In the dining room.


    To prove his innocence, Kurt took a bite of every dish on the table.


    "See? I''m not dead, am I?"


    "Try this, Ebony Fox." He scooped a bowl of clear vegetable broth and set it down right in front of her.


    Ebony Fox cast her eyes downward, hesitantly picked up her spoon, and took a couple of small sips. One of her eyebrows twitched upwards.


    It was actually pretty good. She honestly never expected a spoiled, rich yboy who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth to know how to cook.


    "The other dishes aren''t bad either," Kurt continued, eagerly piling more food onto her te.


    Before long, the food on Ebony''s te had formed a small mountain.


    Juniper, resting her chin on her hand and holding her fork, stared at the food piled on Ebony''s te. She slowly sank into deep thought.


    Did Ebony Fox kick Kurt so hard he suffered brain damage? He was acting like apletely different person.


    "Have some of the pasta," Shanley said, cing food onto Juniper''s te, though his sharp gaze was fixed entirely on Kurt.


    Kurt was still grinning from ear to ear. But the moment he met Shanley''s profoundly meaningful re, he instantly wiped the smile off his face, lowered his head, and obediently started eating.


    ...


    Although Ebony Fox had taken the antidote, she had been poisoned for years, and her body needed time to slowly recover its functions. Lately, the side effects had been severe everything tasted nd, and she hadpletely lost her appetite. Surprisingly, Kurt''s cooking suited her taste perfectly. Before she knew it, she had eaten more than half of what was on her te.


    "If you like it, Ebony Fox, I cane over and cook for you often!" Kurt offered with a radiant smile. "I''ve got nothing but free time anyway."


    "No need." Ebony Fox wiped her mouth, shooting him a slightly awkward nce.


    The Second Young Master of the Schwartz family, cooking for her? She hardly felt worthy of such a thing! More importantly, she absolutely loathed having someone chattering endlessly beside her while she ate. He was far too noisy.


    "Got nothing but free time?" Shanley''s voice cut through the air the moment Kurt finished his sentence. "Have you finished reading all thepany reports? If your leg is fine and you''re that bored, you can start your internship at thepany."


    "My leg isn''t healed yet," Kurt immediately deted, mumbling his excuse He had zero interest in business or finance is ideal life was driving sports cars and killing time with his friends.


    After dinner, Kurt cleaned up the kitchen. Just as he was poking his head around trying to find Ebony Fox, a voice startled him.


    "What are you looking for?" Shanley appeared out of thin air, his expression dead serious.


    "Nothing." Kurt shook his head guiltily, instantly dodging the question. "Hey, Shanley, where''s Juniper?"


    He had just seen Ebony Fox talking to Juniper a moment ago, but they vanished in the blink of an eye.


    "Are you sure you''re asking about Juniper?" Shanley gave Kurt a long, hard look, his expression severe and icy.


    Kurt opened his mouth but found himselfpletely at a loss for words.


    "Come inside with me," Shanley ordered with a dismissive nce, his tone leaving no room for argument.


    "Right." Kurt hesitated, his heart


    ет


    pounding in his chest. But he didn''t


    dare defy his older brother''s


    In the study.


    Kurt stood rigidly in front of the desk, nervously stealing nces at Shanley sitting opposite him.


    "Are you interested in Ebony Fox?" Shanley asked bluntly.


    There was no way he couldn''t see through the obvious desires of a younger man. Kurt was the type who wouldn''t even lift a finger to help wash@bowl on a normal day. For him to suddenly be this


    eager turning over to cook and


    clean up after them? And the moment he arrived, he was instantly


    asking about Ebony Fox.


    "I..." Knowing his cover was blown, Kurt realized there was no point in denying it. He admitted it outright. "Yeah. I like her."


    "?"


    Shanley hadn''t expected him to confess so quickly. He smirked, letting out a coldugh. "What, did she actually kick your brain into mush?"


    "Kurt, she is your sister-inw''s sister. What, are you trying to climb over my head?"