Chapter 392 The Kitchen Is My Territory
Mira was feeling pretty bummed out. Could Benjamin really be mooching off a chick?
"Ain't your family loaded?" Mira asked, her voice dripping with doubt.
"Family money is their problem," Benjamin shrugged, his voice all chill. "I'd rather lean on Mira than go back and grab my family's cash."
Mira's eyebrows scrunched up, like she was seeing Benjamin for the first time. She stayed quiet for a long time, not saying a word.
"If that's all, we're outta here," Benjamin said. He'd made his point and wasn't planning on dragging it out.
Mira bit her lip and watched them leave. She actually bought what Benjamin said about relying on a woman.
If Daphne was really the Murphy Group's princess, then even if Benjamin didn't go back to his family's dough, he'd still be living the high life.
The big thing was, taking over the family fortune meant he'd have to work for it, but sticking with Daphne just meant spending her cash.
How did Benjamin turn into this guy?
But Benjamin didn't give a damn what Mira thought.
When they got home, he had Daphne plop down on the couch to watch TV while he hit the kitchen.
But Daphne stopped him. "I'll handle it."
"For real?" Benjamin asked, surprised.
"Aren't you supposed to be leaning on me?" Daphne teased.
Benjamin smirked and got closer. "If I said I wanted you to feed me, would you?"
Daphne was at a loss for words.
"Go sit down," Benjamin said, a bit bossy. "The kitchen's my turf. Stay out."
Daphne wanted to help with something, like washing veggies, but Benjamin wasn't having it.
Her hands were for playing piano and signing deals; cooking was his gig.
Seeing she had no shot, Daphne just stood there and asked, "Why'd you say that stuff in front of Mira? Aren't you worried she'll get the wrong idea?"
"Wrong idea about what?" Benjamin asked.
"That you rely on women," Daphne said, clear as day.
Sometimes she wondered why Benjamin always said he leaned on women when he clearly had his own skills.
"I was just being real," Benjamin said, unfazed.
"Benjamin," Daphne called, frowning.
"Doesn't matter if she gets it wrong," Benjamin said, washing veggies after prepping the main dish. "Saying that makes my life quieter."
He knew Mira had a thing for him.
A few years back, Mira had her folks talk to his about it. When he was on break, Henry and Anouk had asked what he thought.
If Benjamin was down, they'd set up the marriage right away. He said no, but didn't expect Mira to bug Daphne.
"She likes you?" Daphne finally got it.
Benjamin paused, then said, "Not anymore."
No girl would dig a guy with no ambition, except Daphne, of course.
An hour later, Benjamin and Daphne were done eating.
Knowing Daphne had work, Benjamin didn't push for more cuddle time and let her go after dinner.
Meanwhile, back at the Reynolds' place, Mira came home all frustrated and told Henry and Anouk about Benjamin being a freeloader. They already knew and didn't say much.
After Mira hung up, they switched gears to another topic.
"Think Mira talked to Benjamin about Daphne today?" Anouk asked, sounding worried.
"Why don't you call and find out?" Henry suggested.
"You call," Anouk shot back.
"Nope," Henry refused flatly.
Anouk gave him a look and, with a mix of emotions, dialed Benjamin.
Benjamin wasn't shocked by the call. Knowing Mira's princess-like attitude, it was a given she'd run to them.
After some chit-chat, Anouk hesitated before saying, "Benjamin, there's something we need to talk about."
"Go ahead," Benjamin said.
"Did you know Daphne was married before?" Anouk asked, treading carefully.
"So what?" Benjamin replied, cool as a cucumber.
He didn't see that coming.
Anouk and Henry exchanged glances, figuring out how to word their next move.
"Do you mind?" Benjamin's voice was calm and smooth.
"No, Daphne's a great girl. Why would we mind?" Anouk quickly said, showing her concern. "We're worried you might mind."
They knew Benjamin was a perfectionist. He'd always aimed high, but they couldn't read him on this.
"I don't mind," Benjamin said slowly. "I want her future."
Even if he did mind, he'd blame himself. If he'd gone after Daphne from the start, she wouldn't have been hurt by Charles.
"That's good," Anouk said, relieved. "Help Daphne with her work and take on more responsibilities. Your dad can handle things at home."
Henry immediately protested, reminding her of their plan to hand the company over to Benjamin and travel the world.
"Okay," Benjamin said, picturing Henry's reaction.
After hanging up, Henry was fuming, his face stern as he called out, "Anouk!"
"What?" Anouk asked.
"Did you forget what you promised?" Henry demanded.
Anouk shot back with their usual banter, "I'm not kicking the bucket anytime soon, so what's the rush?" Then she laid out her plan. "We'll talk about traveling the world in a few years."
"Benjamin and Daphne will get married, have kids, and raise them," she explained. "These things need Benjamin's involvement. He can't be distracted. You handle it for now."
"Anouk!" Henry called, still unhappy.
"Got any objections?" Anouk asked.
"Yeah."
"Doesn't matter," Anouk replied coolly.
Then she added, "I'll cook dinner for you tonight."
"Promise?" Henry's stern look softened a bit.
Anouk smiled gently, her demeanor elegant as she said, "Promise."
"Fine, I'll help Benjamin for a few more years," Henry said, a bit proud. "But once their kid starts kindergarten, he has to take over the company."
Anouk agreed quickly. "No problem."
Despite his words, Henry knew Anouk's decisions could flip at any time.
In the days that followed, Benjamin and Daphne enjoyed a cozy, carefree life together.
Before they knew it, Saturday rolled around.
Benjamin was planning to take Daphne out for a date when Mark called, saying he and Charles would come over in the morning.
So, they had to push their plans back and wait to head out later.
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