"Thank you," Emma said sincerely.
"Are you for real?" Alex continued eating, eyeing her skeptically. Hearing 'thank you' from her was unprecedented.
"Really!"
"Well then, let's order a couple more dishes!"
"..."
Back at the office that afternoon, perhaps enlightened by Alex's guidance, Emma made an effort to join the cheerful work conversations. Sarah noticed the change, shooting Alex a knowing look which he acknowledged with a nod.
As Alex helped Emma familiarize herself with client files, his phone rang—his home number. Could it be Emma Carter?
"Hello, is this Alex?" A lovely, gentle voice came through, instantly transporting him back to their first meeting, suffusing him with warmth.
"Yes, yes!" Catching Emma Winter's curious look, he retreated to his desk. She'd definitely overheard that voice.
"When do you finish work?"
"Five-thirty. Is something wrong?"
"Well, to apologize for breaking things last night, I'd like to make it up to you..."
"No need to be so formal!"
"What's so secretive?" Grace wondered as Alex pushed her away and stepped outside.
"It was a woman, and she sounded very gentle!" Emma observed, though something about the voice seemed familiar.
"A woman?" Grace perked up, standing suddenly. "This requires investigation!" She pressed her ear to the door crack.
"I've been troubling you these past days. I... I made some dishes tonight, as an apology and thank you. I hope you'll like them!"
"Oh, thank you. I'll come home hungry!"
"Then I won't keep you from work. See you tonight! Bye!"
"See... see you!" Alex's voice trembled as he pocketed his phone.
*Thump! Thump! Thump!* He suddenly turned to face the wall, pounding it rhythmically.
'Finally! This moment has arrived! So her clumsiness last night really was a test! I passed! I'll finally taste the beautiful heiress's loving home-cooking! A perfect wife indeed!' Alex's heart overflowed with joyful tears. His patience had paid off sooner than expected—yesterday's disasters were clearly illusions!
'Welcome home, darling!'
'Darling, I made your favorites!'
'Darling, let me wash your back!'
The blissful visions danced in his mind, his expression transcendently happy.
'With the heiress at home, I must work extra hard! Yes, give it my all!' Alex silently encouraged himself. About to return to the office, he noticed two heads peeking through the door crack, watching him intently.
"Ahem! Shouldn't you two be working instead of spying?" Alex pushed the door open, confronting a suspicious Grace and curious Jackie.
"Never mind that—what was with that lecherous expression? Confess!" Grace grabbed him in a headlock.
"Team Six News Network, with lovely Jackie reporting live on Alex's mysterious phone call!" Jackie announced gleefully.
"Can't I smile? We smile every day! Of course I'm polite with clients," Alex protested innocently.
"Please, if it were normal I wouldn't ask. That definitely wasn't a client, right Jackie?"
"Agreed! Alex looked so happy, just tell us who it was! Everyone's listening!"
"Happy?" Alex turned to Jackie. "Did I really look happy?"
"Very happy!" Jackie nodded firmly.
"You're mistaken!"
"No, I'm certain!"
"Little girl, what do you know about happiness to say I looked happy?" Alex challenged.
"Then what is happiness?" Grace demanded, maintaining her hold.
"Happiness is cats eating fish and dogs eating meat, while Ultraman fights monsters! How could I be happy? I'm still single!" Alex declared.
"Stop deflecting. I know you too well! You'd better not be hiding anything, or else..." Grace gave him one final squeeze with her chest before releasing him.
"Boring!" Jackie returned to her desk and paperwork.
Alex sighed in relief once they'd given up. Grace never let anyone keep secrets. But thinking of the heiress preparing a loving dinner, he couldn't help smiling again behind Grace's back.
Emma Winter frowned slightly at Alex to her left.
'Why is he grinning at me like that? What's going on?' As she bent to her work, he passed her a note, gesturing for discretion
"Thank you," Emma said sincerely.
"Are you for real?" Alex continued eating, eyeing her skeptically. Hearing 'thank you' from her was unprecedented.
"Really!"
"Well then, let's order a couple more dishes!"
"..."
Back at the office that afternoon, perhaps enlightened by Alex's guidance, Emma made an effort to join the cheerful work conversations. Sarah noticed the change, shooting Alex a knowing look which he acknowledged with a nod.
As Alex helped Emma familiarize herself with client files, his phone rang—his home number. Could it be Emma Carter?
"Hello, is this Alex?" A lovely, gentle voice came through, instantly transporting him back to their first meeting, suffusing him with warmth.
"Yes, yes!" Catching Emma Winter's curious look, he retreated to his desk. She'd definitely overheard that voice.
"When do you finish work?"
"Five-thirty. Is something wrong?"
"Well, to apologize for breaking things last night, I'd like to make it up to you..."
"No need to be so formal!"
"What's so secretive?" Grace wondered as Alex pushed her away and stepped outside.
"It was a woman, and she sounded very gentle!" Emma observed, though something about the voice seemed familiar.
"A woman?" Grace perked up, standing suddenly. "This requires investigation!" She pressed her ear to the door crack.
"I've been troubling you these past days. I... I made some dishes tonight, as an apology and thank you. I hope you'll like them!"
"Oh, thank you. I'll come home hungry!"
"Then I won't keep you from work. See you tonight! Bye!"
"See... see you!" Alex's voice trembled as he pocketed his phone.
Thump! Thump! Thump! He suddenly turned to face the wall, pounding it rhythmically.
'Finally! This moment has arrived! So her clumsiness last night really was a test! I passed! I'll finally taste the beautiful heiress's loving home-cooking! A perfect wife indeed!' Alex's heart overflowed with joyful tears. His patience had paid off sooner than expected—yesterday's disasters were clearly illusions!
'Welcome home, darling!'
'Darling, I made your favorites!'
'Darling, let me wash your back!'
The blissful visions danced in his mind, his expression transcendently happy.
'With the heiress at home, I must work extra hard! Yes, give it my all!' Alex silently encouraged himself. About to return to the office, he noticed two heads peeking through the door crack, watching him intently.
"Ahem! Shouldn't you two be working instead of spying?" Alex pushed the door open, confronting a suspicious Grace and curious Jackie.
"Never mind that—what was with that lecherous expression? Confess!" Grace grabbed him in a headlock.
"Team Six News Network, with lovely Jackie reporting live on Alex's mysterious phone call!" Jackie announced gleefully.
"Can't I smile? We smile every day! Of course I'm polite with clients," Alex protested innocently.
"Please, if it were normal I wouldn't ask. That definitely wasn't a client, right Jackie?"
"Agreed! Alex looked so happy, just tell us who it was! Everyone's listening!"
"Happy?" Alex turned to Jackie. "Did I really look happy?"
"Very happy!" Jackie nodded firmly.
"You're mistaken!"
"No, I'm certain!"
"Little girl, what do you know about happiness to say I looked happy?" Alex challenged.
"Then what is happiness?" Grace demanded, maintaining her hold.
"Happiness is cats eating fish and dogs eating meat, while Ultraman fights monsters! How could I be happy? I'm still single!" Alex declared.
"Stop deflecting. I know you too well! You'd better not be hiding anything, or else..." Grace gave him one final squeeze with her chest before releasing him.
"Boring!" Jackie returned to her desk and paperwork.
Alex sighed in relief once they'd given up. Grace never let anyone keep secrets. But thinking of the heiress preparing a loving dinner, he couldn't help smiling again behind Grace's back.
Emma Winter frowned slightly at Alex to her left.
'Why is he grinning at me like that? What's going on?' As she bent to her work, he passed her a note, gesturing for discretion.
She accepted it, glancing around before unfolding it flat on her desk.
"Can't make dinner tonight—something came up. Find your own food!" Emma turned to eye Alex's dopey grin suspiciously, then wrote on the back and returned it.
"Your smile tells me this 'something' isn't anything good!" Alex scribbled another note.
"If you're lonely, I can find you a hot date. Though few men measure up to me, you'll have to make do for one night!" Reading this, Emma felt her lunch threatening to reappear. She quickly wrote two characters.
"Disgusting!" She tossed it back to Alex.
Expecting nothing pleasant, he dropped the note directly in the trash, infuriating Emma. She shook her fist at him before returning to work.
'Hehehe, I'm so clever!' Alex gloated at her annoyance.
At exactly 5:30, Alex bolted from the office at sprint speed.
"See you tomorrow, beautiful people!"
Too impatient for the subway, he jumped straight into a cab.
"Driver, The Conservatory, GO!" he shouted.
"OK!" The driver grinned—that same one again. Three meetings in two days... definitely fate.
The elevator showed twelve floors to go. No time! Alex took the stairs, racing up to the sixth floor.
Catching his breath outside his door, he smoothed his expression to properly appreciate the upcoming feast, then inserted his key.
"cough cough" Thick smoke hit him as he entered, making his eyes water. The air was filled with some indeterminate spicy haze that had him sneezing uncontrollably, tears streaming.
Fighting through it, he reached the kitchen where Emma Carter stood in an apron, one hand clutching a spatula, the other wiping streaming eyes. Whatever was in the pan kept belching smoke.
"cough cough You're back! Almost... almost done!" she managed a weak smile through red eyes.
"With all this smoke, why didn't you turn on the range hood?" Alex rushed to flip the switch and open windows, trying to clear the air.
"I... I've never used one before!" she admitted sheepishly, staring curiously at the appliance.
Sweat beaded on Alex's forehead. One could judge cooking skill by familiarity with kitchens and technique. Her fascination with basic appliances and awkward movements painted a concerning picture. A serious question arose in his mind:
Would her food be edible?
"I wasn't sure what you liked, so I bought soft things that seemed easier. Like tofu and vegetables. I'm making eg— where did the eggs go?" She turned back to find an empty pan.
"They... fell on the floor," Alex stammered, eyeing the half-cooked omelet that had followed a parabolic trajectory to the ground.
"Oh no! I'm so sorry!" she apologized profusely upon spotting the sad eggs.
"It's fine, I'll clean it up." Alex sighed deeply, using a bag to scoop up the casualty. Poor eggs! He now had a very clear picture of her culinary abilities. No point expecting gourmet cuisine—he'd be grateful if it was merely digestible.
"Tonight, I won't just save you from instant noodles," she declared proudly, "I'll show you real cooking!"
Alex's stomach did an anxious flip. Sometimes ignorance truly was bliss.