Chapter 106

Cassia's muzzle longed as her husband and eldest son placed the plate on the table in front of her. Cassia didn't know what to say when she saw the determination on the faces of her husband and daughter, Thassia. Cassia could tell that it was a serious battle, but she didn't know why these two were doing this again.

Yes, it wasn't the first time. When Thassia was a toddler, she only cared about money, but when she started growing up, her fascination for cooking started as well. It was so sudden that they thought it was just a passing fancy for their eldest, but look at her now, even competing against her father.

"Ohhh!" A male voice from the kitchen door startled the three inside the kitchen. "A cooking battle—nice! Let me taste too!"

Cassia immediately looked at the newcomer, then smiled when she saw Cith, her fifteen-year-old son. Cith was born five years after Thassia.

"What are you fighting for, Dad, Sister?" Cith asked the two when he sat next to his mother.

Thorn smirked at his son. "A very important battle."

Thassia nodded in agreement. "Very important."

Cassia frowned at the two. "And that is?"

Thorn and Thassia smiled and answered at the same time, "A battle to determine who will be the dishwasher this week, of course!"

Both Cassia and Cith were stunned by the two in front. Cassia and Cith were looking at Thorn and Thassia like they were hopeless cases, but they didn't say anything. Why? Because they were used to this already. This was not the first useless battle that they had been into when it concerned these two.

Cith turned to his mother and asked in a whisper, "Mom, should we stop them?"

Cassia sighed and shook her head before smiling at Cith. "Let's just eat and judge their food. No use stopping them; let's just play along, okay, baby? "

Cith sighed at what he heard. His mother had always been soft and lenient when it came to his father and sister—well, even to me. That's just how his mother has been ever since. He guessed that she was nice and soft-spoken, but she could be mean sometimes, although she was not aware of it.

Cith sighed and looked at his big sister. "Sister, why do you always compete against Dad? And you never win? What's the point in battling when, undoubtedly, you'll be a dishwasher this week again?

"Shut it!" Thassia snapped at her brother. "Defeating and destroying Di is my ultimate goal in life!"

Cith grimaced when he heard, Thorn laughed, and Cassia just sat down on the table while watching her husband and children. The three were arguing again, but Cassia couldn't help smiling while watching them. It always warms her heart to see her family so lively every day. Even this cooking battle between father and daughter had become part of their bonding session every week, and Cassia couldn't be happier.

This was her dream—a family of her own. A rowdy but happy household. It's been more than two decades since she married Thorn, and every dream she had has been fulfilled. She was now a contented wife and mother.

"Mom! Did you hear Sister Thassia?" Cith reported to the mother, who was just watching. "She's trying to destroy Dad again."

Cassia just laughed softly and shrugged. "Just let her. Your daddy is not weak, you know."

Hearing that, Thorn grinned. "Thanks for the love, Cinnamon! I love you!"

"Don't mention it, hon. I love you too!"

Cith couldn't help but sigh again after hearing his parents' exchange. If there was one thing Cith was proud of but embarrassed at the same time about his parents, it was their public display of affection. His parents showed their love for each other so unrestrainedly that it sometimes cringed at them—their kids.

and Cith knew his big sister felt the same, because even at that moment, his sister was grimacing.

and their parents' display of affection again.

"Seriously, Mi and Di, you two are gross sometimes," Thassia commented to the parents with a frown.

"Don't say that," said the mother's soft voice as she smiled at Thassia. "I'll ground you, Tha-tha."

Thassia immediately froze. Between her Mimi and Didi, her Mimi was the scariest because grounding her means no car, no allowance, no money, no TV, no visit to her friends’ house, and no cooking. It's the worst! At the age of 21, Thassia feared being grounded by her very sweet mother.

Thorn sneered at the eldest son when he saw that he was instantly quiet. "What an understanding daughter..." Thorn teased his son.

Thassia's face immediately changed when she heard the father also sneer before answering, "What an understanding husband."

Cith snickered at the banter but stopped immediately when his father glared at him while his mom just chuckled softly at them. His mom always said that their father was the nicest and most loving man, but he and his big sister thought differently. Yes, their father was indeed nice, caring, and loving, but he was also a sly and sarcastic dad. A number one tease. Of course, their mom could put up with it because their father was always nice and doting to their mom, but not them. Yes, their father loves them, but they were also on the receiving end of his sarcasm and slyness.

Then their mom spoke: "Stop arguing. Let's just eat, okay?"

Of course, everyone nodded and agreed. Who would say no to their sweet and nice mother? No one! She was too nice to be antagonized.

And with that, they started judging the food in front of them.

The first one to taste was Cassia, followed by Cith. After a few seconds of tasting it, they had already decided on the winner.

"Sorry, Tha-tha, it's Hon's cooking for me."

"It's Dad's cooking as usual," Cith said in a contended voice.

Thassia immediately frowned, then looked at her father. "I will destroy you next week!"

Thorn just chuckled and chided. "Don't be a sore loser now, Tha-tha. Accept your defeat, and that was followed by Thorn's teasing laugh.

Thassia was very annoyed with her father. "I'm not a sore loser. I will destroy you next week! I promise!"

Thorn chuckled again with a smug and teasing smirk. "You said that last week. Sore loser."

"No!" Thassia was glaring at Thorn. "I hate you! Stop being annoying!"

Thorn just laughed and teased Thassia in a sing-song voice. "Sore loser. Sore loser. Sore loser. Thassia is a sore loser."

"Argh! I hate you!" Then he stomps out of the kitchen.

Thassia made Thorn laugh even more.

Cassia sighed at her husband. "Hon, stop annoying Tha-tha."

Thorn approached Cassia with a smile and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Let her be annoyed. After what she did to me when she was young—she's stubborn. I'm just taking revenge."

Cassia stared at her husband in disbelief. "How immature could you be?"

Thorn shrugged. "It's fun annoying her because she looks like you. You don't get angry at me, so I'll annoy our daughter instead."

Cassia shook her head while Cith was eating what was cooked by his father and was secretly thankful that he looked like his dad.

Then Thorn's attention went to Cith, who was silently eating the food he made. "How about you, little dude? Want to have a cooking match with me?"

Cith's shoulder immediately fell. "I don't even know how to make a scrambled egg."

that earned a sigh from Thorn. "For someone who likes to eat a lot, you should learn how to cook, little guy."

Cith immediately frowned at his father. "Dad, I'm not little anymore."

"You will always be little to me," Thorn immediately answered the son.

Cith just didn't answer. When it comes to his father, he can't have the last word.

because he had an immature father.

Sensing that his son had no plans to argue with him, Thorn sat on the table in front of his wife and son and then asked his son a question: "So, Cith, do you finally have a girlfriend?"

Cith did not look at the father who answered. "Nothing."

Thorn tsked. "You still haven't attracted your crush?"

Cith looked up and glared at his father. "I don't have a crush."

Thorn snorted. "Gosh, you're just stupid."

Cith's father narrowed his eyes at what he heard. "Who do I inherit from?"

Instead of being affected, Thorn sneered at his son. "So do you have a crush?"

Cith was about to deny what his father said when he felt his mother squeeze his cheek. "Aww, my son is going through puberty."

"Mommy!"

His mother kept pinching his cheek, like he was back to being a cute toddler. "My son is so cute. So, who is your crush, hmm?"

Cith looked away. "It's personal..."

His mother giggled and pinched his cheek again. "Aww... does your crush like you? Because if not, stop it. You're just wasting time."

Thorn laughed softly at what his wife said. "Cinnamon, don't be savage. You'll break our son's heart. For him to act like that, I'm sure the feeling is not mutual.”

Cith abruptly stood up and shouted, "Dad! I hate you!" Then he stormed off.

When Cith was out of the kitchen, Cassia gave her husband a stinkeye. "You're being mean, hon. Stop annoying our kids."