Bleak

Life is a bitch, I happened to know that the ex-girlfriend lives in the neighborhood together with her witch of a mother. I was driving my Ferrari out from the garage when I saw familiar face of Mrs. Langley in the house next to us. I instantly waved at her while she stared blatantly at my car. I almost rolled my eyes "the vanity of humans" I said to myself before I drove out.

Romano surprised me with his visit in the restaurant. He usually with his bodyguards, he was a typical bad boy who got along with the gang or maybe he was the leader of a gang. Whatever…he is a great father of two and good husband to Sophia.

He was planning a children's party for Lucy and Sophia was not feeling well. I invited him to have lunch with me, I smiled when I saw him took photo of us and sent it to his wife. Sophia called him and gave the phone to me, she discussed her preferences and thank me for having lunch with her husband. She thinks that she is pregnant again and was annoyed of Romano for knocking her up again but I can feel that she is ecstatic.

I called the Assistant Chef to prepare the special chocolate ice cream cake we made, we usually mixed it with some of our desserts. Romano's eyes lit up when I told him Sophia craved for that ice cream, his eyes went wide when he realized something. I think he grasped the word "craving" and brought clear picture on him.

I gave him the ice cream and double chocolate ice cream cake after few moments. He excitedly took them and hugged me. I can see pure joy in his heart "I will email you the proposals, contact me or Kirk for changes and details. Congratulations Rom." He nodded and hugged me again, I almost roll my eyes.

I was about to return to my office when Jessica Langley stepped in front of me "well…well… it seems that the Chef was doing intimate business during lunch break" she said with sarcasm. I smiled and looked at her, I walked away from her without saying a word.

I don't have time for some petty thing, I chose my battle well. I called Mitch, he answered the phone in one ring "I miss you pepper! Thanks for the lunch and ice cream" he said. I laughed "I miss you too! Sophia loves it too, I had lunch with Romano" I said. "Lucky bastard! I love the ice cream, not too sweet, creamy, nutty and chocolatey. I love the dishes you sent to me pepper" he said.

"You can be my food critic now, are you sure you are fair and impartial to your pretty wife? I asked him in jest. He chuckled "I am sure sweetheart, you can send some to Kevin too if you want second opinion" he suggested. "Nah! Kevin eats everything" I giggled. "Anyway, I will take your suggestion, Romano is planning a party for Lucy, I will send him kiddie dishes to taste. I will make another ice cream for Sophie, she's pregnant again." Mitch became silent, when I asked him he told me to come home early, he said we need important thing to do. I wonder what it was, did I miss something?

I parked the Ferrari in front of our house and saw that Mitch's car was already there. I was in the porch when the door suddenly opened, and to my astonishment, he lifted me and carried me inside. "What are you doing?" I asked him as he deposited me in bed. "We will make a project," he said as he removed his shirt. His hair still wet, he took a bath and changed into a white shirt and boxer shorts. "What project?" I asked him while I stared at his abs and muscles. He went into the bed and started undressing me, calling me "a baby project," as he whispered and winked at me.

The baby project took hours, and I smile when I remember our pleasurable moments in bed. I was cooking dinner when Mitch's phone rang. He looked at me and grimaced. "I am sorry, sweetheart, but I need to go to camp now," he said. I nodded, and he immediately went to our room to change. I packed his dinner and gave it to him. He took it, smiled at me, and kissed me on the lips. My heart felt heavy; I miss him so much.

I washed the dishes and cleaned the bathroom. I checked the pantry and made a list of what to buy next time. I sighed when I opened our drawers and found them organized; the clothes were folded neatly. I don't want to become clingy, but I wanted to call him. After a few moments of contemplation, I decided to check on him. Someone answered after five rings, and it was Jessica Langley. "He was out. Do you want to leave a message for him?" I told her that I would call him again. "Anyway, I love the pasta," she said before she hung up on me.

I looked around in my office, and I only saw my bleak room on a dreary day. I don't have the mood to do anything; I'm only staring blankly at the wall. Simone called me, "Hello, love, do you still have the famous ice cream and chocolate cake? I think your nephew loves them," she said. I can picture her beautiful smile while she rubbed her belly. They already knew the gender of the baby. "I will call our delivery service," I said. "No, I can't wait for that; I will be at the restaurant in three."

I called the assistant chef to prepare the ice cream and chocolate cake immediately for the first lady of the empire. I grabbed my bag and coat, went to the restaurant, and found my sister-in-law already eating the cake and ice cream. I will commend our staff for fast service. I sat in front of her and stared at her beautiful face while eating the cake with joy.

"Hi, love," she said while she moaned in delight at the taste of the cake. Her belly is showing, and still she is beautiful. No wonder my brother is all crazy about her. I also instructed the staff to prepare takeout for her. "Do you want something else?" I asked her. "No love, I am happy with these two," she said. "How was married life?" she said after she drank water and rubbed her belly in satisfaction.

I sighed. "How much do you trust my brother?" I asked her instead. She smiled in understanding, "I trusted him fully, but there were times—many times, actually—that I got jealous, which led to some doubts. But when I got to know and understand him fully, I gave him my full trust. My jealousy was just a show; I wanted to see his reaction." She chuckled, like she remembered something funny and foolish.

She looked at me in the eyes and said, "We easily get hurt by just a petty misunderstanding because we love; we are all vulnerable when we love. It was overwhelming. Sometimes too overwhelming that our emotions trample the logic we have, we only need to understand each other and trust the love we gave and received."

I grin at her and hug her. Someone cleared their throat, and I don't need to turn to see who it was. "So, those jealousies were all for show? I enjoyed them though," Zach raised his brow at his wife. "I can be deadly serious if you want; all you need to do is try," she said, grinning. He chuckled and kissed his wife with longing, like they owned the world. I rolled my eyes and kicked Zach in the legs, saying, "Get a room!"

They instantly checked themselves; I gave him the take-outs, and he smacked my cheeks many times. I looked at him in annoyance while wiping my face with a tissue. "Gosh! I smell like saliva all over!" I said and stomped towards my office. I can hear their laughter and Simone's excitement for the food.

I parked the BMW in front of the house when Claire and Sara approached me. I invited them inside and gave them the chocolate cake from the hotel and juice. Claire invited me to her house on her daughter's birthday; I checked my calendar and it was Saturday, so I said yes.

"We were all surprised when the Lieutenant Colonel suddenly got married, and we are happy that you found each other," Sara said. I smiled at her and said nothing. "Madame Langley asked me about you yesterday, but I said nothing because I really don't know anything about you," Sara added. Claire looked at her like she was warning her, and Sara was fishing for some information like a background check on me.

I smiled at her sweetly and played her game: "I am a chef at the Camwell Hotel, and the owner of the hotel is my half brother," I told her. Their eyes showed astonishment, and I apologized to them that I needed to do some paper work. They instantly got the message and said goodbye to me.