Inside the mansion, in the lounge two ladies giggled at something, Ayden walked leisurely through the front door with his hands tucked into his trousers pocket. Emerald looked into his direction and her expression changed.
“What took you so long? We have been waiting for you for forever,” She spoke with a hint of anger.
“Nothing! I got a call from a friend, I was talking to him,” Ayden walked in closer and sat beside his mother.
“So what were you talking about?” He asked.
“Why should we tell you that? It’s our secret girly talk.” Eryna spoke with a smug face.
“Ah! It hurts,” Ayden held his heart in a dramatic way and started acting.
“Hahaha!! Then let me help ease your pain,” Emerald patted his shoulder and spoke.
“What is it?” Ayden replied excitedly.
“I was asking Renya to introduce some great ladies to me,”
“Why though? Isn’t Micah already married?” Ayden asked innocently.
“He is, but it’s you who is still single,” Emerald added.
“Mom!!” Ayden replied.
“Hahaha! That’s right, just get married to a pretty lady and enjoy your life,” Eryna giggled.
“Not you too!” Ayden spoke in a tired tone.
The ladies chuckled at Ayden’s face flushed, Micah walked in through the door holding a leather bag while pulling his tie, he glanced at the new person who had occupied the seat.
“Mom! What brings you here,” he asked in a business like tone.
“Sigh! Can I not come to visit my own son?” She pouted.
“No! That’s not what I meant I just…” Micah looked around in caution. “Grandpa isn’t here right?” He asked.
“No,He didn’t come with me because he was busy.” Emerald replied.
Micah looked relieved.
“But he will be here at dinner,” Emerald added, on which Micah’s eyes widened in shock. Ayden too jumped in a fright while Eryna placed her hand on her mouth while making a scared expression.
“What!!!”
The three of them spoke at the same time.
Emerald who found this coincidence puzzling knitted her eyebrows and looked at their pale faces with confusion.
“Is something wrong?” Emerald asked Eryna first.
“Huh?...” Eryna was blank and glanced at Micah before replying.
“No—nothing is wrong! I was just excited to know that...haha. I suddenly thought of making him dinner with my own hands,” Eryna added to her lie so it would sound a bit more real.
“Haha! You are such a kind child.” Emerald’s eyes formed into a crease because of her smile.
Eryna too showed her teeth and tried hard to put emotions into it.
“What about you two? Were you also excited for him?” Now that Emerald had dealt with Eryna she looked at Ayden who was trying to sneak away and Micah who was pulling onto his tie.
“Yes-“ they replied with one voice.
“Hah, that’s so exciting, finally we will have our family reunion. I am so happy!” Emerald clapped with excitement and got up from the couch.
“I will be headed upstairs, I want to rest… tell me once father is here.” She walked away in a half skipping manner. The three of them stared at her fading figure with bitter expressions.
“I am leaving,” Ayden muttered under his breath.
“Don’t you move a muscle,” Micah replied.
Eryna looked at them with a speechless gaze.
‘Why did I say I would cook up something for him? What was I thinking?’ Eryna signed inwardly while walking away like a zombie.
The sun was setting and everything was calm, Eryna pulled away the blanket from over herself and walked out of her room into the kitchen. She tied up her hair and looked around to decide what to cook.
The refrigerator had almost everything she needed to prepare a luxurious meal, she pulled out the vegetables and the meat and placed them on the counter.
She washed them up and was preparing them for cutting when Emerald walked in.
“You really are preparing the dinner! I thought you were kidding,”
Eryna looked at her and smiled without saying anything.
“Do you need some help? Should I call the maids?” Emerald added.
“Hmm...yes I could use a little help, my hand is still not fully recovered,” she lightly waved her hand.
“Okay!” Emerald’s eyes shined and she walked away. Eryna held the green onions and started chopping them up while she waited for the help to arrive.
“Mom sent me here!” A sullen voice spoke from the kitchen entrance. Eryna lifted her gaze to see Micah standing in the doorway.
“Just on time! Come here…” she gestured with her hand.
Micah lifted one of his eyebrows in response to her carefree actions and didn’t budge.
“Sigh! Do you want me to drag you here? Hurry up we don’t have much time,” Eryna spoke urgently.
Micah didn’t reply and just walked towards the counter where Eryna stood.
“What?”
“Pretty! Here, Chop this up for me,” Eryna handed him the onions and a basket full of vegetables.
“How dare you…”
“Trust me, once I am done with this I will listen to your speech with all my willpower and concentration but for now! Please chop this up,” Eryna patted his back lightly and moved over to the stove. Micah looked at her uninterested actions and frowned, but then silently started chopping the vegetables obediently.
“Hoho! You have got some talent for chopping up stuff?” Eryna poked her head in Micah's way and spoke with a surprised tone, which made Micah jump out of fright. But he fixed his posture quickly and spoke in a boasting tone.
“What did you expect?”
“Well, I thought you were a good for nothing book worm...but guess I was wrong,” Eryna jolted her shoulders and went back to her work. For about an hour they stayed in the kitchen and finally the food seemed like it was ready, the oven rang the bell and Eryna sprinted over towards the door and hopped in happiness.
“Pretty! Hand me over that glove,” She spoke.
“Stop calling me Pretty!” Micah handed her over the silicon gloves while speaking in a sharp voice.
Eryna looked at him and parted her lips.
“What should I call you then? The miser? Or the ever famous shoe face?”
“Shoeface ?” Micah was speechless.
“Pfft! You don’t know?” She opened up the Oven door and pulled out a hot pot, and walked over to the counter, Micah followed her.
“What?”
“The maids call you that because you always have a long face,” Eryna chuckled as she lifted the lid off the pot and smelled the blissful aroma.
“How dare they? I should fire them all,” he responded with a bitter tone.
“Taste this first, and torture those poor souls afterwards.”
Eryna lifted a spoonful of broth and took it close to Micah’s lips. She was looking up at him because he was a few/many inches taller than her. Micah couldn’t avoid the spoon so he welcomed it into his mouth. Eryna pulled out the spoon and looked at his face with an eager expression. Her eyes twinkled because she was waiting for some words of praise.
“It’s edible,” Micah looked away.
“Sigh! What’s good about that pretty face when you can’t even utter something good out of it,” Eryna huffed and poured some broth in a bowl, and was getting ready to walk away. Micah saw her motion and involuntarily grabbed onto her wrist. Eryna’s body came to a sudden halt and the bowl in her hand moved violently but didn’t fall off.
“What are you doing? I haven’t even recovered from the hand injury and you want to burn me to death?” Eryna spoke angrily.
“Where are you going with that bowl?” Micah asked.
“I am giving it to Ayden, unlike somebody, he knows how to praise someone’s hard work,” Eryna moved her head left and right trying to make her words sound more dramatic.
Micah’s lip lifted as if he was about to curse but then stopped and pulled out the boil off her hand.” And slurped in the broth. “ Hmm… now that I have had a lot of it, I have realised that the taste is not that bad.”
Micah tried hard.
“Tsk...tsk...tsk, how did you spend the forty years of your life with that attitude of yours.” Eryna pulled out the bowl from his hand and poured another portion.
“I am not fourty!! I am twenty six,” Micah replied defensively.
“You sound like one! Like how can a twenty six years old live his life so boringly?” Eryna sat up on the counter and ate the broth slowly.
“That!...” Micah looked at her with a weird gaze as he pointed at the bowl.
“What now!!”
“I ate from that,” he pointed at the bowl.
“So? Are you poisonous? Do you emit harmful rays?” Eryna asked with a serious face,
“No…”
“So! Why are you getting so defensive? Just keep calm…” Eryna slurped a bit more and mumbled, “this thing tastes heavenly!! How can you not praise it?”