Chapter 543 Mr. Windsor Lends a Hand
Just then, a heavenly smell wafted from the kitchen as the fire chicken was served up, revitalizing the nervous visitors.
"Wow, that smells amazing!" Mia exclaimed, inhaling deeply.
Delicious temptation.
Staying meant braving Mr. Windsor's icy coolness.
Yet leaving meant returning to their own disastrously undercooked and burnt disaster of a meal.
Cadence, quick-witted, chimed in, "Natalie's cooking is that good?"
The kitchen door was ajar, and upon hearing the commotion, Natalie walked out to see the four of them standing there.
"Sis, your cooking smells absolutely divine. Mind if I come over for a meal sometime?" Barrett asked softly.
He'd adopted the endearing term Sis specifically to curry favor with Oliver. And sure enough, it caught Oliver's attention; a glimmer of appreciation flickered in his eyes as he gave Barrett an approving glance.
Natalie bit her tongue, unwilling to correct the term and create awkwardness. Smart as she was, she figured Barrett had just blurted it out without thinking.
"Sure, make yourselves at home." She nodded with a smile, welcoming the group. Mia and Lilian seemed to get along well, and with Barrett being Oliver's friend, it only felt right. Besides, she and Lucas had enough food to feed an army.
Their group exchanged excited glances when they noticed Oliver didn't object:
Soon, Natalie ushered Lucas out of the kitchen to play host, a task she didn't trust Oliver or Lilian to handle.
Despite being tasked to prepare their own dinner, the guests were well catered to, with a bounty of fresh fruits, top-notch teas, and coffee at their disposal.
Lucas invited everyone to take a seat. He'd expected an awkward silence—away from Natalie, he wasn't one for small talk. But Mia, a bona fide internet junkie, had heard about Natalie's brother's gaming prowess and invited Lucas to join in.
"Awesome! Count me in too!" Lilian chimed in with excitement.
Soon enough, Barrett included, they had a four-person gaming session up and running.
Cadence snuck into the kitchen when no one was paying attention. "Natalie, do you... need any help?"
Natalie was making a salad, then she looked up at Cadence after finishing her task.
Cadence felt a chill run down his spine, unsure whether it was Natalie's piercing gaze or her impressive knife skills that had him more intimidated.
"I—I was invited by Barrett, not like I wanted to come!" Cadence said, a touch defensive.
"I never said you invited yourself," Natalie chuckled.
Cadence clenched his teeth in frustration, thinking, "You knew yet you said it. Are you trying to embarrass me on purpose?!"
"You don't need to be here, go have some fun," Natalie cranked up the stove, poured in some oil, heated it up, and tossed in the fragrant mix of scallions, garlic, and chili bean paste, the rich, spicy aroma wafting up instantly.
“What are you cooking?” Cadence asked.
“Kung Pao Chicken!” Natalie responded briefly.
"I can cook too, you know. I'm not some clueless heiress anymore." Cadence thought Natalie was being silly, taking on the task of cooking for eight all by herself while turning down help.
But having been rejected, Cadence couldn't bring herself to insist on helping.
Cadence drifted back to the living room, where Oliver was buried in a financial magazine.
"Mr. Windsor, aren't you going to give Natalie a hand?" Cadence asked.
Oliver squinted, wondering why Cadence was also nudging him to assist Natalie.
In Mr. Windsor's books, you only helped if you were capable; otherwise, you're just in the way—like that time he asked a simple question about knife skills and got ridiculed.
His head said no, but his heart had other ideas.
After a few seconds staring towards the kitchen, Oliver stood up and told Cadence, "You stay here."
With that, he strode to the kitchen.
Cadence paused, her gaze shifting to the four absorbed in their video game. She suspected that Oliver just wanted an escape from their childish company and his instruction for her to stay likely implied she shouldn't disturb the cozy duo he intended to be with Natalie.
"Cadence, didn't I say I didn't need help?" Natalie was thickening the sauce for a dish, her back to the kitchen door.
Oliver furrowed his brow.
Something felt off to Natalie. Turning around and seeing Oliver, she was slightly taken aback, "What's up?"
"Since when did you and Cadence get along so well?"
The thought irked Oliver. The previous tension between Cadence and Natalie and now Cadence taking Natalie's side—even calling her by her first name—felt too chummy.
It was as if he'd been quietly betrayed.
"Is there something you need?" Natalie asked, not in the mood to explain.
Oliver shut the kitchen door and, fibbed, "Cadence said you needed my help."
"I didn't—"
"She said you did."
Natalie eyed him skeptically, a frown pulling at her brows. In the past, she might have suspected something deeper between Oliver and Cadence for him to come running at just a word from her.
The thought of Oliver, a man who seemed allergic to manual labor and known more for nitpicking than actual help, stepping into the kitchen was almost laughable.
"Don't make things worse, okay?" Natalie muttered, considering that he was probably just bored hanging around outside. Plus, she wasn't too keen on leaving him and Lucas alone together—they were like oil and water.
There were plenty of menial tasks to be assigned in the kitchen, and Natalie decided to put Oliver to work on something undemanding.
Oliver pointed to a dish of Kung Pao Chicken and nodded his approval. "Looks good," he said, a hint of enthusiasm in his voice—it was one of his favorites.
Natalie glanced up at him and said, "It's not for you. It's a good dish for a crowd like today's."
Oliver's lips thinned into a line, his expression cooling instantly. Great, it wasn't even specially prepared for him.
As Natalie began to direct Oliver in his efforts to help:
He fumbled task after task, looking like an elementary schooler scolded by a strict parent—something Mr. Windsor had obviously never experienced by the ever-darkening scowl on his face.
"Mr. Windsor, why don't you just stand aside and watch me cook, or maybe give your assistant a call?"
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