Chapter 13 #3
Within moments, the chauffeur had opened the rear door, and Xavier climbed into the car without another word.
Benjamin followed behind, unable to shake the feeling that the billion-dollar crisis he was about to deal with wasn't at Chen Group.
It was waiting for them at home.
***
At the Chen mansion, the spacious kitchen was filled with the warm aroma of freshly baked butter cookies.
Astrid and Elise stood side by side at the marble island, both wearing aprons tied around their waists. Trays of golden cookies covered the countertops, fresh from the oven, while the afternoon sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a soft glow across the room.
Astrid carefully transferred the last cookie onto a porcelain serving plate before setting the baking tray aside. She slipped off one oven mitt and let out a quiet giggle, her eyes drifting to the neatly arranged plate of cookies she had just finished decorating.
"I still can't believe someone actually told me Xavier likes cookies," she said with an amused giggle. "It just doesn't seem like him."
Elise laughed softly, reaching for another warm cookie before tearing off a small piece and popping it into her mouth.
"I know," she admitted after swallowing. "If I hadn't seen him eating them with my own eyes, I never would've believed it either."
The two women couldn't have looked more different.
Astrid wore a flowing ivory sundress that fell gracefully to her ankles.
The dress featured delicate shoulder straps and an off-the-shoulder neckline that exposed her collarbones, while her short hair had been twisted into a loose, effortless bun.
Even dressed casually for an afternoon of baking, she looked elegant enough to step out of the mansion at a moment's notice.
Even dressed casually, she looked impeccably put together. Despite claiming she had only come down to bake, she still looked as though she could walk straight into an upscale restaurant or a charity luncheon without changing a thing. Looking polished was simply second nature to her.
Elise, however, looked completely at home.
Wrapped in a pair of soft cream silk pajamas, she looked cozy and utterly comfortable, as though she had no intention of stepping outside the mansion that day.
The loose-fitting fabric draped naturally over her slender frame, and with her long dark hair clipped into a relaxed updo, a few loose strands framing her face, she looked effortlessly adorable.
Hearing Astrid's words, a smile spread across Elise's face as an old memory surfaced in her mind.
She could still remember Xavier's expression during her first week living at the mansion.
That morning, she had baked a fresh batch of butter cookies and happily sat at the breakfast table, dipping them into a glass of cold milk while enjoying them one after another.
Xavier had walked in just then.
The moment he noticed what she was eating, he had looked at the cookies as though they were some strange foreign object. His handsome face had twisted into the faintest look of distaste, his brows knitting together with obvious skepticism.
The memory made the corners of Elise's lips curve upward.
She still remembered the look on Xavier's face after he had taken that first bite. It had been as though he had just stumbled upon a treasure he refused to let anyone else have.
"What kind of cookies are these?"
She had looked at him in confusion, but before she could answer, he had already reached toward the plate.
"I want to eat all of these."
He had pointed at the cookies in front of him with complete seriousness before looking back at her.
"And from now on, only I get to eat these cookies that you make. No one else."
Elise had stared at him with the most confused expression on her face before she couldn't help but laugh.
He was being so overbearing.
But Xavier had only looked at her with that proud, arrogant expression of his, the kind of look he was probably used to giving in the boardroom when he expected everyone to follow his orders.
"It's called exclusivity." He had said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I want these to be exclusive only to me. So you're not going to feed these to anyone else. Do you understand?"
His eyes had remained fixed on her as though he was making an important business decision instead of claiming ownership over a plate of cookies.
"From now on, I want them all to myself."
Elise still remembered the way he had said it with such confidence that she couldn't even argue with him. She had only shaken her head, amused by his ridiculous possessiveness.
Now, as she placed the cookies one by one onto the plate, she smiled faintly at the memory.
After placing the last cookie down, she removed the apron around her waist and turned toward Astrid.
"Xavier doesn't eat cookies that are sold in the market or made by anyone else."
Astrid looked at her in surprise.
"I have never seen him eat cookies made by anyone else. He only eats the ones that I make."
Elise pointed toward the plate in front of her.
"He loves these."
Then she looked back at Astrid, making sure she remembered what she was about to tell her.
"Remember what I told you before sliding them into the oven?"
Astrid nodded.
"You always have to put a pinch of salt on top of the cookies to make them taste better."
Elise gently emphasized the small but important detail.
"If you don't add salt, the cookies will taste completely different. They will be too sweet. And Xavier won't like that."
Astrid nodded her head obediently, almost like a student receiving instructions from a teacher.
"Got it, boss," she said, lifting her hand slightly in acknowledgment. "I’ll make sure to always put salt on them."
A small grin appeared on her face as she glanced at the plate of cookies.
"Although..." she added, raising her brows teasingly, "I think it suits him. He's always been a bitter butthead."
The playful remark made Elise look at her, and Astrid only smiled wider, clearly pleased with herself.