Designer

That evening, while Alex was still at work, Emma, tired of sitting around doing nothing in her room, decided to try to do something nice for Alex to show her appreciation for his support these past few days.

She got dressed, went to the kitchen, and asked the chef to show her where the food items were kept.

The chef, feeling like his job could be on the line if he allowed her to cook, said calmly, "Ma'am, I don't think I can allow you to cook. Mr Sterling wouldn't be happy if he finds out that I allowed you to do my job."

Emma, realizing that the chef was afraid and trying to keep his job, said to him with a reassuring smile, "I will tell Mr Sterling that it was all my idea. Don't worry; you won't get into any trouble. I promise."

Although the chef was still a bit scared, he couldn't help feeling some sort of relief at her words. Even though Mr. Sterling was going to be mad at him, seeing how much he cared for Emma, he knew if she were to speak up as she had promised, then he wouldn't lose his job.

With that in mind, he showed her where she could find all that she needed to make dinner, and even after that, he didn't leave the kitchen; he stayed and watched as she cooked.

Alex returned from work very exhausted. He walked into the house, and the aroma that came from the kitchen made him curious to know what was cooking.

He was surprised when he walked into the kitchen and met Emma there with his chef.

"What are you doing here?" Alex asked, his surprise evident in his voice.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, and Alex shrugged.

"You shouldn't be in here," he said, and she nodded.

"I shouldn't since you have the best chef, but I am here, anyway," she said, and Alex looked at her, his curiosity taking the best of him.

"Why?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"You know, for someone who barely knows me, you've shown me more support than I could have ever hoped for, so I wanted to make something special for you. It's my way of saying thank you since I don't have money," Emma replied with a smile as she cleaned her hands with the napkin on the kitchen counter.

Although he didn't like that she was stressing herself, Alex was glad to see that Emma was trying her best to be resourceful.

So, instead of scolding her and telling her not to bother cooking again, he decided to start a conversation.

"So, what else do you like doing apart from cooking? The food smells nice, by the way," Alex commented as he smiled at her.

Emma shrugged as she thought back to the days when she hadn't met Jake. "Well, I like drawing and designing. I'm actually a graphics designer and an artist," Emma said, feeling proud.

Alex looked at her, both amazed and amused. "Really? You? An artist and a graphics designer? I can hardly believe that," he said, and she shrugged.

"If you want, I could design something better than the suit you wore today, you know?" she said, and Alex raised a brow at her.

"That was custom-made and the only edition," he said, and she shrugged.

"So, you're saying you can design better than that?" he asked, and she nodded.

"If you're that good, then why don't you draw or design anymore?" Alex asked like he was very curious to know.

Emma sighed. "Well, I left those careers because Jake apparently didn't want his wife to work," Emma replied, now feeling pity for herself.

Alex looked at her, and he could see the regrets she felt through her eyes. He didn't want her to keep dwelling on the past, so he said to her, "Don't worry. I will make sure you start doing what you love again, especially since you're no longer married to Jake."

Emma looked at him, thinking he was probably joking, but when she saw the seriousness in his eyes, she shook her head.

"I don't think that would be necessary. You've done enough for me already," Emma said with a smile so thin that one could have hardly noticed it.

"I want to help Emma; allow me to help you," he said as he gazed into her eyes. Besides, you can't stay idle forever," he added, still holding her gaze.

Emma remained silent as she looked back at him, not knowing what to say.

After a short moment of silence, she sighed. "I'll think about it," she said, and he nodded.

Getting that out of the way, Alex decided to talk about other things to lighten the mood as he watched her round up her cooking.

Watching her, all Alex could think of was the fact that this wonderful woman was under his protection and he was glad he could protect her.