Chapter 8 Dissatisfied with This Marriage
As soon as Frederick walked through the door, he was greeted by a cacophony of excited voices.
The place was buzzing.
This feeling was quite new to him.
He opened the shoe cabinet and grabbed a pair of men's slippers. His eyes scanned a row of tiny shoes and a pair of women's shoes, and a faint smile played on his lips.
"Mr. Flores is back!"
"Mr. Flores!"
Elizabeth and Margaret saw Frederick and immediately ran over to hug his legs.
Frederick's lips lifted slightly as he patted their little heads with his large hand.
"What are you up to?"
"We're helping Mommy string beads to sell for money!" they eagerly replied.
Was this... child labor?
Frederick raised an eyebrow. "You can help with that?"
"Yes, yes, we're really good at it!"
"Yeah, we want to help Mommy make more beads, earn more money, and buy lots of yummy food!"
The two kids each grabbed one of Frederick's hands and pulled him towards the dining room.
"Mr. Flores, come help us, okay?"
Help with crafts?
Frederick didn't commit, letting the two kids lead him slowly over.
In the dining room, Xandra put down her work and stood up to greet him.
Seeing her daughters pulling Frederick to help, she quickly said, "Oh, there's no need."
"Mommy, with one more person, we'll finish faster!" Beth said.
Xandra replied, "Mr. Flores is a man. He hasn't done this kind of delicate work before. Let's not trouble him."
Frederick glanced at her. "Like your cooking, not quite up to par, huh?"
That was a jab!
Xandra's lips moved, but she couldn't find a retort.
For a moment, her pretty face flushed.
Frederick's lips curled silently as he scanned the table, noticing a couple of completed jewelry pieces. His eyes flashed with surprise.
"Did you make these?"
Xandra had made a red agate necklace and some real flower resin earrings.
They were exquisite and had a high-end feel.
He had thought she was just a woman who couldn't do housework. Who knew she had such skills?
"Yes, I made them," Xandra said.
Frederick toyed with the necklace and commented, "You seem pretty handy. How come you can't cook?"
Xandra remained silent.
Meeting Frederick's teasing gaze, she felt at a loss for words.
Was there a necessary connection between doing crafts and cooking?
No one said that if you're good at crafts, you have to be good at cooking, right?
"Mr. Flores, don't talk about my mommy like that. Mommy doesn't need to know how to cook. She's not here to be our maid," Charles interjected suddenly.
Frederick had only been joking, not expecting Charles to take it so seriously.
He looked down at the little guy's serious face, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes.
This kid gave him the vibe of someone who thinks, "I can bully my own, but if anyone else tries, I'll fight them to the end."
He teased, "Who called me for help at noon?"
It wasn't him who called!
Charles was momentarily speechless and awkwardly looked at his two sisters.
"It was me and Beth! We called Mr. Flores behind Mommy's back!" Margaret quickly raised her hand.
"Yeah, Mr. Flores, the food Mr. Wood sent was really yummy," Beth said in her sweet voice.
Frederick's lips curled silently.
These kids were cute and sensible, especially Charles, who even defended his mother.
This showed that Xandra had taught them well.
And it also showed they had good genes.
He wondered who their biological father was!
"What are we having for dinner?" Frederick changed the subject.
"There's a lot of food left from what Aiden sent at noon. We didn't finish it all," Xandra said, feeling inexplicably guilty.
Frederick's brows furrowed instinctively. "You're planning to feed them leftovers?"
"Some dishes weren't touched, so it's not really leftovers..."
Frederick's look made Xandra swallow the rest of her words.
How could someone who was just an assistant have such a piercing gaze?
Maybe he picked it up from spending so much time with his boss?
"Mr. Flores, Mommy can't cook. If you don't want us to eat leftovers, why don't you make dinner?" Charles chimed in again.
Frederick raised an eyebrow.
This kid was the first to dare order him to cook!
It seemed Charles had some hostility towards him?
Of course, Frederick didn't know that Charles wasn't very happy with the match he himself had arranged.
Charles thought his mom, beautiful and kind-hearted, deserved a handsome and wealthy husband.
It was his oversight that led to finding her a poor husband.
If he had found the CEO of the Russell Group, his mom wouldn't have to cook or work so hard!
"How about I make you some noodles?" Frederick suggested.
Xandra thought Frederick didn't look like someone who could cook.
Maybe his cooking would be even worse than hers.
Besides, although they were married, they were practically strangers.
How could they let a stranger cook for her and her kids?
"No! I want to eat leftovers!"
"Yeah, leftovers!"
Elizabeth and Margaret protested in unison.
Xandra felt embarrassed.
Did her daughters have to be so dismissive of her?
She couldn't cook, but she could at least make some passable noodles, right?
"Mr. Flores, do you know how to cook? If not, don't act all high and mighty criticizing Mommy," Charles said seriously.
Criticize?
He didn't seem to have really criticized Xandra, did he?
This Charles couldn't stand seeing his mother being slighted at all, huh?
"Wait here, I'll cook."
Frederick unbuttoned his shirt sleeves, rolling them up to reveal a bit of his muscular forearm.
Xandra's eyes widened.
He... really knew how to cook?
It didn't seem likely!
"Wow, Mr. Flores can cook! That's awesome!"
Beth clapped her soft little hands, looking excited.
"Yeah, if Mr. Flores can cook, we won't have to eat Mommy's terrible food anymore!" Maggie giggled.
Xandra stayed silent.
"Don't get too excited yet. He might just be bluffing. Maybe his cooking will be worse than Mommy's," Charles said.
Xandra noticed that Charles seemed dissatisfied with Frederick.
She bent down slightly, holding his small shoulders, and spoke softly.
"Chuck, Mommy knows you care about me, but you should still be polite to Mr. Flores. After all, he gave us a home."
Charles lifted his little chin.
"Let's see how he does!"
This marriage was something Raymond had sought out himself.
Since Raymond married his mom, he should take on the responsibility of taking care of her.
If Raymond couldn't do it to his satisfaction, he could help his mom find a new husband!
"Chuck, help Mommy tidy up the table. Mommy will go help Mr. Flores in the kitchen."
Xandra affectionately patted his little head and turned to walk to the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Frederick was rummaging through the fridge, pulling out a few ingredients.
"If you don't know how to cook, don't force yourself. You're a man; it's normal not to cook. The kids won't laugh at you," Xandra said gently as she walked in.
"Hand me the apron," Frederick said, tossing a piece of pork belly into the sink without looking up.
Seeing he was serious about cooking, Xandra didn't say more.
She took the apron hanging on the wall and walked over to him.
"Lower your head."
Frederick glanced at her and slightly lowered his head.
He was tall, about 6'2".
Xandra was 5'6", a good half a head shorter.
She stood on tiptoe to put the apron on him.
As he lowered his head, a fresh, pleasant scent wafted over.
Xandra instinctively looked up and noticed a small black mole near his ear, particularly noticeable under the light.
That small black mole, Lucius had one near his ear too.
Back then...