When it was done, a scene of chaos was left behind. Eloise truly didn't want to move. Seizing the moment while Isidore had just been satisfied and was likely in a more agreeable mood, she nudged his arm and ordered, "Could you mop the floor and wipe the desk?"
Isidore, as lazy as ever, said, "Call the housekeeper from earlier and have her do it."
How dare he say that! Eloise was furious. Isidore glanced at her face, then sneered disdainfully, "Alright—you're really bold." She adjusted her clothes, jumped off the counter, and saw the bowl of noodles she had made earlier. Her stomach rumbled.
The food was probably all soggy by now, but as long as it was edible, that was fine. Just as she lifted the meal, a hand reached over and snatched it away. Isidore finished the meal in a few bites, leaving not even a drop of juice behind. "Weren't you going to the bathroom? Go ahead."
She was hungry before, but now she was even more furious.
Eloise, still sulking, washed up and came out to the scent of food. Isidore was quicker than her by several times—within a short span, he not only cleaned the kitchen, freshened up, but also made a new dish. The timing was perfect.
He wrung out the dishcloth, hung it on the wall, rolled up his sleeves, and pushed the meal toward Eloise. "Have it." Eloise wasn't so easily swayed. She crossed her arms and hummed, "You eat first, then give me some?"
Isidore sneered. "You ungrateful thing. That food you made was probably the worst, mine is definitely a hundred times better." Eloise didn't believe it. "It's the same food, how could there be such a big difference?"
There was even a hint of arrogance in his cold expression. "You'll know once you eat, I'm top-notch—a top chief." Eloise couldn't help but stifle a laugh at the unexpected words coming from him.
She picked up her utensils and began to eat. On the surface, it seemed like an ordinary dish, perhaps only more vibrant in color. But upon taking a bite, the taste was nothing short of astounding. The food was truly delicious.
"How could this be so delicious?" For the first time, she felt his cooking could easily rival a five-star restaurant. Isidore leaned on one arm, watching her eat, and slowly said with a smile, "The water temperature, the timing, the softness and firmness, the amount of seasoning—all of it matters."
Eloise twitched the corner of her mouth. "You still have the leisure to think about such things?" He chuckled, recalling the past, and said, "When I was little, I was a left-behind child. My sister was too busy playing to care for me, so I had to eat these things every day. If I didn't figure out how to make them taste better, how could I ever get by?"
Eloise buried her face in the meal, her heart squeezed. Why would Isidore tell her all this...
Isidore's past as the second male lead is only briefly mentioned in the original text. He came from humble beginnings, having fought his way through a sea of corpses and blood. The closest person to him had received help from the female protagonist, which is why he harbored feelings for Lucienne—nothing else was mentioned.
She suddenly realized that everything she knew about Isidore from the original text was only for the sake of the female protagonist and the plot. The original described him as ruthless, decisive, cold, and driven solely by profit, but it never mentioned that he was, after all, a living, breathing person.
But Eloise wasn't used to these heartfelt moments. She coughed awkwardly and said, "It's so unfair. You eat the food you made every day and still grow so tall and strong." Isidore laughed and pulled the chair closer, messing up her hair. "If you're jealous, should I help improve your family's genes?"
"That's not right." As the words left her mouth, she felt they weren't entirely accurate. "He had already made efforts to 'improve the genes,' but the outcome depends on fate."
He placed his hand on her belly and playfully patted it. "I've already tried my best; whether it succeeds now depends on you." He said seriously to Eloise's belly. "You have to do your best." He said seriously, speaking to Eloise's belly.
Eloise's face turned red, and she really wanted to slap this shameless man away.
Isidore returned after washing the dishes and found the girl sitting at the table, so tired that her head was nearly touching the surface. He gently lifted her head with one hand, his deep gaze scanning every feature of her face. His lips curved into a soft smile, and finally, he took a napkin to wipe the grease from her lips.
After wiping, her mouth was red, and he couldn't resist kissing her, as though savoring a strawberry-flavored candy. Eloise let out two soft hums, and Isidore stood up, patting her and saying, "Sleep," before holding her in his arms like a precious treasure and heading upstairs.
In the early morning, just on the verge of waking, Eloise opened her eyes ahead of time due to an unusually unfamiliar sensation beneath her. She then saw a man's bare chest, with her lying on top of it.
"You're still here?" She was so startled that she leaped up. Isidore opened his eyes, his gaze darkening. "The first thing you say in the morning—how heartwarming." Eloise hurriedly grabbed his arm at the edge of the bed. "Get up quickly, before they find out! We need to get out!"
Isidore was a bit cranky upon waking, sitting up and brushing off her hand. "Am I a bad guy, that I can't be seen?" Eloise had to coax him, saying, "No, it's just... this is a very important friend of my mom's, and I want you two to have a more... formal meeting."
Isidore sneered, pointing at the shattered glass on the floor. "How do you explain this?" Eloise forgot about that detail and rubbed her forehead in frustration. "I'll just say it was a mischievous child throwing stones." "Then this child must be aiming for a world championship in discus throwing," he mocked.
"I'll just say I broke it, alright?" Eloise used all her strength to pull him off the bed, anxiously waiting for him to get dressed. She thought he'd sneak out through the window with his agility, but to her surprise, he walked out through the door casually. "I didn't sleep enough, and I don't have the strength in my hands," he said.
Eloise lowered her voice and rushed ahead of him. "I'll clear the way for you!" Like a scout in a small advance team, she crouched as she moved, successfully making it to the front door without encountering anyone, her luck holding out.
She opened the door and waved at Isidore. "Go quickly!" Isidore, unfazed, leaned against the doorframe. "I have a lunch meeting, I'll come pick you up in the afternoon?" "We'll see," Eloise said in a fluster, pushing him out and closing the door behind him.
"Who is that man?" Just as Eloise thought she was in the clear, a voice from behind nearly startled her out of her wits. She turned around to see Mrs. Brown standing in the hallway leading from the back door to the kitchen. As soon as she entered, she had seen Eloise talking to a tall man at the door.
"Uh," Eloise nervously wondered just how much she had seen. If she had noticed them coming down from upstairs, she definitely wouldn't be wearing this expression. Holding onto a glimmer of hope, she lied, "It's my cousin, he's here on a business trip in the South and came to visit me early this morning."
"Oh," Mrs. Brown murmured to herself, wondering why Marsha hadn't mentioned a relative coming to the South to visit Eloise. She guessed it was because she had heard her report about the two kids' stable relationship, and thus had lowered her guard.
However, this young lady was indeed becoming harder to control. It would be better to send her away sooner rather than later. Mr. Brown had overheard the maid in the backyard talking about her behaving wildly in the kitchen last night, which gave her this idea. After all, the purpose of arranging the blind date had already been achieved.
"Ahem, Elly, is Anthony coming to pick you up later?" Mrs. Brown asked with a smile. Eloise, unsure of what she was up to, responded cautiously with an "mm."
"Oh, you young ones really have a great relationship," she praised in a teasing tone, then added, "Since he's already here, how about we go out for lunch together?" Eloise, confused, asked, "Why?"
Mrs. Brown smiled and said, "I think it's time to discuss and have both your parents meet each other!"
