Chapter 14 14
Jenna's POV:
I still couldn't process what Evelyn had just said and my brain felt like it had frozen for a moment.
“I… I’ll cook lunch?” I muttered under my breath, staring at her in disbelief. But before I could process the absurdity of the situation further, Luna Elsa’s voice cut sharply across the room.
“What the hell are you saying, Evelyn?” Elsa’s tone was crisp, almost scandalized. “We have maids and staff around here who could handle the cooking.”
Evelyn waved a hand dismissively. “Come on now, Elsa. She’s a woman and she’s going to be a wife tomorrow, so she needs to learn all these things.”
Elsa’s jaw tightened. “There is basically no need for her to learn all these things when I don’t even cook. Besides, we have maids in the house for that, so why should she?”
“Well.” Evelyn said, leaning slightly forward. “That’s probably what you want for yourself. But what I want for my son is for her to know how to cook because I want to see what she can do and what she can’t do. And the things she can’t do, I will gladly teach her as her future mother-in-law.”
I opened my mouth, ready to protest, but Caesar stepped forward. “Mother, you have no right to force Jenna to do what she doesn’t want to do. Besides, she’s perfect for me whether she can cook or not. Her worth is not measured by whether she can stir a pot or not because she’s more than that.”
Evelyn’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t back down. “Well, for you, she’s acceptable. But as her mother-in-law, she is not suitable if she cannot cook.”
I felt Caesar’s tension radiate from him, and I knew he wanted to lash out so I took a deep breath and forced myself to intervene. “It’s fine.” I said, raising a hand. “I’ll handle the lunch. I’ll cook.”
Elsa exhaled in relief. “No, you don’t have to do it.”
“I want to.” I said firmly. “It’s not a big deal.”
Caesar’s face softened and he said, “I’ll help you.”
Before I could respond, Evelyn frowned. “You don’t even know how to cook.”
Caesar turned to her, eyes blazing. “You don’t need to know how to cook to help someone, you just need to know how to be helpful.”
“When have you ever been helpful?” Evelyn shot back.
“Maybe I want to start now.” Caesar said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Then turned to me, taking my hands in his, and said softly. “Let’s go to the kitchen.”
I smiled at him, tilting my head toward Evelyn. “Do you have any preferences, allergies, or anything you can’t eat?”
Elsa spoke first. “The Alpha can’t eat seafood, especially shrimp.”
“And I have no allergies.” Evelyn said.
“What about you, Elsa?” I asked again.
“I don’t have any allergies either.” She replied.
“Jericho hates garlic.” Evelyn mentioned casually and I gave her a side glance, internally wondering how she knew, but I didn’t care. Instead, I headed to the kitchen, Caesar following closely.
The kitchen was a whirlwind of activity with maids already moving about, chopping, arranging, and preparing ingredients. I clapped my hands lightly to get their attention. “I’ll be taking over lunch today. Just tell me where the things like the appliances, and the food items are.”
One of the maids nodded, pointing to a storage room tucked in the corner. “Every food item you might need is in there and the appliances are all over the counters.” She said. “If you need help, just ask.”
“I’m fine.” I said, giving Caesar a pointed look. “I have my assistant here.” I added, smiling at him.
Caesar smirked, and the maids exchanged a surprised glance before quietly leaving us to our work. Then I found two aprons and helped Caesar into his before pulling mine on over his shoulder, —he chuckled at the intimacy of it, and I laughed.
We started chopping vegetables, Caesar clumsily handling the knife. “Why is this so slippery?” he muttered, and I laughed, gently guiding his hands.
“You’re pressing too hard.” I observed. “Here, watch me.”
He mimicked me, still wobbling, and nearly dropped a tomato. I caught it just in time, laughing as he feigned a dramatic bow.
“See? It’s all about control, not strength.” I teased.
Then we moved to the stove where Caesar tried to stir the sauce and ended up splashing a little. I gasped, and he froze. “Sorry! I didn’t…”
I grabbed the spoon from him and we both laughed as I guided him back. “It’s okay.” I said while he leaned behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist for balance as I stirred, then he whispered. “I like helping you like this.”
I tilted my head back, smiling at him. “I like it too.”
As the aromas filled the kitchen, we worked in tandem from grating cheese, chopping herbs, and stirring sauces. Occasionally, one of us would toss a piece of vegetable to the other, laughing when it missed the mark. Caesar leaned close to taste the sauce, grimacing. “I think it needs more salt.” He announced.
I shook my head, sprinkling in a little more. “You’ll ruin it if you keep tasting everything.”
“Then let me just taste one more time!” He pleaded, making me laugh so hard I nearly dropped the pan.
I spun around to thank him for holding a particularly slippery bowl, and our faces were suddenly so close I could feel his breath. My heart raced, and he leaned in. I thought about the kiss we had shared in the room before, and I slowly closed my eyes, but then someone cleared their throat.
We both jerked back to see Beta Nathan stood at the doorway, arms crossed. I wiped my hands on my apron and said. “Do you need something, Nathan?”
“Yes.” He said, sounding serious. “I wanted to talk to you about something important.”
“Okay, come in.” I said, but he shook his head. “I need to speak with you in private because the maids and staff are around and they could overhear.”
I glanced at Caesar. “I’m almost done cooking. Can it wait a few minutes?”
“It’s important.” Nathan said firmly.
I sighed, turning off the stove and following him, with Caesar at my side. We walked to a secluded area of the estate. Nathan asked Caesar to wait a few feet away, but he refused until I gave a pleading look.
Nathan finally spoke. “My doctor friend just told me that Caesar’s treatment will be starting soon, so I just wanted to thank you for holding on this long. And I also wanted to let you know that you’ll only have to wait a little longer, but it won’t be long. Everything will be sorted soon.”
“I’m glad I can help. Thank you for letting me know.” I smiled, relieved. “You should join us for lunch once it’s ready.”
“I would love to.” Nathan replied. “But I have an errand to run. I actually came to meet the Alpha, but I decided to drop by and inform you first.”
“Okay, then maybe next time you can taste my food.” I said with a grin.
“Hopefully.” He replied, then turned and left.
We returned to the kitchen. Caesar followed, still smirking. I handed him a dish towel, and we set to work preparing the table and plates for serving. Afterwards we stepped into the living room to find a maid who could help arrange the dining hall when Evelyn called out. “Where are you going?”
“I want to call a maid to help set up the dining hall.” I replied.
“No need.” Evelyn said. “The table is being set outside in the garden so Just assist the maid when they arrive.”
Almost immediately, two maids appeared, ready to take the prepared food outside. I followed them back to the kitchen, carefully carrying the trays and plates to a long table set up in the garden, big enough for six people. Caesar trailed behind me, his hands occasionally brushing mine as we arranged the food and silverware.
I turned to him. “You wait here while I finish arranging, okay?”
He gave a small pout but nodded while I worked quickly to organize the plates, trays, and cutlery. Soon, the Alpha and Luna Elsa arrived, holding hands. Evelyn followed, but Jericho was nowhere in sight.
Caesar and I were still wearing aprons, so I said. “Excuse us, we’ll just drop these off.”
Evelyn waved dismissively. “No need. Just hand them to the maid.”
We removed our aprons and handed them over, then the four of them, including Caesar, sat down at the table while I began serving everyone, making sure each plate had the right portions, passing dishes around, explaining each one as I went.
Just as everyone was seated and I was arranging the last plate, Evelyn announced abruptly. “I’m not eating. I suddenly don’t feel like it.” I froze, hands hovering over a plate, my mind trying to process the unexpected twist as everyone else looked on silently.