Chapter 409 A Complicated Debt
Chapter 409 A Complicated Debt
Tessa struggled to free <b>her </b><b>face </b>from Victor’s grip.
Yet his hand instinctively tightened. <b>“</b>Still trying to escape?”
Tessa huffed, “Let go of me<b>.” </b>
Why hadn’t he <i>refuted </i>what that <b>man </b><b><i>had </i></b>said carlier<b><i>? </i></b>
She wriggled slightly, seeing that Victor still hadn’t <b>released </b>her. “It hurts<b>…</b><b>” </b>
<b>What </b>was <i>this </i><b>man </b><b>made </b><i>of</i><i>? </i><i>His </i><b><i>grip </i></b><i>was absurdly </i><i>strong</i>—<i>it </i><i>felt </i>like <i>my </i><b><i>bones </i></b><i>were </i><i>about </i><i>to </i><b><i>shatter</i></b>.
Hearing <b>her </b><b>say </b>she was in pain, Victor <b>hesitated </b>for a moment before finally letting go.
“Make me some sd.”
Tessa blinked. “What?”
<b><i>Sd</i></b><b><i>? </i></b>
Victor rified, “Fruit sd.”
<b>Tessa </b><b>was </b>stunned.
Fruit sd<b>–</b><b><i>something </i></b><b>I </b><i>actually </i>knew how to <i>make</i>. <i>I </i><i>had </i><i>once </i><i>made </i><i>it </i><i>for </i><i>Ste </i><i>when </i>she <i>had </i><i>a </i><i>fever</i>.
<b><i>Wait</i></b><i>. </i>
<b>“</b>Isn’t there <b>a </b>chef?”
Victor replied tly, “She’s been dismissed.”
<b>Tessa </b>was speechless.
<i>Dismissed</i><i>? </i>
<i>Seriously</i><i>? </i><i>Why</i><i>? </i>
<i>When </i><i>I </i>had first arrived<i>, </i><i>there </i><i>had </i><i>been </i>no <i>chef</i><i>. </i><i>So </i><i>the </i><i>chef </i><i>had </i><i>the </i>position <i>only </i>for <i>one </i><i>day</i><i>? </i>
<i>This </i><i>man </i>worked under <b><i>Abraham</i></b><b>–</b><i>surely </i><i>he </i><b><i>wasn’t </i></b><i>short </i><i>on </i><i>money </i><i>to </i><i>hire </i><b><i>household </i></b><i>staff</i>.
“Why?”
<b><i>No </i></b>chef<i>? </i>
<i>Did </i><b><i>that </i></b><b><i>mean </i></b><i>I </i><b><i>had </i></b><b><i>to </i></b><b><i>start </i></b><i>handling </i><i>meals </i>from now on<i>? </i>
Victor’s tone <b>was </b>unbothered. “Her cooking wasn’t good.”
“I thought it was fine.”
Tessa blurted out.
She wasn’t picky about food. Almost anything tasted decent to her–but Victor was clearly different.
Without another word, he turned and walked into his room.
Receiving no response<b>, </b><b>Tessa </b>pouted before heading downstairs.
The kitchenyout <b>was </b>fairly standard, though <b>Victor’s </b>vi had an open–n kitchen.
She found the <b>vegetables </b>and fruits<b>.. </b>
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Chapter 409 A Complicated Debt
As she started preparing the sd, she called <b>Ste</b>.
The phone barely rang before <b>Ste </b>picked up. <b>“</b><b>Tessa</b>.”
Her voice <b>was </b>slightly breathless.
Tessa asked, “What are you doing<b>?</b><b>” </b>
Ste replied, “Abraham drank too much. I <b>was </b><b>just </b>giving him some sobering soup.”
Tessa hummed in understanding.
Ste asked, “And you? Why thete–night call?”
<b>Tessa </b>sighed, “I’m making sd for Victor.”
<b>“</b>You know how to do it<b>?</b><b>” </b>
Ste couldn’t cook to save her life, so her question came naturally.
<b>Tessa </b>scoffed, “What, looking down on me? You’ve had my cooking before.”
Ste <b>was </b>stunned.
Hearing that, she immediately recalled.
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She hadn’t thought about Tessa’s cooking in ages, but now that it was brought up, she muttered, “You’re sure that was sd?”
Tessa frowned. “Of course it was.”
“Who turns sd into soup?”
<i>Only </i>Tessa <i>could </i><i>manage </i>to make <i>sd </i><i>into </i><i>food </i>like soup <i>filled </i>with <i>mayonnaise </i><b><i>sauce</i></b><b><i>–</i></b><i>and </i><i>add </i><i>fruits </i>on top.
<i>The </i><b><i>taste </i></b><b><i>had </i></b><i>been</i><b><i>… </i></b><b><i>unique</i></b>.
<i>That </i><b><i>day</i></b><i>, </i><b><i>I </i></b><b><i>had </i></b><i>been </i>sick <i>and </i><i>craving </i><i>something </i>light<i>. </i><i>What </i>I <i>got </i><i>instead</i>–<i>a </i>bowl <i>of </i><i>‘</i><i>soup</i><i>.</i><i>‘ </i>
It was Tessa’s cooking <b><i>that </i></b><i>had </i><ipletely </i><i>discouraged </i><i>me </i>from <i>ever </i><i>attempting </i><i>to make </i><i>food </i><i>myself</i><b><i>. </i></b>
<i>I </i>had <i>realized </i><i>then</i>–some people simply <b><icked </i></b><i>the </i><i>talent </i><i>for </i>cooking.
Tessa <b>was </b>speechless.
Hearing Ste call it “soup” left her speechless.
“It was my first time–first time ever cooking. Be grateful.”
Not everyone was naturally gifted. No one got it perfect on their first attempt. “Don’t underestimate me. I’m good at it now.”
<b>Ste </b>raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure<b>?</b><b>” </b>
“Of course<b>.</b><b>” </b>
<b>Tessa </b>sounded proud.
<i>That </i><b><i>failed </i></b><i>attempt </i><i>at </i><i>making </i><b><i>sd </i></b><b><i>for </i></b><i>Ste </i><i>had </i><i>left </i><i>her </i><i>determined</i><i>–</i>I <i>wanted </i><i>to </i><i>be </i><i>able </i><i>to </i><b><i>cook </i></b><i>something decent </i>for <i>people </i><b>I </b><b><i>cared </i></b>
<b><i>about</i></b><i>. </i>
<b><i>So </i></b>afterward<i>, </i><i>I </i><b><i>had </i></b><b><i>practiced </i></b><b><i>many </i></b><b><i>times</i></b>.
<b>Ste </b>smirked. “Wait–why are you making sd for Victor? I thought you were terrified of him.”
<b>Tessa </b><b>was </b>stunned.
<i>Terrified</i><b><i>? </i></b><b><i>Absolutely</i></b>.
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Chapter 409 A Complicated Debt
That man was <i>no </i>ordinary threat<i>. </i>
But <i>he </i><i>had </i>saved <b>me</b><b>. </b>
Even if he had <i>been </i><i>cruel </i>about <i>it</i><i>, </i><i>I </i><i>couldn’t </i><i>ignore </i>what he had <i>done </i>for me.
Caught between gratitude and fear, Tessa mumbled, “He’s injured.”
Hearing Victor was hurt, Ste seemed unfazed, merely asking a few things before Tessa changed the topic.
“Madam Susan is probably getting locked up now. I checked the news closely–she’s being charged with murder.”
Ste asked, “The woman’s dead?”
I had <i>only </i><i>caught </i>part of <i>the </i>news <i>before </i>Abraham <i>returned</i><i>, </i><i>so </i>I <i>hadn’t </i><i>seen </i><i>the </i><i>rest</i><i>. </i>
But since the <i>police </i>had <i>handcuffed </i><i>and </i><i>taken </i><i>Susan </i><i>away</i>, it must <i>have </i><i>been </i><i>serious</i>.
Tessa replied, “She was taken to the hospital. No full report yet. One of the children was injured too.”
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