Cora Hayes was a tornado in human form.
At least, that's what Jace Hart had decided after living with her for a week. She left a trail of chaos wherever she went—clothes on the floor, dishes in the sink, and a never-ending supply of half-empty coffee mugs scattered around the penthouse.
Jace, on the other hand, was the epitome of order. His suits were always perfectly pressed, his shoes were lined up in the closet like soldiers, and his desk was so clean it looked like no one had ever used it.
Their clashing lifestyles had turned the penthouse into a battlefield, and neither of them was willing to surrender.
The day started, as it often did, with an argument over breakfast.
"Why is there glitter on the counter?" Jace asked, staring at the sparkly mess in the kitchen.
"I was working on an art project last night," Cora said, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "It's called creativity. You should try it sometime."
Jace sighed and grabbed a sponge. "Creativity doesn't mean turning my kitchen into a craft store."
"Your kitchen?" Cora repeated, raising an eyebrow. "I thought this was our penthouse."
"It is," Jace said, scrubbing the counter with more force than necessary. "Which means you need to clean up after yourself."
Cora rolled her eyes and took a sip of coffee. "You know, for someone who's supposed to be my husband, you're not very fun."
"And for someone who's supposed to be my wife, you're not very tidy," Jace shot back.
Cora grinned. "Touché."
Later that day, Jace was in his home office, trying to focus on a conference call, when Cora burst in.
"Jace!" she said, holding up a piece of paper. "Look what I made!"
Jace held up a hand, trying to silence her, but it was too late.
"Who's that?" a voice on the call asked.
Jace sighed and muted the call. "Cora, I'm in the middle of a meeting."
"Oh," Cora said, glancing at the computer screen. "Sorry. But look!"
She held up the paper, which was covered in colorful doodles of what appeared to be a cat wearing a crown.
"It's a logo for my art gallery," Cora said, beaming. "What do you think?"
Jace stared at the drawing, trying to find something positive to say. "It's… creative."
Cora's smile faded. "You hate it."
"I don't hate it," Jace said, though his tone suggested otherwise. "I just think it might be a little… unconventional for a business logo."
"Unconventional is good," Cora said, crossing her arms. "It's memorable."
"It's a cat in a crown," Jace said, raising an eyebrow.
"Exactly," Cora said, grinning. "It's purr-fect."
Jace groaned and unmuted the call. "Sorry about that. My… wife is very… artistic."
Cora stuck out her tongue and left the room, leaving Jace to explain the interruption to his colleagues.
That evening, Cora called her best friend, Sophia, to vent.
"I don't know how much longer I can do this," Cora said, pacing the living room. "He's so… rigid. And boring. And he hates glitter!"
Sophia laughed. "Sounds like you're having fun."
"Fun?" Cora repeated. "Sophia, he alphabetizes his spices. Who does that?"
"Someone who's clearly never lived with you," Sophia said, still laughing. "But come on, Cora. He can't be that bad."
"He's worse," Cora said, flopping onto the couch. "He's like a robot. A very handsome, very annoying robot."
"Handsome, huh?" Sophia said, her tone teasing.
Cora groaned. "Don't start. Just because he's good-looking doesn't mean I like him."
"Sure it doesn't," Sophia said, clearly not believing her. "So, what's the plan? Are you going to stick it out for six months?"
"I don't have a choice," Cora said, sighing. "If I back out now, my brothers will never let me hear the end of it. And Jace's dad will probably throw a fit. So, yeah. I'm stuck."
"Well, look on the bright side," Sophia said. "At least you get to live in a fancy penthouse with a hot CEO. It could be worse."
"I guess," Cora said, though she didn't sound convinced.
Things came to a head later that night when Cora decided to bake cookies.
She'd found a recipe online and decided to surprise Jace with a batch of chocolate chip cookies. It was a peace offering, of sorts, though she'd never admit it.
But things didn't go as planned.
By the time Jace got home, the kitchen was a disaster. There was flour on the counter, batter on the floor, and a suspiciously smoky smell coming from the oven.
"What happened here?" Jace asked, staring at the mess.
"I was baking," Cora said, holding up a tray of cookies that were… well, they were definitely unique. Some were burnt, some were undercooked, and all of them were oddly shaped.
"Baking?" Jace repeated, raising an eyebrow. "It looks like a flour bomb went off."
"It's not that bad," Cora said, though even she had to admit it was pretty bad.
Jace sighed and grabbed a sponge. "You know, if you're going to use the kitchen, you need to clean up after yourself."
"I was going to," Cora said, crossing her arms. "But you came home early."
"Early?" Jace said, glancing at the clock. "It's 8 p.m."
"Exactly," Cora said, as if that proved her point.
Jace shook his head and started cleaning the counter. "You're impossible."
"And you're no fun," Cora shot back.
There was a long silence as they both worked on cleaning up the kitchen. Then, out of nowhere, Cora started laughing.
"What's so funny?" Jace asked, though he couldn't help but smile.
"This," Cora said, gesturing to the mess. "Us. It's like a bad sitcom."
Jace chuckled. "Yeah, well, at least we're entertaining."
Cora grinned and handed him a cookie. "Here. Try one."
Jace hesitated, then took a bite. His expression was unreadable.
"Well?" Cora asked, her eyes wide with anticipation.
"It's… interesting," Jace said, trying to be diplomatic.
Cora laughed and took a bite herself. "Yeah, they're terrible. But at least we tried, right?"
Jace smiled, and for the first time since she'd moved in, Cora felt like they might actually make this work.