CHAPTER 25: LAST MEAL TOGETHER

"Hello! Babe," said Marco with a smile on his face. He loves it when his wife calls him at work. It makes his day faster and more fruitful.

"Hello, love," Athena replied, trying to hold her emotions in check. She can't let Marco notice her sadness.

"Did you miss me?" Marco teased.

"Yeah," Athena doesn't want to deny that she misses her husband, and she will miss him more after today. With that thought, a single teardrop fell on her right cheek.

"Can you come home early?" She asked softly, controlling herself not to cry.

"If my wife wants me to, of course, I will!" Marco said, smiling radiantly. "Are you in the cabin?" Marco wants to know her exact location so that he can come to her right away. Marco doesn't know why, but there seemed to be a voice within him telling him not to miss this opportunity.

Marco set aside the documents he was reading and grabbed his navy blue suit coat hanging on the solid wood free-standing coat rack. He locked his office door and knocked on the wide window of Anthony's office.

Anthony was startled when he heard the knock and saw his boss standing in front of his window. He hurriedly got up and opened the door since his window didn't have an opening. It is more like a wall.

"S-sir, do you need anything?" It's the first time Marco stopped by his office and, above all, knocked on his window. He just passed through it all the time, going in and out of his office.

"I'm leaving. Cancel all the meetings and appointments I have today." He directed, giving him a look saying, 'I don't care how important those things are, just cancel it!'

"Y-yes, sir," Anthony was confused why his boss was leaving the office early, but he couldn't ask his boss about his personal life unless he mentioned it to him. And he is not that nosy to pry on somebody else's privacy, especially when it is his boss's.

Anthony immediately informed the driver that their boss was heading downstairs and his destination was home.

When Marco came out of the elevator, the security informed him that his car was already outside waiting for him. Marco nodded, internally praising his assistant for quickly notifying his driver. 'I probably should give him a bonus,' he thought to himself.

His driver quickly opened the backdoor when he saw Marco walking out of the building's main entrance. Marco then entered his low-key car and sat comfortably. He reached for his phone and tried to call Francis. He wants to know if his operation is over or not.

Francis's phone kept on ringing, but no one picked it up. Marco concluded that he might still be at the hospital.

He hung up and browsed the pictures of his wife. Most of the images saved on his phone are Bea's. He loves to see the ones that he has secretly taken. It became his habit to take a picture of Bea quietly. That's when he realized that he had fallen for her.

A few minutes later, the car entered an enormous black and gold iron gate. It stopped in front of the house's main entrance. Marco did not wait for the driver to open the door for him. He opened the door himself and walked straight to the mansion's right side. The gate leading to the cabin is on that side. The surprised driver just stared at his back and understood why he headed home early. He smiled at how their boss prioritized his wife all the time.

His steps were fast, trying to reach the cabin as quickly as he could. He arrived at the cabin's door in five minutes with his long stride. The smell of someone cooking in the kitchen greeted Marco when he opened the door. He grabbed his blue slippers and put them on. He tried not to make any sound to surprise his wife.

On the other hand, Athena already sensed that her husband was back when the door clicked open. Her senses were sensitive because it was necessary for her profession. Their agency trained all their agents to enhance their senses. She pretended that she wasn't aware of his presence. Athena doesn't want to spoil the surprise that Marco was planning by walking silently towards her.

Marco did not enter the kitchen right away. He leaned on the wall and watched his wife busy herself in the kitchen. She was chopping vegetables on the counter and set them aside to get another one to cut into pieces. He smiled happily, knowing that his wife finally cooked something for him, and it's the dishes that he likes.

Athena can see Marco leaning on the wall through his reflection on the knife she was holding as he cut some vegetables. She saw him genuinely smile as he watched her. Athena thought, 'Why is he smiling?' Then it popped into her head that she had never cooked for him since they met, and even after they got married. She frowned and felt guilty for not doing it before when she shared a lot of time with him. She blinked her eyes, trying not to let a tear fall on her cheek, but it had already escaped her eyes. Luckily, she just started cutting the onions.

Athena discreetly wipes the tear that fell on her right cheek. Marco noticed her action, so he walked in her direction.

"Hello, love! I'm back," he gently put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around to face him.

"What's strong, love? Are you not feeling well?" He asked with concern visible on his face.

Athena swallows her saliva before she speaks, "I-m okay, babe." She already denied that she's not doing well, so there's no use inquiring further. "It's because of the onion." Marco knew that she was making an excuse, but he did not dispute what she said. She seemed to be bothered by something, and he wanted to know what it was, but he knew she wouldn't tell him whatever was bothering her.

Marco pulled her closer to him and kissed the top of her head. "I'm glad you're okay, babe," he said, hiding the doubt in his tone. "I didn't know that you can cook," Marco teased to ease the mood in the kitchen.

"Well, I'm not bad at it," she said. She's a good cook and can even surpass the best chef in the world if she has professional training. Growing up as the best chefs' daughter in town, she naturally learned to cook through them. Their restaurant is well-known in City B because of her Mom and Dad's cooking and professionalism in dealing with their employees, customers, and suppliers.

But today is different. Athena doesn't have the heart to cook for herself or anyone else anymore since they're gone. She wants to do things that she hasn't done to Marco, and cooking meals for him is only one of them.

Marco gently pushed her away and looked deeply into her eyes. "I'm your number one fan, babe! So, I'm telling you, you're the best!" Marco gave small kisses to her eyes before he let her go.

"Do you need help?" He asked and was about to remove his suit jacket, but Athena stopped him.

"No, babe, I got this!" She said proudly and pushed him out of the kitchen.

"Go change your clothes. I can handle this." She said, reassuring him that she could do it herself.

"If you say so, love," Marco nods at her and heads to their room to take a shower to refresh himself.

Athena finished her cooking and set the table. She looks at the time showing on the stove, and it's already half-past twelve. Athena started putting the food on the table. She made the classic wedge salad for an appetizer, grilled spareribs on top of thinly cut lemons with asparagus on the side, mac & cheese, and baked sweet potatoes for the main course. She thought of making the strawberry cake but baking lemon pound cake for dessert instead.

Marco opened the bedroom door and smelled the food coming out from the dining. His stomach growled at the smell, and he was glad that he left work as soon as she called.

Athena felt his presence, and she looked at him with a sweet smile on her face.

"Have a sit, babe," she said without leaving her eyes on him.

Marco nodded and winked at her, making her blush. Marco's lips lightly rose when he saw her blushing. He pulled a chair and sat down quietly. Athena then pulled her chair, sat down, and served Marco.

The meal was quiet, and Athena did not stop serving food to Marco. Marco felt like she was spoiling him, and he liked the idea of a wife pampering her husband.