Chapter 54 She Put Expensive Wine into Plain Bottles to Pamper Him
"If I landed a high-ranking role and we were financially secure, would you consider quitting your job, Raymond? When your leg injury has completely healed, you could even relish being a stay-at-home dad," Paige inquired.
Raymond was surprised as he stared at Paige. He believed she must have secured a top position at Universe, even that 'taxi' she arrived in had some mysterious origin.
But the idea of him becoming a househusband was beyond belief.
As Paige watched Raymond look at her with utter disbelief, she breathed deeply. No more explanations; it would only make things worse.
"I wouldn't know the first thing about running a household," Raymond admitted.
"I do, and that's enough," Paige replied confidently.
Raymond was even more astonished. Was Paige trying to take care of him as if he were her “kept man”?
What kind of high-powered job had she landed to entertain such a bold idea?
The silence that followed was palpable.
Paige realized her words might have been a shock to Raymond.
After all, how many families would entertain such a thought?
Being Mrs. Carnegie managing domestic tasks and earning a living while maintaining a handsome husband, was an oddity that broke with tradition.
Just then, Paige's phone received a message, punctuating the silence.
Rising to her feet, Paige said, "I was just saying. I'll go start dinner. Let's pretend my quitting talk was just a joke. But do give some serious thought to giving me some time to work on your legs, okay?"
Paige knew a thorough check-up at Byron’s facility was necessary to diagnose Raymond's leg properly. After palpating it last night, she sensed something was amiss. Further examination was needed. Perhaps tonight, in bed, she'd reassess to get a clearer picture.
Raymond took a deep breath. He had to find the right moment to let Paige know his leg was actually healed.
Paige didn't head straight to cook upon reaching the kitchen. Instead, she shut the door and replied to a message.
Her security team was engaging in a chase with their pursuers throughout Northwind. Paige frowned; these guys were smart, leading their tails astray. Yet, being targeted so soon irked her.
After sending the message, she issued an order to Julian: find those stalkers within 24 hours!
Meanwhile, Raymond wasn't idling in the living room. He planned to help Paige in the kitchen, but updates on the tracking incident from Charles kept coming. Besides the guards ensuring safety at their residential complex, his men were now cornering the trackers within Northwind.
After issuing instructions, Raymond thought of Paige working alone in the kitchen and decided to leave the operation to Charles. After years together, he knew Charles was capable.
Unbeknownst to each other, the couple commanded their respective battalions from the kitchen and the living room separately, nearly bringing Northwind's traffic to a standstill.
In all of Northwind, there were many wealthy families, but only the Carnegies stood out. There were numerous affluent entities, but in terms of top-tier conglomerates, only Universe Group and Hawke Corporation raced neck and neck.
Little did the entire city know, the traffic chaos that paralyzed their streets today was actually the doing of two local power players who were, in fact, a couple; each orchestrating their own shadowy forces in a battle of wits!
The couple in question, Raymond and Paige, were blissfully unaware of each other's involvement.
Paige wasn't concerned after issuing her orders. With a confident stride, she tied on her apron and focused on preparing dinner. Despite a minor hiccup of being followed earlier that day, it did nothing to dampen the specialness of the evening for her.
On the other side, Raymond, too, had quickly put his phone away after dispatching his commands. Wheeling himself to the kitchen door, he knocked and waited for Paige to let him in. Once she did, he pushed the door open himself.
“I'm here to help with the veggies,” he announced.
Domestic chores were not Raymond's forte; his help often spelled disaster, making more of a mess than anything. But picking vegetables? That was the one household skill he had mastered.
Paige didn’t bother with empty pleasantries. Rather, she gave him the vegetables and demonstrated to him how each type needed a different technique.
Raymond picked it up quite quickly.
With Paige's efficient work, dinner was served promptly, and she even brought a special bottle of wine home. Concealing its true value, she had opened the exquisite bottle in her office and poured its contents into an ordinary bottle after instructing her assistant, Pearl, to dispose of the generic red wine.
As Paige popped the cork of the cheap-looking bottle, Raymond's gaze lingered on the stopper for a few seconds.
Paige handed the wine to Raymond, “Consider this a celebration of my new job,” she said.
Instinctively, Raymond swirled the wine in his glass, the aroma rising and catching his attention. His eyes sparkled with recognition as he glanced at the bottle again, and after a ceremonial clink of glasses with Paige, he took a sip.
The wine's flavors burst across his palate, and he realized the truth.
He looked down, a slight, knowing smile playing on his lips. Paige sure had gone to great lengths to put on this show for him. She had decanted a nearly million-dollar wine into a bottle worth a hundred dollars, just for this occasion.
Still inwardly marveling, he watched as Paige, putting a top-grade steak from Country R that she'd brought home in an ordinary supermarket box, nestled it into his bowl.
She smiled gently, "Try this; I've really nailed the recipe."
It wasn't about the ingredients; it was all about the culinary skills!
Sure, Raymond had thought that Paige simply had a knack for sprucing up plain ingredients.
Yet, as the beef melted in his mouth, he instantly realized that what he'd been so used to, the exceedingly fine beef typically found in upscale grocery stores, was commonplace for her. And Paige was not limited to just whipping up ordinary home-cooked meals.
With premium ingredients at her fingertips, she transformed them into something extraordinary.
Still, there was something he couldn't grasp; when exactly had things changed?
Could it truly be that before today, Paige had been using just her salary to buy groceries and keep him fed?
But now, after receiving some the decade-aged clue from the villa, had she somehow tapped into a significant fund? Was she wealthy now?
And she seemed to have started lavishing him with wealth!
When the ingredients were raw, Raymond surely couldn't tell the difference.
He mistook the harvest for mere mushrooms, but upon tasting, he knew: those were the finest black truffles.
Fine wine worth nearly a million, top-tier beef air-flown and never more than twelve hours from the source, those exquisite truffles, all served with the simplicity of a family meal on an ordinary couple's table, Raymond could hardly keep his composure.
He didn't even know what kind of expression to wear when looking at Paige now.
All he managed was, "Hmm, delicious. Ah, Paige, your cooking is superb!"
Paige's face beamed with joy, thinking to herself: My husband is such a sweet, unassuming spouse.
How wonderful!
Eagerly, Paige offered him more food, “If you like it, have some more. I’ll make it again for you tomorrow.” Such a husband should be cherished!
Raymond wondered, "Maybe I should work overtime tomorrow."
Paige looked up, pausing her meal, "Why?"
Even though Raymond had a strong façade, it seemed hard to maintain... maybe it was time for honesty?
