Chapter 19_ Hammered Coffee

"Why should I care about being self-serving?" inquired Kane, his face adorned with a serious expression.

"That's not very considerate of others," Arya interjected.

"Well, that's their issue, not mine," Kane retorted nonchalantly.

‘Doesn't he understand?’ Arya thought to herself, silently sighing before offering, "There are some aged coffee beans in the pantry. If you want them, you're on your own."

"I want them," Kane asserted, prompting Arya to retrieve the dry beans and hand them to him.

"Do you have a coffee grinder?" Kane inquired, to which Arya shook her head. Frustrated, he turned to Alex and questioned, "Can I borrow your hammer?"

"Why do you need a hammer?" Alex inquired with curiosity.

"To make coffee," Kane stated bluntly, causing Arya to raise a brow in surprise. Nevertheless, she remained silent, curious to see how he would go about it.

"With a hammer?" Alex inquired incredulously, causing Kane to scowl.

"Alex, just give it to me. I need my coffee," Kane demanded, causing Alex to nod and quickly retrieve the hammer from his room.

Taking the hammer from Alex, Kane placed the dry beans in a clean tea towel and began to pound them with well-placed blows. He then brewed some water and infused the ground coffee in the cloth, creating a makeshift tea bag. "It may not be the best coffee in the world, but it's definitely better than that instant crap," Kane remarked, surprising the Cobbler's siblings with his resourcefulness.

After a few minutes, Kane removed the cloth and poured himself a cup of fragrant coffee. "Mmmmh, that's the good stuff," he hummed in delight, relishing the warm sensation spreading through his body.

Arya glanced at the makeshift coffee and admitted sheepishly, "Well... it does smell pretty good."

At her words, Kane's eyes lit up and he drawled lazily, "How about this: you stop nagging me for a few minutes and make breakfast, and I'll share my coffee. Do we have a deal?"

Arya rolled her eyes and retorted, "Technically, that is still my coffee that you are imbibing, but it appears to be a fair arrangement. I shall let it slip for now."

She walked further into the kitchen, procuring utensils for crafting pancakes. With skilled dexterity, she whipped up a batch of pancakes, melted butter in the skillet, and retrieved a saucepan for the eggs and bacon…

After a few minutes of culinary prowess, the savory scent of pancakes wafted through the air as Arya served three plates on the kitchen table. The trio gathered around the small table, eagerly digging into their delectable breakfast.

Arya poured herself a cup of coffee, while Kane guzzled his pancake, and Alex sipped on his glass of milk as they savored their meal.

"This is the most scrumptious pancake I have ever tasted! You are a truly talented cook, Tigress." Kane complimented, consuming most of the pancake on his plate and even snagging a few bites from Arya's.

"And your hammered coffee is surprisingly delightful. Who would have guessed?" Arya remarked, taking sip after sip.

"Looks like you two are evenly matched." Alex chimed in with a grin at both of them.

"Seems so." Arya nodded in agreement.

"A palatable truce is the perfect way to begin the day." Kane interjected, causing them all to burst into laughter as they finished their meal in contented silence.

After clearing the dishes, Arya turned to Kane. "It is almost time to depart from the house. Kane, today is your turn for trash duty."

Kane raised an eyebrow, questioning her words. "Is that some kind of joke? Because I do not understand."

"No, it means you must dispose of the trash... so the garbage collectors can take it away." Alex came to the rescue, and Kane nodded in comprehension.

"Ah, that is what you meant by trash duty?" He acknowledged.

"Of course... How can it be possible that a grown man like yourself has never taken out the trash before?" Alex inquired, finishing the last of his milk.

"I always had someone else — you know what? Forget it. Where's the garbage?" Kane questioned.

"Outside in the bin. You retrieve it and place it by the driveway." Alex instructed, earning a grateful smile from Arya as she played with his hair.

Kane ventured outside and within moments, Arya and Alex could hear the lid of the bin being lifted, followed by Kane's shouts. "Oh my goodness. This is repulsive! What is this foul stench?" Kane exclaimed loudly, causing the siblings to burst into laughter. Kane returned to the kitchen, glaring at them before heading to the sink to wash his hands for a full twenty minutes. Meanwhile, Arya emerged from her room, ready to depart for school with Alex. After dropping him off, she would head to work.

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Maranello's Enterprises

In the afternoon, Arya sat at her desk, working on her second pitch to present to Mr. Jackson later that day. She stared at the screen, feeling overwhelmed and thinking to herself, 'If the first round was stressful, this round is enough to drive me mad.'

She glanced at Kane, who appeared lost in thought as he gazed outside the window. Curiosity getting the best of her, Arya blurted out, "Hey, what's on your mind?"

"I've spent my entire life dreading the mundane, monotonous daily routine that most people have. And I did all sorts of things to live on the edge... but I know nothing of truly living on the edge." Kane mused, and Arya gave him a puzzled look.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I've experienced more living on the edge with you in just a few days than in ten years of racing cars." Kane revealed.

"Well, I suppose there are different types of 'edges.'" Arya shrugged.

"Yeah, but yours is harder. Much harder!" Kane grumbled, prompting a laugh from Arya.

"You will adapt, as you have with other things," Arya observed, and Kane acknowledged her with a nod.

"What seems to be the predicament, Tigress?" Kane inquired, and upon seeing Arya raise her eyebrows at him, he pressed on, "When you are working, you exude confidence, but this morning I can perceive that something is amiss."

"I am working on the new deal for Mr. Jackson, and I have been engulfed in technical specifications for the past two hours. It's like my head is on the verge of exploding," Arya grumbled, letting out a sigh.

"Hand it over to me, I will assist you with that," Kane offered, prompting Arya to immediately gather her laptop and the sheets on her desk and bring them to Kane's workstation.

"How about we reconvene for lunch at a fancy eatery later? That is the support I offer in aiding you," Kane suggested, nodding towards the work before him.

"Agreed," responded Arya, and Kane rewarded her with a grin before returning his attention to the task on his desk with a slightly distant expression.