A sigh escaped her lips and she headed to the kitchen to check on the servants. Her husband would return in a couple more minutes and she had to ensure that his dinner was ready and on the table. The scent of the food had hit her face, it had caused her to hunch over and covered her mouth with her hands but she had stood back up once the servants rushed to her.

"I'm fine, no need to be concerned," Kiana had smiled and her servants hesitated but had returned to work as she went to sit in the dining room. This was unusual for her but she wasn't alarmed.

A couple minutes had passed and she noted the door had opened. This made her rush to the door as her husband had entered, he had stared at her for a minute as the awkward silence had started but he leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"I'm home," Henry's tone was cold and devoid of any warmth despite his act of love. He had never showed emotion to her and only continued to act as if she was a business partner, not a wife.

The couple had walked to the dining table to take a seat as the servants served them. A simple take dinner and some wine, he only nods in response as he takes a bite of his steak. Dinner tends to be silent since he was never the kind of man to converse.

Kiana had started to eat her dinner but she had to pause as another wave of nausea hit her. This time, she had to place her fork back onto the table and she raced to the nearest bathroom. Henry had paused but he had followed suit out of curiosity and concern.

Her body was hunched over on the toilet as she held onto the cover. Her stomach couldn't stand the food anymore and she had thrown up most of her meals as he had rushed in to check on her. He paused once he noted the sweat on her face and her pale skin, he had rushed to her side and rubbed her back.

For a man that was cold and callous, he had concern for his wife. He slowly rubbed her back and helped her as she cleared out her contents. Her head turned to him once it was over and he had helped to wipe the puke and sweat from her face.

"I think," Kiana had paused and she turned to look at her husband in the eyes, "I'm expecting."