Chapter 6 Poison
Frederick stopped teasing her. "No worries, I get a housing allowance from work, so rent's not really a problem."
Hearing this, Xandra felt a wave of relief.
"Your company's benefits are pretty awesome."
Just then, Frederick's phone buzzed.
It was his assistant, reminding him about an important business cocktail party.
After the call, Frederick pulled a card from his wallet.
"Here's five hundred grand for the bride price. I've got some business to handle, so I need to head out."
Xandra took the card, feeling a bit uneasy.
He had given the bride price, and she felt she should give something in return, but she had nothing at the moment.
She decided to wait until she saved some money.
"Take my number. Call me if you need anything."
Frederick recited his phone number.
Xandra quickly saved the number in her phone and called it back.
"This is my number."
Frederick glanced at it, acknowledged it with a nod, and then walked out.
As the door closed, Xandra looked around the unfamiliar place, biting her lip.
Was this where her new life would begin?
Her feelings were mixed.
She tried to steady herself and walked into the master bedroom.
The master bedroom was a suite, decorated in black, white, and gray, exuding a sense of cold elegance, much like its owner.
She hesitated for a moment, deciding not to move her luggage into the master bedroom just yet and instead pushed it into a guest room.
"Mommy, it's a bit small here."
"Mommy, how are we going to live here?"
The three little ones, after exploring the rooms, ran to Xandra.
They were used to living in a large house with a backyard and pool.
Xandra softly said, "We'll live just like before. Chuck gets one room, and Beth and Maggie share a room."
"Oh, so Mommy will share a room with Mr. Flores?"
Faced with her daughter's bright eyes, Xandra felt a bit awkward.
She changed the subject, "When Mommy makes some money, I'll buy you a bigger house."
"Making money is a man's job."
Charles said with a stern face.
He regretted letting Mommy marry Raymond because Raymond seemed to be broke and couldn't support Mommy!
It looked like he would have to make money to support Mommy in the future!
"Men and women are equal, don't be so chauvinistic."
Xandra ruffled Charles's hair with a smile.
"Mommy, I'm hungry."
"Mommy, me too."
The two daughters rubbed their tummies.
Xandra's smile faltered for a moment, then she said, "Mommy will check the fridge for ingredients and make something delicious for you."
The two little girls quickly looked at Charles and shook their heads vigorously.
Charles's usually expressionless face showed a crack.
"Mommy, how about we order takeout?"
Mommy's cooking... was not something they were eager to eat!
They didn't want to eat the dark cuisine!
"Takeout is expensive. Mommy needs to save money for your schooling."
The three kids fell silent.
They didn't want to go to school!
They wanted takeout!
...
At The Chef's Loft, a private dining restaurant.
Frederick was in a private room, chatting with some clients.
His phone rang on the table.
Frederick picked it up casually, "Who is this?"
"Mr. Flores, it's Maggie."
A small, tearful voice came through the phone.
Frederick's brow furrowed instinctively, and he stood up, walking out of the room.
"Maggie, why are you crying? Tell me, who bullied you?"
"It's Mommy, she..."
Xandra?
Frederick was surprised, "Did your Mommy hit you?"
"I'm afraid to say."
Afraid to say?
Xandra seemed so gentle and kind, could she be mistreating the kids behind closed doors?
Frederick's face darkened, "Maggie, don't be scared. Tell me what happened. I'll back you up."
"Mr. Flores, we're going to be poisoned by Mommy! Ugh!"
Frederick's face turned serious. "Your Mommy is poisoning you?"
"Mommy won't order takeout. She made us some awful food that tastes like poison!"
Frederick fell silent, trying to process the situation.
...
Back at Riverside Estates, in the kitchen.
Xandra had no idea her daughter had tattled on her.
She looked at the mess on the marble countertop, feeling a headache coming on.
She had been pampered by her parents growing up and never had to cook, a typical rich girl who didn't do housework.
But after her parents' accident, she tried cooking a few times, but she was probably just a domestic disaster, with no talent for cooking at all.
She had followed the cooking tutorial video, but the dishes she made were simply awful.
Xandra sighed, picking up a plate of charred BBQ ribs and dumping it into the trash.
She had wanted to make a plate of sweet and smoky ribs, but they turned out overly sweet and burnt.
And the cheddar cheese scrambled eggs she tried to make were so salty and bitter, it was like salt and pepper had a party in the pan and forgot to invite flavor.
Even the simplest sautéed spinach with garlic had unwashed grit in the leaves!
She was truly a kitchen disaster!
Xandra frowned, swallowing the bitterness in her mouth, and quickly dumped all the dishes into the trash.
The kids were still hungry, so it seemed she had no choice but to order takeout.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Xandra, cleaning up the kitchen, called out, "Chuck, go check the door."
In the living room, the three kids were sitting on the couch.
Hearing the doorbell, Elizabeth and Margaret looked excited.
"Chuck, it must be Mr. Flores sending us food!"
"Yes, Chuck, go open the door!"
Charles responded, dragged a chair to the door, then stood on it to look through the peephole.
It was Frederick's assistant, Aiden Wood, holding two large bags.
They had met him at the Russell Group Building that morning, so Charles recognized him.
He climbed down from the chair and opened the door.
"Hello, sir."
Seeing the three kids again, Aiden, as Frederick's special assistant, felt complicated.
He hadn't expected his boss to marry a stranger so quickly, and the bride was a single mom with three kids!
But the kids were so adorable that he couldn't help but want to take one home.
So the kids had definitely won points for the new Mrs. Russell.
"You're Chuck, and you two are Beth and Maggie, right?"
Aiden greeted the kids.
"Yes, sir."
Margaret replied.
Aiden said gently, "I'm Aiden Wood, a friend of Mr. Flores. He's busy with clients, so he asked me to bring you some food."
Frederick had ordered some dishes from The Chef's Loft and asked Aiden to buy some snacks for the kids, instructing him not to reveal his identity and to say he was a friend.
Aiden didn't know what Frederick was planning, but he followed orders.
"Wow, so much good food!"
Elizabeth and Margaret's eyes lit up at the sight of the food.
"Please come in."
Charles, trying to act mature, invited Aiden in with a serious face.
"Chuck, who is it?"
In the kitchen, Xandra poked her head out.
"Mommy, Mr. Flores's friend brought us some food," Charles said.
Hearing this, Xandra quickly dried her hands and came out of the kitchen.
"Hello, I'm Xandra Cavendish."
Aiden's first impression was that Xandra was very beautiful.
Was his boss's sudden marriage driven by attraction?
He quickly greeted her, "Hello, I'm Aiden Wood. Mr. Russell is busy, so he asked me to bring you some food."
The mention of "Mr. Russell" made Xandra's eyes flash with confusion.
"Mr. Russell?"
Was he referring to the head of the Russell Group?
Did that Mr. Russell send the food?