Chapter 108


    Ethan exited the car, weariness etched across his face. The mansion, stood tall, proud and erily silent.


    He walked through the door then foyer heading for his bedroom.


    He found Be sitting there in the dimly lit room. It seemed she had been waiting for him.


    Her eyes looked up expectantly when she heard him walk in.


    When he looked at her, her eyes were wet with tears and misty like she had been crying for a long


    time.


    Choosing to ignore her he headed to the dress room.


    “Ethan,” her voice called after him.


    Seated as he removed his shoes, he felt the weight of her gaze, a presence that clung to the air.


    “I’m sorry. What I did was wrong. I didn’t realize what I was doing. I swear, maybe it’s because I never


    had a chance to have one,” she confessed,her voice cracking lightly.


    “What were you thinking Be?” He asked.


    “I’m Sorry I wasn’t. I really hurt those little kids, are they okay did I badly hurt them?” She asked


    feigning concern. She was acting remorseful so Ethan wouldn’t give her the cold shoulder.


    To her surprise however, Ethan stood abruptly.


    “You should sleep in the guest room,” his tone carried a finality that brooked no argument.


    The guest room?!


    “Ethan!,” she implored, desperation evident in the grasp of her hand on his arm, her eyes misting


    Why was he this angry?


    “Let go, Be,” he demanded through gritted teeth. “I don’t want to talk about this right now, so I don’t


    do something I’ll regret,” he asserted, his resolve unwavering.


    “I can’t exin it, but when I saw those kids, I just got so angry. Ours would have been around that age


    by now,” she confessed, a deliberate reopening of wounds to see if it would get him to mellow down a


    little.


    A defeated sigh escaped Ethan as waves of rage and anger surged within him.


    I’ll sleep in the guest room,” he dered with finality, leaving the room without a backward nce. Left


    alone, Be sank into a chair, “Why’s he overreacting? It’s not like they’re his kids,” she fumed silently.


    She was at the loosing end here!


    Her limited edition dress had been ruined! While she had only disciplined those kids without even


    asking them or their miserable father to pay for it. Now Ethan was furious after seeing what she did.


    ‘I should have pinched that brat’s cheeks even harder‘, she hissed in annoyance.


    Axel!” Jasinine called out, running up to meet him as he emerged from the elevator. Axel was


    momentarily taken aback, his steps faltering for a minute, puzzled by the unexpected eagerness that


    greeted him.


    “You returnedte today,” she stated, her tone a mix of curiosity and relief


    For several days, they had beenmuting together, going to work and back, forming a routine that


    Jasmine had grown ustomed to. Today, however, marked a departure from that routine. It was the


    first time in a while that Axel had left work alone. Unbeknownst to him, Jasmine had found herself


    thinking about him all day, unable to contain the excitement that bubbled within her at the prospect of


    finally seeing him.


    “Why are you out here?” Axel asked, his words measured and deliberate.


    “I was waiting for you,” she admitted, ncing down at her feet. She had been checking several times


    and had finally spotted


    his car.


    Today she worked from home, she hadn’t seen him all day and she found herself missing him. Feeling


    grateful for how he had helped her, she decided to do something.


    Axel however was taken aback by her candid admission, a moment of surprise flickering across his


    face.


    Waiting for me? Axel wondered, a warm feeling spreading within him. When was thest time someone


    had been that excited to see him or waited specifically for him?


    “I made you dinner,” Jasmine said, looking away shyly and biting her l*ps.


    “Dinner,” he repeated slowly the idea sinking in. Someone had taken the time to think of him, when was


    thest time someone thought of him and cooked for him, it seemed like a life time ago.


    “Yes,” she affirmed, her eyes reflecting her warmth and sincerity.


    He looked at her in question, and she exined,


    “I just wanted to thank you for the everyday rides. It really made me feel safe.” She admitted with a


    smile.


    However, her smile faded as she remembered that he wasn’t justing from work; he had attended a


    social event. “Or did you already eat?”


    “I don’t eat at work,” Axel replied.


    His work ethics, food and drinks were prohibited, he only indulged when it waspulsory.


    Jasmine’s smile returned, her eyes liting up


    “Well,e on,” she urged grabbing his arm and pulling him along.


    Leading him by the arm, she ushered him to her house where a table had been meticulously set. Axel


    took off his suit slowly, then settled into the chair, taking off his sses they were ced next to the


    side of the table.


    She opened a dish, presenting a te of soup she had heated up. The visual presentation was less


    than impressive, making it evident that shecked culinary expertise. “It should taste better than it


    looks,” she assured him, her eyes hopeful.


    Axel took a spoon. Jasmine watched him closely, her eyes filled with anticipation. “How is it?” she


    asked hopefully. He slowly dropped the spoon: “Salt,” he stated calmly.


    Her smile and hopefully expression faded.


    She sat down dejectedly. “I’m sorry. I saw online that a way to appreciate people was to make


    homemade food for them. I tried it, followed the recipe and everything. How did it turn out so bad?” she


    said sulkily, burying her face in her hand.


    His eyes fell on another covered dish on the table. “This is mine, isn’t it?” he asked, reaching for the


    te.


    “No!” she yelled, quickly grabbing it from his reach. If the soup tasted awful, the brownies probably did


    too.


    “No!” she yelled, hastily grabbing the dish away from his reach. If the soup tasted awful, the brownies


    probably did too. As she held onto the te, he stood up, leaning toward her. His proximity, coupled


    with his tantalizing mint scent, left her momentarily distracted, and he defily pried the te from her


    grip. She swallowed nervously.


    Sitting back down, Axel realized there were no utensils nearby. Not one to be deterred, he grabbed the


    brownie with his hands, taking a daring, huge bite. A secondter, he uttered a quiet “Water,”


    Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    attempting to force the dry substance down his throat. Jasmine promptly passed him a ss.


    “I’m so sorry,” she apologized sincerely.


    “I told you not to eat them,” she said sadly.


    “I’m terrible at everything,” she wailed, a wave of disappointment washing over her.


    “I’ll clear it up,” she dered, reaching for the tes. However, Axel intercepted once more grabbing


    the dish out of her


    reach.


    “They’re mine, aren’t they?” he inquired, then proceeded to take another bite, leaving her watching in


    horror.


    Surprisingly, he grinned, “It doesn’t taste bad,” and took another bite.


    “Really?” she asked, her beautiful eyes lighting up hopefully.


    He nodded.


    Homemade brownies, it had been ages since hest ate one.


    The truth was, it was horrible. But witnessing her excitement and happiness, he couldn’t bring himself


    to disappoint her. Besides that he appreciated what she did. Thest person who had cooked for him


    was his mom, she cooked him a meal for thest time shortly before he turned ten.


    “What’s that?” Axel asked, pointing to a discarded dish on the sink; it was burnt.


    She had tried soaking it to soften it a little bit.


    “I was trying to make chicken noodle, and I failed. Woefully,” shemented, raising the badly burnt


    pot. There was no redemption for it. She sat back down.


    “All those darn tutorials make it seem so easy!” she fumed.


    “And three attemptster, I end up almost burning down my house,” she thundered


    “It couldn’t have been that bad,” Axel remarked with a chuckle. The image of her struggling with pans


    sifted through his head and he couldn’t help but smile.


    “It was” she countered.


    Then went in narrating all that had happened to her that day in the kitchen. She had tried several


    recipes only those two she served him hade out a little presentable.


    As she narrated her kitchen escapade, detailing the failed attempts dramatically, Axel’s initial chuckle


    escted into hearty.ughter.


    Jasmine, captivated by the sight of Axel’sughter, paused mid–sentence, how could someone look so


    beautiful? She wondered staring at him entrailed.


    This was the first time she had actually seen himugh. Or even smile. It was beautiful. In that moment,


    she found herself wishing he would smile more. Axel appeared so captivating to her that she felt


    tempted to take a picture.


    “You look so beautiful when youugh,” Jasmine admitted, her words sl*pping out before she could


    filter them. The unexpectedpliment hung in the air, causing Axel’s smile to fade gradually. They sat


    there, eyes locked, a charged silence settling between them.


    “Thanks for everything, Axel, for helping me all this while even though you didn’t have to, Jasmine


    expressed genuinely, breaking the moment of tensjón.


    “Thank you too, for this semi–burnt brownie,” Axel responded with a chuckle, his smile returning.


    Jasmine joined in, theirughter intertwining in the quiet room.


    “Maybe next time, I could show you how to make one?”


    Axel suggested, and herughter continued as she pped gleefully. He smiled once more watching


    her girlish excitement.


    However, her joy faltered when she noticed something different about his beautiful eyes.


    “Your eyes, they glowed,” she observed, her smile fading. “You’re a wolf too?” she asked, her eyes


    widening in surprise.


    Axel froze immediately, his smile vanishing in an instant as he processed what Jasmine had just said


    about his eyes glowing. It had been years since that ever happened.


    He had never shifted or anything like that, all he had had were little features amongst those were his


    eye’s changing when he was happy.


    He was happy? Happiness? When was thest time he felt that.


    “I’m not.” He denied then stood up rapidly to leave.


    He had never had a wolf, never shifted. A disappointment and waste of space ording to his father.


    “Thanks for the dinner. He muttered then turned to head out.


    “Wait.” Jasmine called and tried to go after him but he was gone.