Chapter 211 Fine! Let's Kiss!

Chapter 211 Fine! Let's Kiss!
The lady had left the cafe after telling me everything that I needed to know for now. The alarm bells were ringing in my head, as even I thought something was not quite right in the story Lord Blackwood had been telling everyone.

The kitchen was buzzing with activity when I pushed through the doors. Amelia was at the stove, stirring something that smelled like heaven, while Marisa stood at the griddle looking completely lost in her own world.

"There you are," Amelia called out without turning around. "I was starting to wonder if you'd decided to ditch us for the day."

I was shocked that Amelia never told me anything about her mate being killed by a weredragon. I did know her mate was Lord Blackwood’s loyal servant once, but that’s about it.

I walked over to where Marisa was supposed to be cooking pancakes, but what I saw made me stop dead in my tracks. Three pancakes, all burned to a crisp, sat on the griddle while she just stared off into space.

"Looks like your mission is to make sure nobody eats here today," I said, trying to keep my tone light.

Marisa blinked like she was coming out of a trance. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and I could see tears threatening to spill over.

"Today's my birthday," she whispered, her voice so quiet I almost missed it.

I understood that maybe that’s why she was so down. I reached over and turned off the griddle before she could burn down the whole place.

"Well, happy birthday!" I said, forcing some enthusiasm into my voice. "We should definitely celebrate after work. Maybe grab some cake or—"

"No!" The word came out sharper than I think she intended. "I—I don't want to celebrate anymore."

Before I could ask what she meant, she was already untying her apron and heading for the back door. The bell chimed as she disappeared outside, leaving me standing there with three ruined pancakes and a growing pit in my stomach.

"Don't take it personally," Amelia said, suddenly appearing at my shoulder. "Come on, we need to get moving."

"We will first go to the Blackwood mansion and set up a section in the kitchen,” she yammered, echoing what she had kept from me in our last conversation.

"I thought we were taking the sweets from the bakery,” I frowned, following her on the road. It was exhausting at times to think we ladies are working our assess off and Ezra didn’t even give us enough to take a cab.

"That’s because I didn’t feel like explaining everything to you. We are preparing sweets for the—," she started talking, but my constant grunting made her shut up and turn around to stare at me. "Fine. I told them I would be bringing one of the servers with me, and I gave him your name. Alpha King—Noah then decided that we should cater his engagement ceremony with Mallory," she sighed, basically telling me that he purposely added extra work on us because he thought I would be jealous when watching him getting engaged to that rusty bum.

"Fine!" I shrugged, ready to jump straight into making Noah"s life miserable.

Amelia raised an eyebrow. "That's the spirit, I guess."

But as we loaded supplies into boxes, I couldn't shake the dread that was building in my chest. Going back to that house meant facing memories I wasn't ready for. It meant pretending Dominic was really gone when every part of me refused to believe it.

How does someone just disappear like that? I thought, my hands trembling as I packed napkins. One day they're there, and the next...

The car ride to the mansion felt both endless and too short. When we finally pulled through those familiar iron gates, I had to grip the seat to keep my hands steady. The gardens looked exactly the same—perfectly manicured lawns, white stone sculptures, the scent of lunch drifting from somewhere inside the mansion.

Everything was a remainder of my time here.

We were walking toward the main entrance when raised voices made us both freeze. Through the massive front doors, I could hear an argument in progress.

"He's not!" Ethan's voice was sharp with anger. "My brother is the one you beat to death. No matter how many bastards you produce from wherever you pull them from, I'm not going to have any other brothers."

My breath caught.

We watched through the glass as Lord Blackwood raised his hand like he was going to strike Ethan. But Ethan was faster, catching his father's wrist mid-swing.

Amelia sucked in a sharp breath beside me, but I couldn't look away.

"I'm not Dominic, Dad," Ethan said, his voice low and dangerous. "I won't take any hits from you."

He shoved Lord Blackwood's hand away and turned toward the door. That's when his eyes found mine through the glass.

The rain had started while we'd been watching, and Amelia's tiny umbrella wasn't doing much to keep us dry. Lord Blackwood stormed past us into the house, his face twisted with rage. Amelia quickly bowed and hurried after him with our supplies, leaving me standing alone in the downpour.

"Ember," Ethan said softly.

I couldn't lift my head. Couldn't meet his eyes. My heart was hammering so hard I was sure he could hear it.

"You're soaked," he pointed out, stepping closer.

"Your Highness," I managed, forcing myself into an awkward bow. The formal title tasted bitter on my tongue.

Ethan moved toward me, his hand reaching for my elbow like he wanted to pull me under the shelter of the entrance. But I jerked away before he could touch me.

"Don't do that," I said, shaking my head. "Don't get yourself in trouble because of me."

His face fell. "That's it? You think if you talk to me, I'll die too?"

I could see the hurt in his amber eyes, the confusion and frustration.

"What happened to the Ember who didn't care what anyone said or did?" he continued. "The one who stood up for herself?"

Tears mixed with the rain on my cheeks. "That Ember got the kindest, most amazing person in her life killed."

The words came out broken, raw. "I don't want anyone else to die because of me."

For a moment, we just stood there in the rain, staring at each other. Then Ethan stepped forward and cupped my face in his hands, his thumbs brushing away tears I didn't even realize I was crying.

"Ember—"

And then his lips were on mine.