Upon seeing Zara, she felt a wave of disgust wash over her, making her reluctant to even glance in her direction. The attention Zara received from the family members only added to her irritation, prompting her to raise her voice as she expressed her feelings.
With that, she stepped forward, her expression shifting to one of playful cheer as she teased, "Brother, you look like a duck caught in a dust storm!" She playfully poked Jack with her finger and burst into laughter.
Jack didn't show much of a reaction, but when he noticed the other family members watching him, he couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed and scratched his head awkwardly.
Kylie turned to Jack and, moving closer to Zara, asked, "Did you hurt yourself anywhere, Jack?"
Jack gently shook his head and replied, "No, Mom. I'm fine," maintaining a serene expression.
Kylie acknowledged him with a nod, then took a damp cloth from Ava to wipe Zara's hands and face. With a concerned tone, she said, "If you need anything, just let the servants know, Lia. Why put yourself through this stress? What if you got hurt?"
Zara looked at her mother and, feeling a bit embarrassed, said, "I'm sorry, Mom, sorry, Dad. I didn't think it would turn out like this."
Although she had realized years ago that cooking wasn't her strong suit, she hadn't attempted anything in the kitchen since then, hoping that maybe this time she could manage it better.
Who would have imagined that after all these years, she could still stir up such a mess, even with her brother's assistance?
She was puzzled about what was going on with her. She could pick up any new skill quickly, but when it came to cooking, it just didn't seem to click for her.
"Oh, Lia. It's okay. The important thing is that no one got hurt," Kylie reassured her, gently patting the back of Zara's hands with a warm smile.
Andrew watched his obedient daughter and smiled back, saying, "Why are you apologizing, Lia? You're just trying to learn, and that's perfectly fine. If you need help, feel free to ask us or anyone else in the house. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. And mainly you don't have to do those things. If you want something just ask."
Zara gave a nod to her parents, allowing her mom to take the lead while she chose to remain quiet. Observing the mix of concern and smiles on her family's faces, she felt a strong urge not to add to their worries.
She made up her mind to stay out of the kitchen, even though hunger gnawed at her. The last thing she wanted was to drag her family into her cooking mishaps. The thought was simply unbearable.
Zara replayed the scene in her mind and shook her head, dismissing the idea once more.
Noticing her daughter's gesture, Andrew quickly grasped her thoughts, and a warm smile spread across his face. As he turned to glance at his youngest son, his smile shifted to a hint of annoyance. He stepped forward, followed closely by his other two sons, Adam and the rest.
Andrew turned to Jack, his tone icy as he asked, "You know what you're capable of. Can't you wake us up and let us handle this? Why did you let Lia take the lead? What if she got hurt?"
He kept his voice low, aware that if his daughter caught wind of him reprimanding Jack, she would jump in to defend him and take the blame herself.
Jack glanced at the three men facing him, their glares sharp enough to feel like daggers, and he swallowed hard, sensing the atmosphere had grown significantly chillier.
"Dad, I tried to stop Lia..." Before he could get the words out, Hendry, losing his temper, hit him on the back of the head.
Alan, without uttering a word, mercilessly kicked Jack's calf, causing him to cry out in agony, though he refrained from yelling and simply clutched his injured leg.
"What do you mean 'try'? If you couldn't manage to stop Lia, you should have reached out to one of us. Do you really think you're the best cook, or that you can handle everything in the kitchen?" Hendry continued to barrage Jack with questions, leaving him at a loss for words.
He wasn't really surprised by Hendry's questions, but he was at a loss for words on how to get out of this mess. It was clear to him that there was no escape from the people surrounding him.
Olivia, watching everything unfold, was taken aback by how her family reacted.
Her face went pale, and she was completely expressionless as she absorbed their words.
She just couldn't wrap her head around why Zara was getting so much love from the family. Even when Zara was the one who messed up, Jack was the one getting yelled at, while Zara seemed to be getting all the affection.
Over the years, even if she hadn't been involved in anything like that, she always sensed that her dad wouldn't let her off the hook if something went down. The thought of what Andrew might say or how he'd react scared her to death.
But now, as she watched her family fussing over Zara, her anger bubbled up, and her face went white as she struggled to accept what was happening.
She wanted to stand up for Jack, who was at a loss for words and wanted to shift the blame to Zara and make the family members hate her more, but the serious expressions on the faces of the three people in front of her, including Hendry—who rarely got mad—made her pause and reconsider.
Out of the three, only Hendry is chill enough to have a nice chat with her, while their dad and older brother always seem so serious, making her hesitant to ask them anything.
After giving Jack a little talk, the trio headed over to Zara, reminding her to wash up before bed. Andrew also took a moment to give Mark some pointers, while Kylie told Zara to reach out if she needed anything.
Once Kylie wrapped up her conversation with Zara, she turned to Olivia and said calmly, "Olivia, you should go get some rest too."
Olivia nodded at Kylie but stayed put, watching the others head up the stairs with smiles on their faces.
As they walked away, Jack turned to Zara and raised his voice, pretending to be mad, "You, you, you... do you see what just happened?!"
Zara's face shifted slightly as she glanced at her brother, her long, delicate eyelashes fluttering as she replied, a bit shyly, "I'm sorry, Brother."
Seeing his sister's adorable expression, Jack's pretense of anger faded away, and he found it hard to keep up the act of scolding her.
Although Zara appeared quite frosty and seemed difficult to approach, she was actually very warm-hearted with her family. Even her family liked her chilly and warm exterior and didn't let it bother them too much.
With a sigh, he said, "Alright... go wash up before heading to bed." He then turned to head back to his room.
As he walked, he glanced back and remarked, "Make sure you don't stay up too late. Get some rest."