Chapter 353 Foraging
Benjamin was startled by the sudden voice, causing the apple in his hand to slip and roll onto the floor.
Just as he was about to speak, he couldn't help but start hiccuping. "You, you scared me half to death!"
Charles paused, having just come out of his room after hearing from the servants that Benjamin was sneaking around downstairs. He decided to check it out, not expecting to scare him.
He frowned slightly, squatted in front of Benjamin, and awkwardly patted his young back. "Take a deep breath."
Benjamin was momentarily stunned by Charles' gentle treatment.
He was wearing thin clothes, and he could feel the warmth of Charles' broad hand through the fabric.
Diana would also comfort him like this, but it felt completely different.
Seeing Benjamin's dazed expression, Charles patted him lightly and repeated, "Take a deep breath. The hiccups will stop soon."
"Okay!" Benjamin, unusually, didn't argue and followed Charles' instructions to adjust his breathing.
Slowly, the hiccups actually stopped.
Just as he was feeling relieved, Charles stood up, bent down to pick up the apple from the floor, and noticed a small bite mark on it.
He frowned slightly and tossed the apple into the trash can.
"My apple!" Benjamin exclaimed, staring at the trash can with wide eyes. "Why'd you throw it away? I only took one bite!"
"It's dirty."
"Mr. Percy, haven't you heard of the five-second rule? Besides, you can wash it and still eat it!"
Charles looked down at the indignant Benjamin and asked, "What rule? The beggar's rule? You shouldn't eat things that fall on the floor. Didn't your family teach you that?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a lot of authority. Benjamin's lips quivered, and he felt like crying.
Of course, he had been taught that, but he was so hungry that he didn't care about cleanliness.
As they faced off, Benjamin's stomach growled loudly, sounding like a motorcycle revving up inside him.
Embarrassment washed over him, and his ears turned red as he clutched his stomach, ready to run away. This was too humiliating.
Charles quickly grabbed him and said, "If you're hungry, just say so. There's no need to sneak around. People might think I'm mistreating you."
Benjamin felt a bit wronged. The house was so empty and scary. Jacob, the only familiar face, wasn't around.
Asking Charles for food? No way! And he didn't want to approach the unfamiliar servants either.
Charles pushed him into a chair by the dining table and asked, "What do you want to eat?"
Benjamin looked up, deciding not to be stubborn, and whispered, "Spaghetti."
Charles took off his jacket, casually put on an apron, and walked into the kitchen, clearly intending to cook himself.
Benjamin was stunned. He thought Charles would have a servant do it, but he was going to cook?
Wait, he could cook?
Dean had mentioned that Charles was very wealthy, even richer than Diana, and had many servants. Yet, he had learned to cook?
As he watched in shock, he began to worry. Would the food be edible? Would he get poisoned?
About half an hour later, Charles came out with a bowl of spaghetti.
He handed the utensils to Benjamin and noticed his conflicted expression. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "You don't know how to use utensils?"
Benjamin, feeling challenged, retorted, "Of course I do!"
He skillfully twirled some spaghetti onto his fork but hesitated as he brought it to his mouth. It smelled fine, but how would it taste?
Feigning caution, Benjamin blew on it twice. Charles found this amusing. Leaning on the table, he teased, "I made this myself. If you don't eat it, you're in big trouble."
Hearing this, Benjamin closed his eyes and bravely stuffed the spaghetti into his mouth.
It was delicious! His eyes lit up as he quickly chewed and swallowed, then took another big bite.
Charles snorted, poured him a glass of water, and pushed it towards him. "How is it? Surprised you didn't get poisoned?"
Benjamin was surprised that Charles had guessed his thoughts, but with his mouth full of spaghetti, he could only mumble, "It's good!"
He gave a thumbs up and continued eating.
Charles sat across from him, watching his messy eating with some disdain but still said, "Eat slowly, don't choke."
After finishing the bowl of spaghetti, Benjamin felt like the world was a better place. The once eerie mansion now seemed luxurious and grand, and he wasn't scared at all.
Feeling grateful for Charles' hospitality, he pushed the bowl forward and sweetly said, "Thank you, Mr. Percy. Your cooking is really good."
"Is that so?" Charles remained indifferent to his flattery.
Benjamin nodded eagerly. "Yes, Mr. Percy. You're so rich, I didn't think you could cook."
"That's a stereotype. Why can't rich people cook?" Charles paused, glanced at Benjamin, and asked, "How old are you?"
"Four," Benjamin replied, blinking, not understanding why Charles suddenly asked that.
"When I was your age, I could already make breakfast." Charles reminisced about his childhood with his mother, Cecilia.
She was always busy with work, so he would make sandwiches for breakfast, sharing them with her. She would praise him, "Charles, you did a great job."
"That's impressive. My mommy never taught me to cook. Her cooking isn't great either. Dean and I usually buy food," Benjamin interrupted Charles' thoughts.
Charles snapped back to reality, his voice softer. "Do you feel happy? Growing up without a father?"
Benjamin looked at Charles' face and, without much hesitation, said, "Very happy. Having my mommy is enough. My dad abandoned us long ago. I don't care about him. Many people love me."
Charles chuckled softly. Benjamin was more clear-headed than he had been at that age. "That's good."
After eating Charles' meal, Benjamin's attitude towards him improved slightly.
If he had seen Charles as an enemy before, now he treated him like a stranger, at least with some politeness.
In the quiet dining room, Benjamin suddenly asked, "Mr. Percy, I saw on the news that you're going to marry that woman, Stella. Is that true?"
"You understand the news?" Charles asked, surprised.
"I'm young, not stupid."
Charles pondered for a moment. The situation was complicated, but he was indeed going to marry Stella. So he answered, "Yes."
Benjamin's face grew cold, and he asked, "Will you have a baby with her?"
Charles frowned, not understanding why Benjamin was asking this, and replied irritably, "That's none of your business. Finish eating and go upstairs to wash up and sleep."
With that, he got up and left.
Benjamin stared at his back, his eyes sharp. 'A bad person is always a bad person. After abandoning Mommy, he wants to marry a new woman and will definitely have kids!'
He would never forgive Charles!
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