Acknowledged as Mrs. Richa

"Sorry, did I scare you?" The elderly housekeeper placed a glass of juice in front of Kyle, apologizing on behalf of Richa.

"No, I'm fine," Kyle replied softly, shaking his head.

He took a small sip of the juice, his eyes glancing at Richa, who still appeared to be troubled. The housekeeper felt a wave of warmth seeing how gentle and obedient Kyle was. Initially, when Richa had brought Kyle home, the housekeeper had been skeptical and unsure about their relationship. But now, he was convinced that Richa had made the right choice—Kyle was indeed a good-hearted person.

Richa suddenly stood up from his chair, pulling out his phone as he headed outside. He was worried after Feder had mentioned his nephew.

Kyle watched Richa with concern, losing his appetite. "Don't worry, madam. Everything will be fine," the housekeeper reassured Kyle, handing him a pastry to distract him.

"Okay," Kyle nodded quietly, taking the pastry with both hands and nibbling on it. But then he froze, staring at the housekeeper in surprise. The housekeeper had called him "madam," a title that he had never used before. Previously, he had always addressed Kyle as "Young Master Kyle."

Noticing Kyle's confusion, the housekeeper smiled warmly and explained, "You are our young master's beloved, which makes you the mistress of this household. Calling you 'madam' is only fitting."

Beloved? Kyle's face turned red, realizing that in the eyes of everyone in the household, he was not just a young boy of unknown origins but truly Richa's partner.

"Thank you," Kyle whispered shyly, smiling softly. He had worried that the people in this house would disapprove of his relationship with Richa, but it seemed his fears were unfounded.

"There's no need to be so polite. In the future, please bear with our young master. He doesn't talk much and can seem harsh at times, but he's not a bad person. He has a good heart, so please don't be afraid," the housekeeper continued, his tone affectionate, which made Kyle wonder about the closeness between him and Richa.

Moreover, Kyle had noticed that Richa showed great respect for the housekeeper, treating him more like a mentor than a servant.

Perhaps sensing Kyle's curiosity, the housekeeper explained, "I used to manage the household for the young master's maternal family. After his mother passed away, I was the one who raised him."

So his mother passed away... Kyle's mood dimmed as he learned this sad detail.

The housekeeper didn't notice Kyle's change in expression and went on, "The DuPont family has five children, each with a different mother, so things are complicated. The young master doesn't like to talk about it, so it's best not to ask him."

Worried that Kyle might unknowingly touch on sensitive topics, the housekeeper offered a gentle reminder. 

Kyle, however, was stunned. "So, the man earlier... he's Richa's half-brother?"

The housekeeper hesitated before nodding reluctantly. 

No wonder they didn't get along. But five children with five different mothers? That's too much! Kyle thought, marveling at how different the lives of the wealthy could be.

"But don't worry. Except for Feder, the other brothers have good relationships with each other," the housekeeper quickly added, not wanting to scare Kyle. He knew how daunting it could be to navigate such a complex family dynamic.

But Kyle just gave him a sweet smile and said, "It's okay. I know Richa is a good man, so it doesn't matter to me whether his family gets along or not."

After all, Kyle was with Richa to share a life, not to become involved in the DuPont family. That was the only thing that mattered to him.

The housekeeper was deeply moved by Kyle's response and felt even more reassured that Richa had made the right choice. He just hoped that Richa wouldn't end up like his older brothers and sister, whose marriages had been tightly controlled by their father.

Richa, now outside in the garden, called his nephew as soon as he stepped away from the house. As soon as the call connected, he asked, "Did Feder try to harm you?"

On the other end, Alex, who was still lounging in bed with his wife, carefully sat up and kissed the sleeping Mark on the cheek before leaning back against the headboard to respond. "Rick's brothers did make a move against me. Feder has always worked for Rick's second brother, so he was likely involved."

Hearing this, Richa's expression turned cold, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.

"Don't get involved. I have it under control," Alex said.

Richa was only asking out of concern. He knew Alex didn't need his help; Alex was more than capable of handling such situations. He had only called to confirm that Alex was safe.

"Okay," Richa replied, not saying much more. He was about to hang up when Alex added, "Are you sure you don't want to meet the person I'm trying to set you up with?"

"Not interested," Richa responded without hesitation.

Alex chuckled, "But how will you know if you don't meet them?"

Richa hung up immediately, ignoring Alex's teasing.

Alex wasn't offended, just amused. He knew his uncle's temperament well—if Richa didn't want to do something, pushing him would only make him more annoyed.

Setting the phone on the nightstand, Alex leaned down to kiss Mark, gently pinching his cheek. "Wife, it's time to get up."

Mark swatted Alex's hand away, muttering something incomprehensible as he turned over, clearly unwilling to get out of bed.

"If you don't get up, your husband will be late for work," Alex coaxed, planting another kiss on Mark's lips.

"You're the one going to work, not me. Go by yourself!" Mark mumbled sleepily, clutching the blanket tighter and snuggling in for more sleep.

But then, suddenly, his eyes flew open, and he clutched the blanket to his chest, sitting up in a panic as he stammered, "What... what are you doing?"

His reaction was because Alex had playfully poked his waist, startling him.

Mark immediately wrapped himself tightly in the blanket, looking at Alex with a mix of irritation and embarrassment.

Alex couldn't help but laugh. Even now, Mark was still so shy and defensive.

"My dear wife, we've already consummated our marriage. Why are you still so shy?" Alex teased, pinching Mark's cheek with a grin.

Mark's face turned bright red as he stammered, "That... that's only because you saved me and got hurt. I was just being soft-hearted."

The way Mark stuttered out his excuse made it clear he wasn't very convincing, and he knew it too.

Alex, naturally understanding, deliberately misinterpreted Mark's words. "So, what you're saying is that I need to get hurt in order for you to fulfill your wifely duties? In that case, I should get injured more often."

"That's not what I meant at all! Don't even think about getting hurt!" Mark scolded, a bit angry that Alex would even consider such a thing.

"Then what did you mean? If you don't explain, how will your husband understand?" Alex continued, still playing along, his arms open wide, inviting Mark to come closer.

Of course, Mark didn't move, wary that Alex might try something if he got too close.

"Be good, come here and let me hold you," Alex coaxed gently.

"No," Mark replied immediately, but his resolve wavered when he noticed the bandage on Alex's hand, still stained with a bit of blood.

Feeling a pang of guilt, Mark reluctantly shuffled closer on his knees, sliding into Alex's lap with a pout. "Is this good enough?"

He grumbled, clearly not happy about it, but the sight of him being so soft and adorable made it hard for Alex to resist.

In the next moment, Mark's temper flared up again. He grabbed Alex's collar and scolded, "If you dare get hurt again, I won't care about you anymore!"

"But if I don't get hurt, you won't agree to be with me," Alex said, feigning innocence.

Though he was acting, his eyes sparkled with amusement as he wrapped his arms around Mark's waist.

Mark was so used to this routine by now that he didn't even realize Alex was taking advantage of the situation. Instead, he looked away and mumbled, "It's not like I really want you to get hurt... I guess I am your wife now, so it's not like I can actually hit you."

Alex was extremely satisfied with Mark's answer and expression, feeling more confident that he was figuring out how to win him over.

"What do you mean 'now'? You'll always be my wife," Alex corrected, kissing Mark and watching with amusement as his face turned a deeper shade of red.