So until he left the hall, the people closer to him held their breath hoping it wasn't their death day.
Ruby Yu on the other hand smacked her lips together with a frown as she looked at Gift whose eyes were widened in shock.
“Poor you,” she pouted, “he has such a lousy temper, I can't believe I almost invited him for that ship cruise, you don't be too startled, how about we go receive some fresh air while you tell me about your sweet romance with this stoic man,” she said as she glared at Zenith again.
Zenith finally understood what was happening and he had his mouth open in both surprise and shock.
He would have never seen that coming, no matter the direction he was seeing it from.
A situation he had given up on was easily revived and given life by her. He looked at her as she nodded at Ruby Yu before mouthing softly, “
“Thank you for your kindness,” Gift smiled as she looked her in the eye, still acting casual and that was just what Ruby loved the most about her as she reminded her of her younger self.“Sure, anytime,” she beamed, feeling more excited as she took a step forward with the eyepatch lady before suddenly stopping, “let me tell you a secret, when you're coming, you must…”Zenith on the other hand was about to follow after them as he felt a possessiveness to see when Gift was taken away, but before he could take a step further, he was swarmed by other people around who mustered up their courage to find out what exactly had transpired from the last man standing.Gift, due to the emergency, was left by herself on the corridor and with no sense of direction, she found herself at the balcony of that floor.As the breeze hit, she realized that there was no
“Here, look at this,” he remembered the card Ruby had given him and handed it to them,their eyes widened upon recognizing it and they decided to reconsider, but not until they had put a call through to Scarlet who had scolded them for keeping such an esteemed guest waiting while threatening to take their lives if such happened again.Now they had to face the wrath of Zenith in person.The reason why they could remain strong and adamant was because they were scared of losing their lives to Ruby Yu's blood thirsty assistant, but now that that fear was gone, it was now replaced by the dreadful rumors they had heard of Zenith.They fell to their knees with their head lowered, ready to get hit if it alleviated Zenith's anger.“Where is she?” was all he managed to mutter as they conceded.“On the first floor by the balco
On that Saturday, shortly after they had left Olivia at home with Trenor and her dad for babysitting, Joseph and his stepmom arrived at their mansion after she had burnt his lunch.Plus he needed to get his weekend's portion of Gift's food while his stepmom needed to step out for a breather after a heated argument with his dad.At Zenith's mansion, the five of them had gotten to know each other and it was during this time that Joseph's Stepmom was allowed in their guest storage room where she found some of the interior decor material Gift had gotten on her first day there.In her boredom and in a bid to get her mind off her issues with her husband, she had decided to spend her time arranging the interiors while Olivia found herself listening to Joseph's plan for the futureOn both sides, the members of the Kim family had spent their Saturday doing new things and finding out a part o
As she reached the fifth floor and sprinted out to enter the elevator which just happened to be free, she noticed other members with their briefcases and bags and she froze as she realized that her hands were empty.“Damn it!” She cussed as she watched it get filled up again.She had to run back down to the restroom to get her bag because it contained important files that she'd needed for her presentation.As she reached the ground floor, she noticed Ken and Trisia smooching and kissing themselves goodbye before he entered the building.Unable to take her eyes off them, she stayed rooted on the spot and got caught by Ken who smirked at her before she shook her head and she finally moved.She felt too drained to take the stairs, so she decided to wait until the elevator was free.All the adrenaline rush she felt earlie
As she got out, she needed to go find the coffee stand with mugs, because after checking the storage on that floor, all she managed to find was one mug which was already cracked amongst the files and papers in it.And when she asked the cleaning lady whom she directed to Zenith's office, she shrugged, “I don't know, I'm new here.”Now she was helpless with no choice but to look in every storage room of all the fifteen floors of the building in search of mugs for her demanding boss.She could only take the elevator down to the fourteenth floor, but for the rest of her journey, she had to take the stairs as it was closer.And not until she reached the ground floor did she find what she was looking for.Her face still had red spots, but they had reduced compared to the time she had just washed her face and now, she just looked pale as sweat
“What's wrong daughter, are you hurt anywhere?” The voice of her father who pampered her to death arose with concern for Sofia, none for Gift whoe face was twisted in pain and discomfort.“Daddy,” she whined, “it was black coffees no milk or sugar. It was so bitter like poison,” she continued to out in her display while Zenith frowned at his messy office, boy a hint of surprise for Gift.“Clean up this place!”“While you're at it, get some coffee with plenty of milk and sugar for my daughter she's so said right now,” her father said as he patted her back to console her.“Why didn't you tell me before hand, you did intentionally. Daddy, this witch wanted to poison me.”“I'll take my leave now. I'll get the coffee and cleaning materials,” she said as she walked back wit
“Oh really, I saw him at the party and he's soo handsome, I like him too. Daddy, I'm coming with you,” she stubbornly declared and her father couldn't bring himself to convince her any further,no when she looked so cute that he anted to give her the world.“Okay,” he said as he looked at her with a serious tone, “but I need to warn you, he is the devil himself and nothing as kind as President Zenith,” he said as p2he glanced up Zenith's building.“It's fine, I have my charms,” she giggled as she got into the car with him, wile her father kept wondering to himself why Jackson had called him over when they had no business prior to that.At the hospital, Zenith and Trenor were in a hated argument outside Gifts room after being sent out by the doctor treating her.“Just what in the world is wrong with you. I've know you for twe
“I'll have to pass on that,” he said as the door was suddenly pushed open and a nurse came in.“Dad, the patient in room 3077 didn't take her drugs with her, and didn't finish her deip either. She's so stubborn,” she complained as she closed the door behind her.“I'll call back her colleagues to give it to her,” the doctor replied and she nodded.“Okay,” she said, “I really pity her though, she has such a sad life.” She hadn't noticed Zenith in the room as her eyes were almost closed from squeezing them in a frown.“Her situation is really critical but she can't even focus because of her guilt. Her situation is looking really similar to the former occupant of that room,” the nurse said emphatically as she opened the fridge and took a bottle of water.“Right, Stella, what ha
Gift's POV Today is the happiest day of my life, or rather each day has been getting happier for me ever since I met him, my boyfriend. We've had a lot of rocky days of course, but seeing him standing in that expensive suit, dressing to match my rhinestone dress which he had gotten for me to celebrate my matriculation just makes me feel even more happier and I have no doubt that he would find a way to make me happier woman by this time tomorrow. I can't help but smile at the thought of all the things he has put together and worked on for us to get here. He changed himself to fit me, a one of a kind man. “Gifty, where's my daughter?” I heard someone call from a distance as I looked around and saw Ruby Yu. She looked unlike how I'd ever seen her all the times we've met either physically or through video calls cos not once have I ever seen her in a pair of denim skirt and a white short sleeved button up shirt. I gasped as I walked up to hug her, “you look so stunning mom, I thought
“Who taught you how to make this” he asked with a voice so soft she had to be sure it was the same meanie talking to her. “No one. It's my first time making this,” she confessed.“How about your mother? She must have cooked this for you when you were younger, right?” He asked as if he was talking to a child, trying his best to be careful with his words“Uhn? I grew up in an orphanage,” She stuttered as she tried to form the words that failed to form. She wanted to tell him to stop acting nice as she had learned to be unrestrained and speak for herself over the months, however, there was a glistening in his eyes that made her stop. Something wasn't right. She watched as he set the chop sticks aside with shaky hands before rinsing a fork and grabbing a small ceramic plate for himself as he sat on a stool. After serving himself a small portion of everything which was a surprise for the young man who was around to assist in the supervision that he stood and watched with his mouth sligh
An hour down and the kitchen was left with just six of the original contestants; Gift, Beauty's mom, an Italian through and through, the lady with a fringe from earlier and two others who seemed to be sisters. “We can do this. Let's learn under Master Luca together,” the sisters cheered for themselves as they continued cooking, arranging the ingredients and trying their best to stay till the end. “It's a little too soon to address me as your master, don't you think?” Chef Luca said coldly and the ladies went silent, but that didn't diminish the brightness in their eyes. They were set and the determination was evident. Gift wasn't lacking behind either although she was with nobody to cheer for her beside her, she worked between sitting and standing while trying her best to remember and incorporate the basics that she had learnt over time. She only had her motivation and occasionally water and candy breaks to keep her company and that satisfied her. “And where do you think you're
“You tell me why you decided to choose this particular cucumber even though it's already starting to ripen?” He asked and the lady who had a fringe gulped and adjusted her expression before answering him. “This is a family dish and although people would not go for the ripe cucumber when buying in the market, I chose it so that that part could be served for the younger ones, l-like the child dish…,” she cleared her throat with a little stutter before continuing, “since the cucumber is not going to be steamed according to the recipe, this is the best way to make it easier for the child,” she said nervously, blinking up to ten times per second. Chef Luca had a straight face as he dropped the cucumber back in the ingredients plates before turning to look at Gift and saying with so much tenacity, “the competition can start, but I'll have you know that I won't hesitate to kick you out for the slightest of errors. Do your best if you want to prove yourself!” He said as the stuttering lady
“You are only standing here because you're lucky I will do anything for my godmother,” The moment chef Luca returned to the kitchen, he glared at her and Gift knew that he wasn't lying about that one, so she nodded and offered a small smile which he didn't bother to appreciate.but the moment he turned away from her, she let out a sigh of relief but she knew how much he valued ruby Yu from the way he personalized ‘godmother’. At this moment, Gift and Winifred had already set their ingredients on the table and were having mini talks until the next phase of the cooking competition would start when there was suddenly a noise coming from the storage area where they went to pick their ingredients.As they turned their head to the side, they saw the pompous lady from earlier who was bragging about her servants run out if the storage room with tears in her eyes. “You just wait until my I tell my husband about this,” she cleared her throat and sniffled before pausing to raise her head up so
“I like puppies more than cats,” Beauty said as she carried the furry car that had two long white stripes running from the back of its two ears to the tail where they joined as one, making the fail complete white on the top and black underneath. “Them leave my cat alone, you aren't even being true to yourself,” Olivia scoffed as she took a sit beside her and started to pet the other two kittens that had run to her laps. “The cat's for your mother, plus you named this very beautiful cat after me. How could I not pet it when we sure the same name?” Beauty argued back as she hugged the cat closer, her hand still brushing it's fur on the back. “I wish she gave Jonold my full name too, but instead she made me share with this fatty,” Arnold lamented as he kissed the face of the cat on his laps. All four of them were seated on a cushion with Beauty,Jornold and two other cats whose owners they didn't know. “Are you blind or do you need me to remind you that I basically can't gain too much
She had some friends who supported her this time, unlike those who considered her as competition back at the orphanage. This time around, her distraction was the genuine love she recieved from her family and not from someone who wanted to bring her down. She was genuinely supported, however, unlike those times when those exam papers were marked without a care for who owned them, those times when they grades were given fairly and without partiality, Gift felt a heavy dose of partiality weigh on her. Winifred squeezed her hand to support her,but they both decided to let it go. “I'll just raise my hand next time,” Gift muttered tl herself and hoped that was really the case. “Now you all will move on to picking out the ingredients as described in the recipes. Just twenty minutes for this stage and there is just enough for everyone.” The Italian in white said and they all nodded stiff for a moment. Him saying just enough for everyone sounded like a declaration of scarcity for Gift and
“These recipe is so strange, I never even knew that such a combination could exist,” Gift muttered to herself as she picked up the small pamphlet that was handed to all thirty of the contestants. While every single one of them was each given the same meal to cook, it was still all strange to them as Winifred and Gift showed eachother their pamphlet and they were able to.confurm it when others started murmuring. Just one dish written in Italian and English, Luca Bellucci family meal, but even those who claimed to have cooking certificates have the little pamphlet the same confusing look as Gift. It was safe to say that they were about to cook a meal based in written steps and no idea of how to go about it or how it should even taste beforehand. Some of them had never even heard of it before.Gift who didn't have the luxury to eat many foreign food due to her financial status before had spent the past two months watching YouTube videos, because she had gotten another helpful tip fro
“Please cooperate,” he was past being stubborn and had to lower himself to make Gift concede. There was still the issue with the cats and the children which included Joseph, Beauty and Olivia as it so turned out that Beauty's mom had connections enough to let her know about the competition and what better way to form a good relationship than cooking together. However, she had gone in ahead while leaving beauty with Olivia and Joseph after begging and confirming that there would be no traces of Scarlet or any friends with a gun. “The kids, but not Zenith. He can't go to somewhere like that, it'll stress him,” Gift said as she remembered how Zenith had to be rushed to the hospital at midnight of the night the cat's were first adopted. He had tried to force himself to adapt to the pets by hugging them through the night but there was only little his body could take then. However he didn't give up the two months that followed, training himself and diligently following the doctor's presc