Chapter 181 Cooking for You
Just moments ago, when Natalie had not been paying attention, Oliver had taken a bottle of whisky and had already drunk half of the bottle. Drinking in such haste could quickly lead to intoxication, especially with such a strong liquor like whisky.
Natalie approached and snatched the bottle from Oliver, placing it forcefully on the marble kitchen counter. With a serious expression, she said, "Are you not aware that you have a sensitive stomach? You just drank on an empty stomach? Do you want to end up in the hospital again?”
Oliver turned slightly and made a sound of disdain, disregarding Natalie's warning. Instead, he focused on the steak in the pan. He said, “I refuse to believe that I can’t master this…dish…"
Natalie suspected that when Oliver hesitated, he almost used the word ‘garbage’.
"You have such refined taste that you probably wouldn’t appreciate your own cooking. There’s no need to waste your time on this,” Natalie whispered gently. Her comment was not meant to belittle Oliver. After all, he was just a novice.
However, it had to be said that this novice was no ordinary novice. His skills were terribly shocking.
"I’ll cook for you," Oliver stated with a cool gaze, "According to the Internet, cooking is supposed to be straightforward."
‘But why did it turn out like this for me?’
At this moment, Oliver, who was usually confident and self-assured, was bewildered.
Natalie looked at the just-cooked and overly dark food in front of her and wondered if she should attempt to eat it. Would it upset her stomach? After a moment, she retrieved a clean, damp towel from the cabinet and handed it to Oliver, suggesting he cleaned his face.
"Everyone excels in different areas, and cooking doesn’t have to be one of them. Perhaps you’re just not suited for it. If Lucas says something and you don’t like it, you can just ignore him,” Natalie persuaded.
It would be difficult for her if Oliver got angry with Lucas. Moreover, Oliver attempting to cook was simply a waste of ingredients.
Natalie added, "I can cook, and I do it quite well. There’s no need for you to learn this specifically. I’ll cook for you."
Although strong liquor made people drunk easily, Oliver had a high tolerance for it. However, his emotions seemed more pronounced at this moment.
In the darkness of the night, silence descended on them.
"Lucas is capable of cooking," Oliver suddenly remarked.
Natalie thought, ‘Has he resorted to comparisons now?’
Natalie felt a mix of helplessness and amusement as she said, "I was merely concerned that Lucas' wife might not know how to cook."
"Do you look down on me for my inability to cook?"
"When have I ever looked down on you?" Natalie wished she could remove the word ‘look down’ from his vocabulary entirely.
In the bright light, her face glowed, resembling the most delicate and sweet dessert.
Oliver's gaze briefly lingered on Natalie's flushed lips before quickly shifting away. "How can you prove that?"
Hearing this, Natalie thought, ‘Is it even necessary to prove such a thing?’
Natalie internally rolled her eyes. He was not intoxicated, so why was he acting so unreasonably? Did one become more sensitive at night?
The events of the past few minutes flashed through Natalie's mind: Oliver's awkward attempts, his scalded skin, the chef's resigned frustration, Oliver's self-reproach, and his recent declaration of cooking for her.
Natalie was touched, and her heart softened. She moved closer to Oliver and wrapped her arms around his neck before she stood on her tiptoes and gently kissed him. If she had disliked him, she would not have initiated this kiss.
Oliver’s usually calm gaze surged with emotions at this moment, and a smile formed on his face in the dim light.
Natalie’s kiss was brief, but before she could step back, she pulled closer by a firm grasp around her waist. She found herself pressed against him. Caught off guard, one of her slippers fell from her feet and landed on his foot.
Oliver then quickly took the lead. He quickly removed her robe, revealing her red silk nightgown. In his eyes, she was simply a sight to behold.
Natalie’s breath was unsteady as she stopped him. “Oliver. We’re in the kitchen…”
"I’m aware," Oliver replied. He did not think there was a problem since this was his house.
"Someone might come!"
"They won't."
However, Lucas came downstairs at this moment only to witness his beloved sister being tightly hugged by the brother-in-law whom he disliked. Not only that, but the couple’s clothes were disheveled.
Natalie was taken aback while Oliver appeared unaffected.
Lucas was fuming with anger. Although there was nothing inappropriate about the scene, it was very suggestive. He had seen romantic films, and he knew what this meant.
Oliver quickly removed his partially unbuttoned jacket and draped it over Natalie, then he picked up her discarded robe to provide another layer of modesty.
Natalie’s face was red after she was caught in such a compromising position by her younger brother. Not only that, but they were in the kitchen. She considered hiding in Oliver’s arms but realized that it would only make things more awkward. She tried to maintain her composure and tidied her hair, trying to shield her face with her hair. Then, she cast a covert and reproachful glance at Oliver, thinking, ‘Didn’t he say that nobody would come at this time?’
"Lucas, why are you here?" Oliver asked, positioning himself to shield Natalie.
"I came to get some water. The light drew me here."
If Lucas had known he would encounter such a scene, he would not have come at all. He saw that Oliver’s expression now was the darkest he had seen so far. It was not surprising since anyone would be unhappy at being interrupted in such a moment. Perhaps if the other party was not his sister, he would have felt more sympathetic.
"Natalie, go upstairs." Oliver helped her down from the countertop.
"Don’t be mean to him,” Natalie whispered.
“Natalie…” Lucas’s voice faltered; his embarrassment palpable.
"Lucas, you should go to sleep soon,” Natalie urged before hastily going up the stairs, unable to meet her brother's gaze. Transitioning from a walk to a run, she retreated to the safety of the master bedroom.
She quickly went to the bathroom and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was extremely red.
…
Back in the kitchen, Lucas eyed Oliver with a mix of satisfaction and disdain as he inwardly scolded the latter as a scumbag.
Oliver ignored him. They were both men after all. As he prepared to follow Natalie upstairs, he said, "Go to bed after you have some water. Forget this incident, and don’t mention it to your sister. Act as if you saw nothing.”
Lucas stopped Oliver and said playfully, “Let’s have a chat.”
Oliver glanced at him and asked, “Do you have a girlfriend?”
Taken aback, Lucas admitted truthfully, "No."
"Then, what do we have to chat about?" Oliver retorted dismissively.
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