"Stella's point of view,"
"Stella, are you sure you're going to join my grandparents for dinner tonight?" Surprisingly, he looked at me.
"Of course.
Don't you want me to join them for dinner?" I understood his expression of astonishment, but I replied sarcastically because I didn't want to tell him the true reason for my agreement with his request.
"But your flight?" He was still looking at me, perplexed by my fast decision.
"Ethan, I believe your grandmother invited us to dinner; therefore, I believe we should eat breakfast first thing in the morning." I ignored his query.
My stomach complained about breakfast because I hadn't eaten dinner properly the night before.
"Oh, so Mrs. Woods is hungry, then go to the kitchen and prepare breakfast for both of us." He gestured for me to follow him into the kitchen.
"Why would I prepare breakfast?
Don't you have servants in your home?"
He already knows that I have a sprained leg, so how could he expect me to cook?
"No, I don't have maids; instead, I have one house cleaner who comes twice a week to clean my house." My query did not anger him, and to my surprise, he responded calmly.
Whoa, am I dreaming?
"So, the great Ethan Woods didn't even have maids?
How is this even possible?"
"Mrs. Woods, I appreciate having peace of mind and not having to rely on others for my work. To protect my privacy, I didn't let anyone in. You are the very first person I have ever brought to this place."
What?
Was I the first person to enter his home? I can't believe it.
See, I told you he wasn't as horrible as you thought. My subconscious praised Ethan once more.
"Leave it. Since I am your guest, you must prepare breakfast for me." His eyes fixate on my face, causing a strange sensation in my body.
He had this odd, emotion-filled stare at me today. When I emerged from the restroom, he looked at me with awe, as if he were a child witnessing magic.
I think he finds something special about me today. I looked in the mirror and saw no apparent changes in my face.
He didn't blink as he fixed his long gaze on my reflection in the mirror.
I'm not sure why I believed he had lost his way. To jolt him out of his thoughts, I had to wave my hand.
There was a hint of melancholy on his face when I told him I was ready to leave New York.
I, too, do not want to leave him behind, but I don't have an excuse to stay with him. He asked me to go to supper with his grandparents, and I said yes right away, canceling my ticket.
"We will eat breakfast at dinner, Mrs. Woods, if you are standing here like a statue." When I heard his taunt, my mental bubble burst.
"Alright, then I'll just prepare my breakfast." I covered my business suit with an apron.
"You must cook for me, though." His face gives me the impression of a little child.
"I'm not your maid. I prepare food for myself."
In the past, I hated conversing with him. Before, I was averse to even looking him in the face, but now I enjoy arguing with him.
"Stella, since you are my spouse, you must prepare my meals."
"What kind of logic is this?" I shrugged my shoulders and opened the fridge door.
"A good wife cooks food for her husband."
He is not Ethan Woods; he is someone else. I mean, the way he has been continuously staring at me since morning. I experienced a very strange sensation in my body.
"Mr. Woods, I am sorry, but I am not interested in proving that I am a nice wife. Furthermore, we are wasting time discussing this pointless matter because I am not even your wife; I am only the one you have contracted with." The realization that our marriage would dissolve in less than a year sent a ping of pain through my heart.
"I will only let you eat breakfast, Mrs. Woods, if you share it with me." Considering that he is an excellent chef already, I don't understand why he is demanding that I prepare meals for him.
"Alright, tell me what you would like to eat for breakfast."
Because of his puppy eyes' intensity, I conceded defeat in our never-ending fight.
"Pancakes." He grinned like a child.
"Okay, wait outside, and I'll get you some pancakes." I poured pancake batter into a bowl.
"No, I'm not going anywhere; instead, I'll sit here and watch you cook." He sat on a stool near the kitchen island.
"Why?"
I am sure something is wrong with this man.
"I don't want to eat too much chilly this time."
Oh, I see. I had assumed he was just looking to spend time with me, but I now know why he was sitting here. What more are you expecting from him? You did him no favors by putting red chili in his lunch that day. So, how do you expect him to trust you again? My subconscious reminds me of the prank that I played on Ethan.
Well, you're right. However, why is he staring at me right now? His thorough gaze over my body caused it to heat up.
"Ethan, are you here to watch a cooking show?" To cook a pancake, I pour batter into the pan.
"What do you mean?" Amazed, he glanced in my direction.
"The way you were staring at me gave the impression that you were learning how to make pancakes."
"Stella, you did not inform me that you devote your free time to hosting a cooking show."
Oh, he's now using my sarcasm against me.
"Ethan, don't try to change the topic; tell me why you are staring at me."
I glared at him.
"Ouch…,"I turned the pancake with my fingers because I was so focused on disputing with him.
"Stella, are you alright?" He leaped off his stool and grabbed my hand to examine my burned finger.
What's happened to him?
Why does he care about me so much? After all, where is the great, haughty Ethan Woods?
The man I see in front of me is kind, humble, and caring.
"You go sit on the stool, and I'll make the rest of the pancakes." He started to pour the batter into the pan after tying an apron around his waist.
I sat on the stool, gazing at him in awe. He works as a professional chef. Something about his cooking drew me in.
He looks like a supermodel working in the kitchen.
Oh my god, what's wrong with me? How can I drool over him like a teenager? I questioned my subconscious.
It may be because you start liking him. Oh no, that's not possible.
Upon hearing my subconscious, I frantically bite my already charred finger.