Foe Or Friend

Neveah felt bloated after gobbling down her breakfast. She had a satisfactory smile on her face as she remained seated at the table.

She could remember the last time she ate something this good. It was before she joined the culinary school. That one-time getaway trip she had embarked on with her father had opened her eyes to the greatness of a well-cooked meal. She had been opportune to eat something created by her idol chef, and that one meal had fueled her dream of travelling abroad to learn from her.

She has vyed to be half as good as her, but she was still nowhere half her cooking expertise. For years she had thought no one could unrivalled her idols cooking, but now she has seen better.

"You like it that much, don't you?" Simon suddenly asked when he saw the dreamy look on her face, and Nevaeh couldn't help but bob her head up and down as she turned to look at him.

"Like?" She didn't just like it; she loved it. "I love it, Mr Simon. It was perfectly made. I haven't eaten something this amazing in years." She confessed.

Simon could see she was swoon with food. It seems the adage that says, 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach was no longer peculiar to men, as this little madam seemed to have fallen under this category.

The master has married himself a gourmet.

"It's good to know that," Simon replied.

"Can you tell me who made this?" She asked with curious eyes.

"I did."

"You?" Neveah had her eyes widened to the fullest as she stared at him with utter disbelief. She looked him over. She couldn't believe it.

"Madam, why do you look so surprised?" Simon inquired as she kept staring at him with incredulity.

Blinking her eyes to regain her composure, she replied, "I - I just thought...." She paused and shook her head, "I mean, I can't believe you made something like this. It's so divine. The flavours, the spices, the texture of the meat and even the sauce...everything was brought to perfection." She explained, her eyes looking at him with extreme fascination. This was unbelievable. But wait, why couldn't she believe it?

Maybe it was because of what happened earlier?

Simon chuckled slightly at her words. He could already tell she loved cooking. "I can tell the madam loves cooking." He said while Nevaeh bobbed her head. Something in her kept pricking her heart not to get too familiar with the man. She still wasn't sure if he held her secret or not. But they were talking about food! Her passion!

Everything related to the culinary world was a weakness to her. Just as much as she loved consuming good food, she also loved the art and science of making a delicious and beautiful meal. To her, the creativity behind every dish was real art. She was completely sold out to it.

Having a skill such as this could be the breakthrough she has been pining for.

They could talk about food now, and she would worry about the secret later. And maybe being familiar with him might come with its perks. She might be able to discern if indeed he had heard something about her conversation. But how? She doesn't know, at least for now.

He might turn out to be a foe or a friend later, but either way, it might just be beneficial for her if she maintained a somewhat relationship with him. Like they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Flashing a smile at Simon, she asked, "Mr Simon, can please you teach me?" Her question left the man in a state of shock.

"Hm?"

"Can you teach me your recipes? I can use this back at the res-" She paused when she realised what she was about to say.

"I mean, I'd love to sharpen my cooking skills." She said, flashing him a convincing smile that looked a bit awkward.

"You want to learn?" He was surprised to hear her say that. This was the first time he had heard a madam say such a thing.

But he was even more shocked when she bobbed her head enthusiastically.

She was serious? She really wanted to learn how to cook? He thought ladies from aristocratic families just like hers weren't interested in such things.

But that wasn't the foremost concern. The master was.

"The master." He said.

"What about him?" She asked. What had Dale got to do about this?

"He'll be angry." He quickly told her.

He will? He probably would.

That man didn't just have a scary reputation; he was also frightening even though his looks didn't match up the dreadful things people said about him or the deathly aura he emanated.

'Looks are always deceptive, Nevaeh. Just like you are.' She heard a voice speak in her head. Looks were truly deceptive. Here she was deceiving a man that she was his wife when she wasn't.

Her countenance suddenly became downcast, and noticing her looks, Simon said,

"But maybe you can ask him." Her eyes darted towards him with several emotions passing through them.

Ask him? That man scared her; even her breath hitched at his presence. So how was she going to approach him, talk more of making a request?