Chapter 35: ³⁵: cooking

I flinched when I heard the voice behind me, cursing inwardly - first the man behind me, then myself for flinching like a kid.

I slowly turned around, keeping a cool smile on my face. You are here to leave an impression, Athena. So be confident and show him what you’re capable of.

"Shouldn’t you be more worried about how poor your security is that even an insignificant omega like me can barge in without anyone knowing?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest.

He chuckled as he looked at me, and then, without any warning, slipped an arm around my waist before pulling me flush against him.

I was about to let out a yelp because of the suddenness of it and, of course, because of my bloody wounds but I somehow managed to hold it back.

I was determined to appear confident in front of him.

"Well, I would have been," he said, raising an eyebrow and giving me one of his infuriatingly cocky smiles, "but that day in my office you succeeded because you were dressed as a teacher. Today, however, I knew you were here the moment you reached the main road leading to my mansion."

He tilted his head slightly before continuing, "So, you are here not because I was uninformed... but because I was informed."

Even though I had decided not to let him affect me... I couldn’t help it. My eyes widened. "Y-You knew I was going to be here... and you still let me climb all the way to the first-floor balcony?"

He chuckled again, clearly finding my offended tone amusing. "Yes, Miss Moonvel. You looked so determined while sneaking around that I simply couldn’t bring myself to stop your little endeavour."

The more he spoke, the more offended I felt. So... The great Alpha had been watching me struggle like an idiot all this time?

I swallowed my irritation before asking, "So... when I entered your room and thought nobody was there..." I narrowed my eyes. "...you were actually there the entire time?"

He simply nodded. His face remained perfectly neutral, but the glint dancing in his eyes was unmistakable. He was enjoying this.

I kept my own expression as unbothered as I possibly could, but inside, panic had already begun to spread. Did I say anything I shouldn’t have? I replayed everything I had muttered while looking around his room. "..." Please tell me I hadn’t.

"So..." I asked, forcing a casual smile onto my face to make the question sound as light as possible, "you heard everything I was saying earlier?"

Kael nodded before casually tucking a loose strand of my hair behind my ear.

"You didn’t say anything particularly interesting," he replied. "But now I know that when I’m not around, you address me in a rather sarcastic tone... as though you aren’t exactly a fan of my demeanor."

"No..." I said immediately, trying not to panic. "I addressed you as Alpha Kael Dreven out of respect. How could that possibly sound sarcastic?"

He only smiled before shaking his head.

Then, as though a pleasant memory had suddenly crossed his mind, his gaze softened.

"To think that you are that little willful girl I once rescued..." he murmured. "Now that I think about it, you haven’t changed much."

A faint smile tugged at his lips. "You’re still exactly the same. Whatever I say is the truth."

I stared at him in confusion. He was looking at me with amused eyes, almost... nostalgic ones. Me? A girl he rescued?

Remembering that I had fabricated this story in the background information I had purposely let him discover, to make him believe I had been infatuated with him for years. I became even more confused.

I had assumed he would simply dismiss that story as something he didn’t remember. But... Who was this girl he was talking about? Had he actually rescued someone?

"What...?" I asked, allowing nothing but curiosity to show on my face. "What rescue are you talking about? I don’t remember anything like that."

I watched him carefully, unable to tell whether he was speaking the truth... Or merely testing me.

He smiled again before finally letting go of my waist and taking a step back. "Nothing." He shook his head lightly. "Let’s not talk about it if you don’t remember."

Then, as if changing the subject on purpose, he picked up his phone from the dresser and typed a quick message before looking back at me.

"I still haven’t had dinner." His eyes met mine. "Would you like to join me?"

"I... I haven’t eaten dinner yet," I admitted as I walked toward him. Well... Instant noodles before leaving for climbing into someone’s mansion couldn’t exactly be considered dinner.

He nodded before walking out of the room, and I quietly followed behind him.

As we stepped outside, I noticed that this entire floor, contrary to what anyone would expect, had been designed almost like a private penthouse.

There was a spacious living area, an elegant kitchen, and even a separate dining space.

It felt less like part of a mansion... And more like a complete home built within one.

"Why is there no staff here?" I asked, looking around. "I saw quite a few while..."

I coughed awkwardly. "...sneaking in."

Kael walked straight into the kitchen as though it were second nature. He opened the refrigerator, took out several vegetables, and began washing them under running water with practiced ease.

"I texted the head of the staff and told everyone to retire for the night," he answered without turning around.

He placed the washed vegetables neatly on the counter before taking out more ingredients, moving through the kitchen with surprising familiarity and skill.

For someone who was the Alpha of an entire empire... He looked far too comfortable preparing his own dinner.

"Don’t you live here with your brother?"

The moment the words left my mouth...

Kael suddenly looked up. The warmth that had been lingering in his expression disappeared almost instantly.

His eyes turned cold enough to send a shiver down my spine.