Chapter 13: Delivery Mission
“Who dares to disturb my relaxing time?”
Agatha grumbled softly. Her hand groped the glass table beside the lounge chair. She had just wanted to close her eyes and enjoy the warm steam in the indoor pool area, but the vibration of the phone on the table ruined everything.
This was not an ordinary phone. It was a special device for her dirty work that no one was supposed to know about.
“Hello.”
Agatha picked up the thick black phone roughly, her voice cold. She did not look at the caller ID because the old-school screen could not display much information anyway. However, there was no voice on the other end. Only silence.
Suddenly the screen blinked once. A message came in.
Agatha lowered her sunglasses. She stared at the small screen with a furrowed brow. The sender's name made her sit up straight immediately. Her wet feet touched the cold marble floor.
'Beloved Husband. Primary Target.'
Agatha read the words with a suppressed voice. Her breath hitched. How could Xavier possibly get into this phone's system? This phone had military-grade encryption that even the government found hard to track or hack. Xavier did it overnight without even touching the device.
“You cunning bastard. You really want to play with me.”
Agatha hissed. She pressed the read button. The message was quite long. Agatha read it slowly. Her lips moved following the rows of letters on the screen.
'Emergency logistics mission. Client is Xavier Calestiano Valois or your beloved starving husband. Target is my stomach. Instruction is to bring lunch to my office in forty-five minutes. Must be home-cooked and do not buy it. Consequence of failure is I hold a worn-out photo from the orphanage CCTV fifteen years ago. The photo shows the face of the woman who left you at the orphanage gate before she left and never returned. The photo is now on top of the paper shredder. If I do not eat in forty-five minutes, my hand might tremble from hunger and accidentally press the shred button.'
Agatha slammed her back against the chair. Her breathing was ragged. The laugh she wanted to let out earlier was now stuck in her throat.
Bastard.
Agatha cursed silently. Xavier was not playing around. The man knew exactly what Agatha's ace was. All this time Agatha had lived in the shadows without knowing her origins. She did not know if she was abandoned because she was a burden or because she was unwanted. That photo was the key to her identity.
He held the face of the person who left me at the orphanage hostage just for a portion of lunch.
Agatha shook her head in disbelief. Xavier's level of cunning was truly unexpected. The man used the most precious and painful thing for Agatha as a trivial bargaining chip.
'Additional note do not poison the food because I have a food taster.'
Agatha read the last line with a murderous look.
You think you can win, Mr. Valois? You think you can control me with that photo? Just watch, wait for my surprise.
Agatha's fingers moved quickly over the phone buttons. She typed a reply full of emotion. The sound of clicking buttons was loud in the quiet room.
'Special delivery service fee is fifty thousand dollars. Cash. And you hand over the photo in pristine condition without a single scratch.'
Agatha pressed send. She waited while tapping her fingers on the armrest. One second later a reply came in.
'Agreed. Depending on whether the taste of the food satisfies me or not.'
Agatha threw the phone onto her lap. Her face turned red with annoyance. That man was still playing with her. Xavier was truly a vengeful type.
“Fine. You want home cooking. I will make a special dish for you.”
Agatha stood up. She tied the belt of her silk bathrobe tightly. Her eyes stared at her reflection in the pool water. A crazy idea popped into her head. Xavier said he was frustrated last night. Xavier said he needed lunch, so she would make a special dish.
“I will give you a lunch that you will never forget for the rest of your life.”
Agatha walked quickly out of the pool area. Her steps echoed in the spacious mansion hallway. Her steps were firm towards the main kitchen.
“Dion!”
Agatha's shout made the head butler jump in surprise. Dion was wiping crystal glasses in the pantry. The glass almost slipped from his hand.
“Yes, Madam? Is there anything I can help you with?” Dion hurriedly put down the glass and approached Agatha.
“Prepare cooking ingredients now. I want to cook.”
Dion gaped. He looked at Agatha from head to toe. His young mistress was still wearing a bathrobe and sunglasses inside the house.
“Cook, Madam? But our chef has already prepared the lunch menu. What would you like to eat so I can ask the chef to make it.”
“I do not want to eat. Your spoiled master asked for lunch to be delivered by his wife. He said he needed lots of extra energy.”
Agatha walked around the large kitchen island. She started pointing at ingredients inside the large glass refrigerator.
“Take out fresh oysters. All of them. Then clams. I need Korean red ginseng, duck eggs, and single clove garlic. Now!”
Dion did not move. His eyes blinked in confusion. His mouth opened slightly.
“I apologize, Madam. Oysters. Ginseng. Duck eggs. Those are ingredients that are...” Dion squeaked.
“Why? Do you object?” Agatha glared, her voice sharp.
Agatha took a large kitchen knife from the wooden rack. She twirled the knife in her hand with a fluid movement. Her old habit when holding a dagger was hard to lose.
“Not at all, Madam.” Dion swallowed hard. His face started to turn red, his steps retreating slowly away from Agatha. “Those are ingredients with very strong properties. I mean they are usually eaten to increase adult male stamina.”
Agatha smiled. A smile that made the hair on Dion's neck stand up.
“Very smart of you, Dion. That is exactly the goal. It just so happens your master said he was weak. He needs nutritional intake that can pump his blood. So I will make a special stamina-boosting menu for him.”
“But, Madam. Master Xavier has an important meeting today. His schedule is very tight until the afternoon. If he eats all of that he could get overheated in the middle of the meeting. It is dangerous.”
“That is exactly what I want.”
Agatha started chopping garlic at high speed. The sound of the knife hitting the wooden cutting board was rhythmic.
Chop chop chop chop. The cuts were very thin and precise.
“Let him learn a lesson. He thinks he can order me around as he pleases via text message. He thinks I am a food courier.”
Her mouth grumbled but her hands moved deftly. Dion could only resign himself. He did not dare argue with the woman holding a sharp knife with a terrifying smile. Dion immediately ran to get the ingredients Agatha requested.
Half an hour later the spacious kitchen was filled with a pungent aroma. The fishy smell of the sea from oysters and clams mixed with the bitter yet warming herbal scent of ginseng.
Agatha cooked seriously. She did not look like a wife cooking with love. She looked more like a mad scientist concocting a dangerous potion.
“These oysters must be half-cooked so the effect is maximized.”
Agatha mumbled to herself while flipping the oysters on the grill. She squeezed lemon over them. Smoke billowed carrying a fresh yet fishy scent.
“Then this ginseng soup must be concentrated. Very concentrated.”
She stirred the small pot containing pitch-black broth. Just the smell of it could make the body feel hot.
Dion stood in the corner of the kitchen. He watched Agatha with a horrified look. He imagined his master eating all of that in an air-conditioned office. The effect would surely be like a nuclear explosion inside the body.
“Finally done.”
Agatha turned off the stove. She wiped a little sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. Before her now lay a luxurious three-tier lunch box in black and gold.
Level one contained grilled oysters with lemon sauce. Level two contained concentrated red ginseng soup. Level three contained three half-boiled duck eggs sprinkled with black pepper.
“This is not lunch, Madam. This is a time bomb,” Dion finally dared to comment, he was panicked.
Agatha closed the lunch box.
“Just consider this a form of attention from a wife who loves her husband very much. Is that not right, Dion?”
Agatha stared at Dion sharply. Emphasizing the word 'very'. Dion hurriedly nodded.
“Correct, Madam is indeed very attentive.”
“Prepare the car. I will get ready for a moment. Do not let the engine get cold when I come down.”
Agatha left the kitchen with wide strides. She could not possibly leave in this bathrobe. She needed the perfect costume. Something that looked innocent, simple, and pathetic. A costume suitable for the role of a village wife she was about to play.
Ten minutes later Agatha came down. Her silk robe had been replaced by a simple knee-length dress that was slightly dull in color and an old-fashioned long coat. Her hair was tied carelessly.
Agatha carried the lunch box and walked out toward the car with a crooked smile.
Dion sighed deeply while looking at his young mistress's back. He clutched his chest waiting for the storm to come.
“God protect Master Xavier. He married a terrifying woman or perhaps the perfect woman to balance Master Xavier's craziness.”
Dion immediately ran to catch up with Agatha and opened the car door. He knew very well that his young mistress did not like waiting.