Chương 8: A Home-cooked Meal

As Amelie left Richard's office, he reclined in his chair and covered his face with both hands. He hadn't meant to lash out at his wife, yet whenever she was around him, he simply couldn't help himself.

Her cold, almost emotionless face contrasted sharply with the fresh breath of air that Samantha brought into his life with just a single smile. He couldn't remember the last time his wife had smiled at him like that.

"Daphne," he pressed the button on the speaker and addressed his secretary, "order me something warm to eat, please. I will have my lunch in the office."

"Um... Mr. Clark? There is someone to see you—"

Before Daphne could finish her sentence in her usual vibrant voice, the door to his office swung open, revealing Samantha with a bright smile on her blushing face. In her right hand, she carried a large paper bag, and in her left, a bouquet of fresh white daisies.

"Hi!"

Her usual chipper greeting made Richard jump from his seat and rush toward her, his eyes frantically scanning her appearance.

"What's all this? Why are you out of the house already?"

He took both the bag and the flowers from her hands and helped Samantha take a seat on his leather couch. As she settled in, she explained, "I had my doctor's appointment today, and he said my ankle is healing exceptionally well. He removed the cast and said I can now walk freely without crutches. Isn't it fantastic?"

Before Richard could react, Samantha continued, "Since I got the green light to resume my normal activities, I decided to cook you some lunch and deliver it here myself. I hope that's not an issue!"

Richard was at a loss for words. As Samantha placed the food on the glass coffee table, he felt his mouth watering at the sight of all the prepared dishes, which were clearly still hot.

White rice, steamed vegetables, crispy white meat in honey sauce, and even his favorite peach pie, still steaming with wisps of heat, filled his office with a homely, cozy aroma usually reserved for meals prepared by Mrs. Geller at home.

Samantha saw the confusion on Richard's face, and her smile brightened even more.

"Don't look so lost. This is the least I can do to express my gratitude for your generosity! You paid for all my hospital bills and even took me into your home. Preparing a hot meal is nothing compared to your kindness, Richard!"

Richard looked at Samantha's smiling face, and memories of their fateful encounter instantly flooded his mind.

He had been on his way back from a business trip in J City. His car was making a U-turn when, suddenly, a woman jumped right in front of it. She was as pale as a sheet, her appearance disheveled as if she had just escaped the clutches of death.

Fortunately, Richard's car didn't hit her but the woman still fell from shock and sprained her ankle. Richard ran out of the car and the moment he saw her, he recognized her right away. The young student from the university; that beautiful girl whom he couldn't forget even after all these years. It was indeed her, Samantha Blackwood.

The feelings that had been bottled up for so long, resurfaced once more.

He took her straight to the hospital and demanded the best treatment which Samantha received without a delay. As they started talking, Richard found out that she was running away from an abusive boyfriend who stole all her money and kicked her out of their apartment. She had nowhere to go and Richard was kind enough to offer her his home as a temporary shelter.

Samantha reluctantly agreed, promising that she would only stay until she would be back on her feet, no pun intended. Richard didn't mind it if she chose to stay there indefinitely.

Which, as he was now tasting the hot, home-cooked meal prepared just for him, proved to be even more beneficial than he had imagined.

'Amelie has never cooked for me even once... She always complains about how she never has neither time nor energy. She keeps repeating that we have Mrs. Geller for that, but Sam... She is still recovering from a painful injury and nevertheless, she found time to cook for me.'

Samantha carefully observed as Richard tasted her food, expecting a verdict from him. Once he was done tasting every dish, he offered her a warm smile and patted her on the head.

"This food is amazing, Sam. I wish Amelie cooked something like that for me at least once."

At first, Samantha slightly pouted her lips. After all, what kind of woman likes to hear about another? Then, however, she stretched her mouth into a fake smile and shook her head, "Well, both you and Mrs. Ashford grew up eating only the finest delicacies so I guess she is afraid to even try cooking because she knows you have very high standards! She is probably just afraid that you will compare her to the chefs in your favorite restaurants."

Richard couldn't help but scoff at her adorable effort to defend his wife.

"You cooked for me and I have to admit, even the most skilled chef can never cook anything as delicious as this!"

He patted her on the head once again and added, "You are giving Amelie too much credit simply because you are too nice."

Samantha's cheeks shone with an intense pinkish hue. She pouted her lips again, playfully this time, and said, "I think Mrs. Ashford is an amazing woman. She has to juggle so many things at once, although... Well, I guess her only flaw is that she can be quite hostile toward people like me..."

Richard shook his head, his attention was now fully focused on the food before him, his voice completely careless as he replied, "Don't worry, Sam, she is just a very snobby woman. But as soon as everybody sees how nice you are, her opinion won't matter anymore."

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Chương 9: A Morning Call

The annoying sound of the phone ringtone shook the spacious hotel room with its loud and repetitive melody. The man stretched his hand out in an attempt to find his phone but instead found the wet tongue of a sleeping dog.

"Ew, for God's sake! Can you at least close your mouth when you're sleeping? You've drooled all over the bed!"

Wiping his hand over the white blanket, the man sighed in annoyance and finally found his phone which continued to assault his ears with its annoying default melody. He checked the caller's name, cleared his throat with a series of short coughs, and answered the call,

"What?"

"Rude! Good morning, Mr. Bennett, this is your personal assistant Austin Hall if you have already managed to forget. You have to wake up at six o'clock every morning to take the dog out for a walk as per Mr. Oscar Bennett's instructions."

The man rustled his hand through his soft black hair and groaned miserably while his assistant continued, "Come on, Liam, chop chop! You know that your grandfather has a tracking app on your phone, he will find out if you skip even one day!"

"Ugh!" Liam looked at the puppy who was now sleeping with his belly up, his pink tongue still sticking out as if he were dead. "Why do I have to babysit you anyway?!"

Austin sighed, "If you listened to me and went straight back to your family house, you wouldn't have to take care of him, you know."

Liam frowned, "And who is going to take care of him there? The renovations are still not done and if Grandpa finds out that I let his precious mutt breathe the construction dust, he will disown me right away."

"Anyway," his assistant added in a chipper voice, "My job here is done. Now get ready and take the dog for a walk. I'll pick you up for breakfast at eight. Bye!"

Austin hung up before his boss could retort again. Liam poked the puppy with his finger but the dog paid absolutely no attention to his effort to wake him up. With another long sigh, the man left the bed, then walked up to the tall window that offered him the view of the city, and looked to his right, his lips curling into a light smile.

'I wonder when she will be back to her suite again.'

***

"I guess it's official now. Richard is sleeping with her."

Amelie placed the coffee cup back on the table and continued, "One of the maids saw her going to his bedroom last night, and as far as I'm concerned, she hasn't left yet."

Elizabeth almost threw her dessert fork on the table; she was two times angrier on her best friend's behalf.

"I still can't believe he had the nerve to bring her to the house! What a scumbag! They are friends and she has nowhere to go? Bullshit! He knows you have no say in it because the mansion belongs to him and he did not hesitate to use that! Jerk!"

Amelie smiled subtly at her friend. Meeting her today was a smart decision. She had returned to the mansion because she missed her bedroom and study but once she heard about that woman entering Richard's bedroom Amelie felt like dying.

Thankfully, Elizabeth always could find time to be her shoulder to cry on.

"Damn, that little bitch chose the worst timing!" Lizzy continued angrily, "Right before the benefit, it's like she had it all planned!"

Lizzy's raging protectiveness made Amelie's smile even wider.

"I can only hope the media will stay out of it until the benefit is over. I don't want people's attention to be focused on the wrong things."

Elizabeth could only sigh. She admired her friend's devotion to her charitable work and was amazed by her ability to remain composed even during such stressful times. She, however, was still bothered by this.

"You know… imagine if she was the second wife and you both were forced to make a joint donation for the benefit… Ugh, what an irritating thought!"

Elizabeth's words made Amelie freeze before she could grab her cup of coffee again.

That was indeed a legitimate tradition; she had witnessed it before too. During large charity events, all the wives of one wealthy and influential man had a tradition of submitting a shared donation to the charity of their choice to show the rest of the society that they could even overcome rivalry when it came to doing something significant for a greater cause.

In Amelie's case, however, things were a bit more complicated.

"She is an orphan and currently has no job." She finally took a sip of her coffee and continued, "If she is smart, she will make her own donation during the benefit. When the rumors finally spread far and wide, it will help her save face. I don't think she wants everybody to think of her as a mere gold digger."

'Though even if she does, the money will still come from Richard's pocket.'

She didn't say these words out loud, but Elizabeth thought of the very same thing.

Stretching her lips into a coy grin, Lizzy pocked a strawberry with her dessert fork and put it in her mouth her voice completely nonchalant as she replied, "Well, if Richard dares to bring that woman to the benefit with him, she had better make a generous donation. Otherwise, she will be the object of ridicule and not you. People are already buzzing about her identity, I don't think your husband will like it if all the media crowns his "dear friend" as a lowly gold digger."

Amelie couldn't help but laugh. That was exactly why they were best friends –– Lizzy never failed to lift her spirits with her sharp and witty remarks.

Elizabeth, too, felt a little more relaxed when she saw her friend smiling like that. Then, she tried to change the topic of their conversation to a more pleasant one.

"Oh, by the way! Is it true that someone from the Bennett family is attending this year?"

Mrs. Ashford nodded, "Yes, someone from the Bennett family is indeed attending this year's event. We can expect a very generous donation and perhaps... some entertainment too."

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