Chapter 214
Ellie's POV
I stared at the list for a long moment, caught between two parts of myself that seemed determined to fight each other.
One part—the logical part—knew exactly what I should do. I should walk away. I should let Vivian handle the festival preparations, let her take the praise, and let Dominic see for himself that she wasn't the person he thought she was.
Getting involved would only make it look like I was competing with her.
And that was exactly what I had promised myself I wouldn't do this time.
I wasn't going to chase Dominic's approval anymore. I wasn't going to fight for a position he had already handed to someone else. I wasn't going to repeat the same mistakes that had led me to my death in my previous life.
And yet...
My fingers curled around the pen before I could stop myself.
I leaned over the table, staring at the unfinished menu plans. A small, wicked smile tugged at my lips.
Because as much as I hated admitting it, there was one thing I had that Vivian didn't.
I knew Dominic.
I knew him better than anyone realized.
I knew the little habits he tried to hide. I knew the things that irritated him. I knew the foods he secretly despised but pretended to tolerate whenever someone served them at formal dinners.
And most importantly...
I knew exactly how to make him miserable.
The first word I wrote was simple.
Squid.
I paused, then continued.
Octopus.
The image of Dominic trying to politely chew through something with suction cups stuck to his tongue flashed through my mind. He had once nearly lost his composure at a dinner because of it.
Next came:
Beef tartare.
He always said eating raw meat that had been chopped into paste felt like eating something a child had made out of clay.
Then:
Escargot.
Because, according to Dominic, "If it has a shell and leaves a trail behind it, it belongs in the garden, not on my plate."
And finally:
Mozzarella sticks.
He hated the stringy texture. He once compared the melted cheese stretching from his fork to "eating worms."
I smiled to myself.
But that wasn't enough.
If Vivian was going to believe this was actually from Dominic, I needed to make it convincing.
So I carefully copied his handwriting.
The sharp angles. The deliberate strokes. The little flourishes he added to certain letters when he was writing quickly.
I even made sure the spacing looked natural, like he had casually glanced over the list and added his favorite foods without thinking.
When I finished, I stepped back and admired my work.
A small voice in my head whispered that this was ridiculous.
That was childish.
That I was letting myself get dragged into the same competition I had spent so long trying to escape.
But before I could listen to that voice, I heard footsteps approaching.
Vivian.
Her quick, precise steps echoed through the hallway.
I grabbed my plate and immediately slipped into the pantry, pulling the door almost closed behind me just as she entered the kitchen.
"Ah, there it is," she murmured.
I watched through the narrow gap as she walked toward the table and picked up the notepad.
Her eyes moved over the list.
Once.
Twice.
Her eyebrows slowly drew together.
For a moment, she looked confused.
"Dominic?" she called.
No answer.
I held my breath, pressing myself farther into the shadows.
Vivian studied the paper again.
Then, slowly, that familiar victorious smile appeared on her face.
"All of his favorites..." she whispered.
She tucked the notepad into her pocket.
"Don't mind if I do."
I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.
She turned and left the kitchen, her heels clicking against the floor.
Only after the sound completely disappeared did I finally exhale.
I stepped out of the pantry, taking another bite of my toast.
I had barely taken three steps when voices approached.
Two pack warriors entered the kitchen, both looking exhausted. They gave me polite nods before immediately heading toward the sink.
They filled glasses of water and drank them like they hadn't seen water in days.
I watched them refill their cups before speaking.
"Were you just training?"
One of them looked up, wiping his mouth.
"Apologies, Luna. We were actually out searching for that boar."
"Boar?"
The second warrior nodded.
"A large male has been roaming the nearby forest. Aggressive, too. We're worried it might attack someone, so we've been trying to track it down."
The first warrior leaned against the counter.
"The meat would be pretty good, though."
That caught my attention.
Fresh wild boar.
I hadn't gone hunting in a long time, but the thought of it stirred something nostalgic inside me.
Besides...
It was better than sitting in the house while Vivian took over every corner of it.
And, whether I wanted to admit it or not, Dominic did love fresh game meat.
Maybe getting out for a while wouldn't be the worst thing.
Maybe a little adventure was exactly what I needed.