Her Deviant Husband

Chapter 24

Athira's pov.

Walking into the kitchen was a decision I instantly regretted. Or maybe not.

Reyansh stood at the center of the chaos, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his blazer discarded onto a chair nearby. His tie was loosened, his usually messy hair even messier.

He looked... hot.
Ridiculously hot.
The kind of hot that made me forget how much I hated his guts sometimes.
Damn it.

How could a man look this good while cooking?

Aiyanna was perched on the counter, swinging her legs and snickering while Shaurya—useless as always—held a grater like it was a a snake. Ayaan was leaned casually against the fridge, scrolling on his phone, probably looking up cooking tips he'd never use. And Evansh, my baby brother, was holding a sieve upside down and looking as innocent as a lamb.

"What the actual fuck is going on in here?" I asked, stepping into the kitchen.

Reyansh didn't even look up as he muttered, "Your family apparently thinks this is MasterChef."

"Correction," Shaurya said, smirking, "we're the judges, and Chef Cockroach here is competing for his life."

And now my whole family was calling him a cockroach including myself. We all really do share the same braincells don't we.

"Stop calling him a cockroach, Shaurya," I sighed before I could stop myself.

Aiyanna's sharp ears didn't miss my slip-up. "Ooooh, look who's already on his side."

I shot her a glare, but it was hard to stay focused when Reyansh glanced up from chopping vegetables, his dark amber eyes meeting mine briefly.

"Don't mind them," he said, his tone surprisingly calm for someone dealing with four overgrown children pretending to help.

"I've got this under control."

This man actually looked calm and composed. The same man who mentioned killing people for the stupidest things was actually not annoyed at all?

"Athira di! Forget what stupid Shaurya said, jiju is just making magic happen!" Aiyanna smirked at me giving me that knowing smile.

"Jiju?" I repeated, blinking at her.

"Yep!" Aiyanna chirped, grinning mischievously.
"He's already doing husband duties, cooking for all of us. Jiju it is!"

Reyansh, smirked but didn't look up from chopping the veggies.
"Nice to know at least someone in this house acknowledges my position," he said smoothly.

Evansh, who had given up on the sieve was now also sitting on the counter and happily munching on some cucumber slices Reyansh had chopped him earlier, chimed in with his usual soft, cheerful tone, "I like jiju! He gave me snacks!"

"Of course, you do," Shaurya cut in with a sarcastic drawl. "You'd like anyone who gives you food, Evansh."

Evansh pouted, hugging his plate protectively.
"Jiju's nice. He even said I can taste-test the dessert later."

"Wow, bribery. Classic Sehgal move," Ayaan muttered, arms crossed as he leaned on the counter beside Shaurya.

Reyansh finally glanced up, his smirk deepening as his eyes met mine. "Athira, care to defend your brothers from further corrupting my character?"

I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore the way my cheeks heated under his gaze. "You're doing fine ruining it yourself."

"Di, don't be so mean to jiju!" Aiyanna teased, coming over to link her arm with mine. "He's working so hard. You should give him some encouragement."