BILLIONAIRES: Father or Son

Chapter Seven

FLORA'S POV

I was downright baffled when someone from Le Jardin—one of the most expensive restaurants in Rockshire showed up at the Kensington estate with a food delivery. Apparently, it was my husband's order. Now, I had never had the pleasure of tasting their gourmet meals, though I had always been curious. Maybe I even daydreamed about it.

I almost texted Jayden to ask why the servants were suddenly arranging and decorating the dining table like we were hosting royalty. And why he felt the need to drop a small fortune on restaurant food when we had a fully staffed kitchen. But then I remembered—he stopped replying to my texts ages ago. Honestly, why bother?

For all I knew, it could've been another Kensington family dinner, where everyone gets together to blatantly judge the rest of Rockshire. Frankly, I wasn't up for it tonight. I was already preparing to fake an illness, maybe something dramatic enough to keep me locked away in the bedroom while they critiqued the world one forkful at a time.

But it was barely evening when Jayden stood at the entrance of our living room, clutching a bouquet of flowers in one hand, a gift bag in the other, and a grin that deserved to be in a toothpaste commercial. My confusion was immediate. What on earth was this about? The man didn't usually come home this early, let alone with flowers.

"How was your day, honey?" he asked, strolling in and kissing me lightly on the forehead. "I brought you these." He held out the bouquet and the gift bag, all charm and smiles.

I took them, still completely bewildered, feeling like I had missed some major memo. I peeked inside the gift bag and pulled out a box. Opening it, I found a diamond-encrusted necklace glimmering back at me. A diamond necklace? Jayden had never given me anything this extravagant before. Everything I owned came from the monthly allowance his mother deposited into my account, which was barely enough to match the Kensington lifestyle, but I managed. Besides, they were paying for my sister's college tuition and my mother's medical bills, so I didn't complain. Plus, I made most of my own clothes—nothing spectacular, just simple designs with whatever fabric I could afford.

"This is... nice," I said, trying to muster some enthusiasm but sounding more like someone who had just received socks for Christmas.

"Don't you want to try it on, honey?" he asked, stepping closer, his hand outstretched for the necklace.

Reluctantly, I handed it over, and he moved behind me, carefully fastening the clasp. His fingers brushed against my neck, a gesture that used to give me goosebumps but now just made my skin crawl.

"It looks perfect on you," he said, coming back around to admire his work.

"Thanks," I muttered, doing my best to sound appreciative.

"We're having dinner tonight—"

"Oh, about that." I scrambled for my pre-planned excuse. "I'm sorry, I won't be able to make it. I'm feeling a little under the weather," I said, adding a small sigh for dramatic effect. "I've got this headache, and I don't want to intrude on your family time."

Jayden raised an eyebrow. "Babe, it's just the two of us."

I blinked, completely thrown off. Just the two of us? When was the last time that had happened? Usually, his mother was there, looming over us like a grumpy headmistress, making sure I didn't eat anything that might inch me closer to her disapproval zone of caloric intake.

Before I could protest further, Jayden gently took my hand and led me toward the dining table. I felt a small pang of anxiety. What was this all about? I couldn't help but feel like I was being set up for some elaborate prank.