"Do you want to be a chef, darling?"
Eliza paused at the old lady's question. She glanced at her, stopping herself from whipping the cream in the glass bowl. "Pardon, Mamu?"
"I heard you graduated from a culinary school. Are you planning to be a chef?" Jalil's grandmother asked before eating the strawberry fool dessert that Eliza made for her.
Eliza just chuckled and shifted her gaze to the dessert she was making. "Honestly, I just enrolled myself there because no one in my family knows how to cook."
The old lady stared at Eliza's unexplainable expression. She was smiling, but it wasn't genuine. It seemed like there was something hidden behind that smile. "Is that so?"
Eliza nodded as a response. "My mom is really bad at cooking. My father is knowledgeable, but his cooking is not also that good. Well, at least he's better than mom. My brother's cooking skills are bearable, but I can't recommend them. His cooking should only be exclusive to us. But he's the best compared to my parents."
The old lady took another spoonful of her dessert and said, "Your mom seemed proud of it."
Eliza weakly chuckled. "Really?"
"Yes." The old lady put down her dessert and looked at her. "I'm guessing she was against it before?"
Eliza glanced at Jalil's grandmother and was surprised at how good she was at observing people. Jalil was right. His grandparents were keen on details.
"Yes. I was actually a rebellious child before, Mamu. She enrolled me in a medical school, but I didn't show up in class because I hated it. Instead, I enrolled myself in the culinary school. She kicked me out of the house after." Eliza chuckled.
"I didn't regret it, though," Eliza added as she took a taste of the whipped cream. "I found myself loving the kitchen."
Jalil's grandmother smiled at her response. "No wonder your mother was so proud of you. Why didn't you pursue it?"
"I did. But none of the restaurants I applied to accepted my application. Maybe this is my karma." Eliza laughed.
The old lady just chuckled, then stared at Eliza for a moment before finishing her dessert. "Are you interested in business?"
"What are you discussing, huh? It seemed serious!" The old man interrupted with a cheery voice as he came to the kitchen with Jalil, who was dressed formally.
The old lady looked at her grandson and knitted her brows. "Where are you going?"
"To the company, mama," Jalil responded, and then he ate the pancake that Eliza had prepared for him.
"I thought you're on leave?" The old lady asked.
"They called me for an emergency meeting. They need me there." Jalil replied as he finished his pancake and was about to fix himself, but he was stopped as his grandmother held his hand.
"Can you wait a little longer? Bring Eliza with you," the old lady said, which surprised them all.
"Honey, what are you saying?" The old man whispered, but his wife just ignored him.
She smiled at Eliza sweetly and said, "Enough of that, darling. Fix yourself. You will go with Jalil."
Eliza and Jalil stared at each other for a short moment, then she removed her apron after getting permission from Jalil's gaze. She immediately went to the bathroom to take a quick bath.
Jalil faintly sighed before asking his grandmother, "May I ask why you want her to come with me, mama?"
The old lady shrugged her shoulders. "I just feel like she must go with you. Who knows? She might like the environment there. Besides, she's your wife. She should know what her husband is doing, right?"
Jalil just kept quiet after. He knew his grandmother was trying to introduce Eliza to the business world. Although he wasn't sure about the exact reason, perhaps his grandmother saw something in Eliza that made her think she should be exposed to business.
Honestly, it was his grandmother who started Aversin Marketing, and his grandfather made it more successful, followed by his late father. Thus, his grandmother knew whether someone had potential in this field or not.
Jalil saw Eliza enter their room after her short bath. He picked up his phone and texted Jeffrey's number to inform him of what was happening in the house and also to ask for his help again. "Jeffrey will accompany you here while we're not around, mama."
The old lady shook her head. "No need for that. We can take care of ourselves."
"Yes. Yes. We're fine, son," his grandfather supported.
"Nope. I can't leave you without anyone around. We'll leave after he arrives," Jalil replied as he sat in the dining area. He looked at the strawberry fool and whipped cream, which Eliza left unfinished.
"You're eating sweets again, mama."
The old lady ignored what Jalil said and just stood up like she never heard anything. "I need a drink."
"Mama, don't ignore me."
"Do you have mineral water? I don't like tap water."
Jalil faintly sighed as his grandmother purposely asked him several questions, ignoring what he was trying to say to her. "Mama. Stop changing the subject."
"Oh! Eliza's done. Come here, darling. Gosh. You look gorgeous in that dress!" His grandma said, which caught all their attention.
He saw that Eliza was utterly stunning while wearing a sky-blue pleated dress with flowers all over its skirt. The dress was above her knee, and the sleeves were long enough to cover her elbows. The royal blue color of the flower design matched the color of her stiletto heels, which Vasquez bought for her.
"You dressed well, dear," Jalil's grandfather complimented before looking in Jalil's direction. "Isn't your wife beautiful, Jalil?"
Jalil instantly nodded in response. "She always is, papa."