Shoved by Mnie, Xylia stumbled, the jolt aggravating her foot injury. A sharp pain shot through her, nearly sending her crashing to the floor. Only grabbing the nearby chair saved
her.
She couldn’t be bothered with Mnie’s snide remarks.
Lately, Mnie seized every chance she got to target Xylia. At first, she’d called Xylia a jinx, ming her for bringing the bad luck that caused Orion’s serious illness.
Since then, she’d made it a point to oppose Xylia at every turn–banning her from the elevator, forbidding her from moving freely around the mansion, and pointing the finger at her first whenever anything went missing.
Xylia refused to waste her breath and energy on someone like that; it just wasn’t worth the toll it took.
Once steady on her feet, Xylia moved to the other side of Orion.
“Grandpa,” she said, “have some creamy fish chowder. I made it specially for you this afternoon. The doctor said it would be better for you.” As she spoke, shedled out a bowl.
The chowder looked delicate and smelled mouthwatering, immediately whetting Orion’s appetite.
Ignoring Mniepletely, Orion beamed at Xylia. “Xylia, you’re so thoughtful. You know this is my favorite.” With that, he took a sip and immediately started gushing praise.
“I’m so d you like it, Grandpa.” Xylia said, “I’ll make it for you often.”
Xylia’s cooking skills had been honed over the years preparing meals for Connor and Sonny. Both were picky eaters, so she’d even taken lessons from a top chef for a while.
But her hands were injured now, and she couldn’t overdo things.
Orion noticed the scar on Xylia’s wrist and shook his head with a smile. “I’ll let you know when I fancy it. Just have the staff help out. Don’t push those hands of yours.”
Xylia felt a pang of bitterness. Orion was the only one left in the Ford family who cared about her injured hands.
Mnie watched the scene beside them, practically fuming. She seethed at how easily Xylia seemed to wrap Orien around her little finger.
“Xylia.” she demanded shrilly, “Are you deaf? Who made you help Dad sit here?”
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Before Xylia could respond, Orion spoke up, his voice low and firm. “I chose this seat myself. The head seat is too far from the dishes. If you want the ce, go sit there. Stop giving Xylia a hard time.”
Mnie shut her mouth tight, not daring to say another word.
Xylia sat down beside Orion anddled out more chowder for him.
Sonny sat across the table, fuming as he watched Xylia ce the bowl in front of Orion, giving him all the good stuff. His little face flushed bright red.
Mnie, noticing Sonny staring hard at the fish chowder, thought he wanted some too. “Sonny wants chowder.” she snapped at Xylia, “Can’t you see? Get him a bowl.”
Xylia just nced at Sonny and looked away. “This was specially made for Grandpa. The stuff in it isn’t right for a kid. There’s some the servants made over there. He can help himself if he wants it.”
Sonny mmed his chopsticks down. “Who wants your stupid chowder anyway?” he yelled, “Tessa can cook too. Her food’s a hundred times better than yours. Someday I’m only eating
what Tessa makes for me.”
With that, he scrambled down from his chair and stormed off out of the dining room.
Mnie’s face instantly darkened. “Xylia,” she said coldly, “you’re a grown woman. Why are you picking on a kid? All Sonny wanted was some fish chowder. Was it so hard to just dish him out a bowl? What kind of mother are you?”
Connor frowned at Xylia, his voice icy. “And here Sonny was craving your cooking. Turns out you spent the whole afternoon in the kitchen just to make one lousy pot of chowder. You didn’t bother with a single thing Sonny actually wanted to eat. Some prize you turned out to
be.”
Faced with Connor and Mnie’s taunts and scolding, Xylia just smiled silently.
Because of them, her hands were pretty much ruined. This pot of chowder was all she’d managed to pull off, and it had taken everything she had. Making anything else would have finished her hands off for good.
Xylia wasn’t about to go back to waiting on them hand and foot like she used to,
Seeing Xylia didn’t bother defending herself, Connor threw down his chopsticks and stormed out too. Mnie followed suit.
Seeing this, Orion sighed. “Xylia, don’t pay them any mind. They’re all acting like a bunch of nutjobs.”
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Xylia couldn’t help butugh at Orion’s words. “I’m fine, Grandpa. Really. Just eat your dinner and get some rest soon, okay?”
Orion looked at Xylia’s face, thinner than usual these past few days. For the first time, he wondered if his idea to push Xylia and Connor together had been a wishful thinking.
*****
The next afternoon, the weather was hot and stuffy. Xylia headed out, changing into some cooler clothes.
She wore a simple T–shirt and jeans, fitted enough to show off her slim figure. Her long hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and her face, smooth and without a w, looked so fresh and young. She didn’t look like a mom at all.
When she reached the meeting spot, Xylia spotted Joshua right away. He was leaning against his car.
He was seriously good–looking. He had on a simple button–down shirt and dress rolled up a bit at the wrists. The sunlight silhouetted the firm muscles in his arms.
pants, sleeves
He was staring off thoughtfully at a crowd not too far away, his face tilted up slightly, revealing a strong, sharp jawline. That perfect profile was something incredibly attractive.
Maybe sensing her gaze, Joshua turned his head and met Xylia’s slightly dazed eyes.
A smile curved his lips, the brooding look on his face instantly warming over. “You made it?”
Xylia, realizing she’d been caught staring, felt a flicker of embarrassment.
She walked over with a smile, greeting him politely. “Hope you haven’t been waiting long?”
Joshua shook his head. “Not long. Just got here myself.”
Xylia was about to suggest they head off when Joshua suddenly leaned in close. He was close enough that she could catch his familiar scent–a clean, masculine fragrance that washed over
her.
Surprised by his sudden nearness, Xylia instinctively took a step back.
Joshua’s eyes darkened slightly, but his voice, smooth as velvet, cut through the air. “Enjoying the view, Xylia? Looked like you got a little lost there for a second.”
Appreciating beauty was human nature. But getting caught staring was a whole different story.
A blush crept up Xylia’s cheeks as she quickly changed the subject. “I was just thinking about something else.”
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“Oh?” Joshua’s lips curved into a knowing smile, his eyes crinkling attractively at the corners.
He had to admit that having a decent face definitely came in handy sometimes.
Xylia urged him to go. Joshua motioned for her to get in the passenger seat.
“Thought you might be hungry.” Joshua said, nodding towards arge bag, “Picked up some stuff. See what you feel like and grab it.”
Xylia took the hefty bag he handed over and peeked inside. It was packed with a whole assortment of snacks, and none of them looked cheap.
She did a quick mental tally. This bag had to have set him back seven hundred dors.
Xylia frowned slightly. Something felt off. Joshua clearly wasn’t broke, sure, but he wasn’t exactly rolling in it either. Why splurge on pricey snacks like this?