CEO of Mavis Kitchen

          It was her favorite place in the world. A place that solved all her hunger issues, fatigue, and whatever term that fitted the category of negative emotions that could irritate someone's soul. It was a planet of food that welcomed her nostrils with the rich aroma of delicious delicacy.

No matter the condition of her stomach, it always roared into her life each time she stepped into the restaurant. It was not any kind of restaurant. The place was special to her and her view of the word special was quite distinguished from that of a common man. It wasn't lavishly decorated and customers wouldn't find a group of bands possessing the atmosphere with tasteful music. No grand artwork and beautiful flowers were gracing the walls the way it was done in those fancy restaurants.

It was a simple and cozy eatery that offered different varieties of rich meals that would leave a customer looking forward to his next visit. It was her place of comfort and was owned by her best friend. The bonus of having a chef best friend was getting free food and that was enough to think of herself as the luckiest woman in the world.

Maria settled down on the usual seat that was always preserved for her. She picked up the menu and scanned through the list that always left her on tenterhooks of not knowing what to choose.

"Hey," a familiar voice soared over her shoulder, one that she had witnessed the babyish version nurture into a syrupy version of a twenty-six years old man.

"I'm hungry," she blurted out without even looking at the person behind her. She knew that wasn't the most polite reply to his warm approach, but a hungry lady was a mad one who held no interest in non-food-related subjects.

Tossing the menu back onto the table, Maria glanced up at the pair of metallic eyes already watching her. Her best friend welcomed her face with his full lips rising to the corner, pouring down his boyish grin upon her unimpressed look. He was the young CEO of Mavis Kitchen and the gleam of delight always present on his face was the customer's addiction. If not for the arguable fact that his restaurant served mouth-watering meals, his good looks could have been accused of drawing in customers.

"You always are." He retorted with a soft chuckle, leaning back to release his armrests. His brows lowered slightly, making his eyes appear even wider than usual. "What mountains of food will you be ordering as usual?" He teased again, his hand resting on the table, fingers splayed out.

Her eyes at his comment and then turned back to the menu. This time, she took her sweet time reading through it before finally deciding to order her usual portion of fried rice with chicken, steamed veggies, and some egg rolls.

"So, how was work?" Ted voiced his question came out once the waiter had left, his frame moving to her before settling in a seat opposite hers.

Her face brightened at his words and her ears lifted like an excited puppy. The meeting with the chairman in the morning had made that day her happiest, and good news like such was supposed to be shared with a best friend turned family.

"Right. Something great happened today." She gushed leaning closer triumphantly at him, and her hand beat the table repeatedly to express how thrilling her information would be.

Ted's eyebrows rose a little at her action. He was not used to seeing Maria so fired up about anything other than food. "Wanna tell me about it?" He pushed further, eagerness in his tone.

She nodded enthusiastically, he didn't even have to prompt her twice. "I got a pay raise, Ted!" She exclaimed, gladness sparking in every syllable she spoke. "By a hundred percent," she added, wiggling her brows as she graced her announcement with a drumroll.

"Woah..." He breathed, his hand coming up to cover his mouth and his eyes widening at her news. His reaction was exactly what she wanted and expected. "I had no idea you were expecting a promotion, but congratulations nonetheless." He replied, his tone softening with the gentle praise. He raised his palms to applaud her like a proud buddy would but was stopped abruptly by her next words.

"It's not exactly a promotion." She corrected, letting the excitement die down, and her smile sagged clearly. "Do you think a promotion is the only acceptable way to get a raise, dummy?" She asked, her tone playful now that the initial joy was gone.

"Well, according to the theory of wage and promotion dynamics, it certainly is." He returned, sounding like a professor lecturing his student rather than a chef.

"You think so?" She scoffed, shaking her head. "The world is more complex than that. There are plenty of other ways to get a raise and I've just found mine." She explained, her fingers digging into the table to emphasize her point.

"Hmmm," Ted hummed, taking her statement seriously. His expression became mischievous when a sinister thought crossed his mind. "If that's not it," he paused his words to lower his voice, "then have you become the boss' lady?" He whispered, his lips turning upward to show a naughty grin.

"What??" She sputtered, her blue orbs popping wide open in shock. She didn't think twice before picking up a spoon and throwing it at him. It bounced off his chest, causing him to flinch before chuckling, his hands going up defensively to ward off any more projectiles. "You can be such a pervert sometimes. You know me too well to say that."She retorted, crossing her arms against her chest and glaring at him.

He shrugged, smiling cheekily while rubbing his chest where the cutlery had hit him. "You know that was a joke." He assured, waving away the whole thing with a wave of his hands. "I'm sorry if I offended you. It was a silly one anyway." He said, trying to smooth things over with a smile.

"Creep," she sneered, and he beamed in response as though it was a compliment.

His smile slowly dropped, his expression becoming serious before resting his head against the table, looking pensive. "So, are you serious about the double raise?" He questioned softly, his gaze falling on her hands that were still tightly gripped together across the table.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" She shot back sarcastically, unable to restrain a smile as her happiness was restored. "You see. Dessy decided to put me on a special mission. Like a spy from a fringing detective movie." The chairman was nicknamed Dessy by the staff, every patient was aware of it in the hospital, and of course, the only oblivious person was the subject himself.

"Mission? You?" His eyes traveled to her elated pupils with slight mockery.

"It's not what you are thinking. I know you have already swapped my outfits with something similar to superhero outfits and you are imagining me somewhere in the middle of another planet fighting Thanos with the avengers' squad. Nope, that's not it." She huffed, rolling her eyes at his delusion, and shaking her head to dispel his idea.

He chuckled at her antics and was not showing any means to defend himself from her acquisitions. "That's good then because I might get jealous." He stated, knowing well how to play along.

"You know what, Ted? If you'd put more attention on your dating life the same way you do to action movies, you would have been married already. Probably two kids." Her scornful advice passed through lips stretching into a smirk as she poked a finger into his shoulder to punctuate her statement.

He caught her little finger before deciding to turn tables. "Our kids right? What should we name them? Maria, after their mother perhaps?" He suggested, exhibiting the same jeering smile she wore. Hers didn't last for long though. It fell instantly and formed into a grimace.

"Very funny." She mumbled under her breath, her face grumpy with irritation. "At this rate, you will end up as a widow since I am probably the only person you talk to."

"Excuse you?" Another glint of mockery appeared on his face, but this time he was not alone in the joke. She was laughing too.

"Yeah, right. Don't say anything else or I'll never forgive you." She told him although knowing he would do the complete opposite.

Ted clarified her suspicions when he raised his head from the table between them and raised his arms to flex his biceps. "You see these bad boys, Maria? They are the ladies' weaknesses. You should consider yourself lucky that I am even talking with you." He boasted, his arms flexing again, causing her to roll her eyes at his blatant exhibitionism.

Maria winced from secondhand embarrassment. "I feel sorry for any girl that calls this her weakness." She stated, shaking her head in disbelief. "Hey bullhead, we already lost track of the real topic which is obviously not about you." She asserted, sitting upright and getting rid of his distraction.

"Of course, it's about me. Everything is about me. I was the one who asked the question so it still somewhat revolves around me." He returned almost immediately, confidence hitting every angle of his charming face.

His narcissism made her want to strangle his throat, but she held herself back. She couldn't afford to lose her mind over a guy who wasn't worth her anger, not anymore. She had become immune to his antics after eighteen years. "Just shut up and listen to what I have to say, okay?" She requested with an exasperated sigh.

Ted stopped mid-flex and dropped his arms with tucked lips to indicate attentiveness. "Fine. So, what's the mission?"

She quickly gathered her thoughts before speaking, her excitement building once more. "Dessy wants me to stop working at the hospital for a while. He wants me to focus on one particular patient. In other words, he wants me to serve as a personal doctor in the meantime."

He was quiet for a moment, processing her news. "Personal doctor? That sounds somewhat cool." He stated and his gray eyes shifted towards the ceiling in a way that made her wonder what was going on in that head of his. "What is the patient like? Male or female? Old or young? Are you going to live with whoever he or she turns out to be? Where would be your meeting schedule?" His gaze came back to hers as he rushed to ask all the questions that were on his mind.

"Hold on, big boy." She clapped a hand over his mouth before he could continue and withdrew only when she was sure she has tamed his inquisitiveness. "The patient has yet to show himself, so I don't know much about him yet. I'll find out eventually, but Dessy said that he is a VIP patient."

"Him?" Ted raised his brows, intrigued by the mention of the word 'him'.

"Yes, Him." She answered with a nod, not missing the slight difference in his tone. He sounded uncomfortable or displeased about something she couldn't fathom.

He cleared his throat and continued where she left off. "So, you won't know who it is until you meet him? How about their location? Is it safe for a female doctor to visit a male patient alone?" He questioned, shifting his weight on the chair and resting a hip against the edge of the table.

She sighed heavily and rolled her eyes at his eagerness to protect her. "I will just be visiting him. I won't stay overnight or live with the patient. And yes, I will be going alone because I'll be doing it as part of my job. It's perfectly fine." She assured him, ignoring the fact that she was not entirely convinced of her own assertion.

He held a stare at her, his eyes narrowed and lips pursed. "Why would a VIP patient need a personal doctor anyway? Do you think it is dangerous? Will you be going there unarmed? What if the patient tries to harm you?" He began once more, taking turns to question each of her statements.

"Why-why would I visit a patient with weapons? This is not a military hospital." She exclaimed, finding his interrogations amusing and perplexing. "Besides, my hospital's legal department is no joke. If anything is to happen to me, they will sue the patient's ass into submission." She said, emphasizing the last bit, letting him know that she wouldn't let any harm come to her regardless of how powerful the patient may be.

"Or you could just give me a call. You know I have a black belt, right?" He offered, wiggling his fingers suggestively.

"Yes, I know. You have told me a millionth time about every detail of your training." She snorted dismissively, rolling her eyes and looking away from him. Her gaze noticed the waiter from earlier had reappeared and was marching toward their table. Her spirits jolted immediately at the sight of the woman, the delicious food in her hands carrying a solution to every Maria's problem, at least for the moment.

Ted's attention was drawn to the newcomer and his eyes widened at the sight of her order. The many servings of her order were not what bothered him, but was more focused on the way she had bawled into his hearing a few days ago about wanting to lose some weight. He had indifferently watched her declare going on a diet even when her petiteness was proof enough that she didn't need to lose any weight.

"Didn't you say you were on a diet?" He questioned, eyeing the plate and then at her.

Her cheeks flamed with embarrassment and she looked down at the table, refusing to meet his gaze. "Well, yeah, I am. Right, I will begin tomorrow. I will start over again." She muttered and quickly picked up a fork, forcing herself to ignore his scrutiny. They both knew her words would never come to pass.

"Sir, your attention is needed in the storage room." The waitress who was yet to leave informed her boss, her tone laced with urgency.

"Thank goodness. Please take him away." Maria flapped her two hands above her head, shooing away her company without taking her eyes off her meal.

Ted scoffed before scraping his chair as he lifted his weight off it. He stood up and brushed his pants off, his lips twitching into a smirk as he planned his next move to agitate her. His frame curved over the table and sneakily took a piece of her diced chicken before she could dodge his theft.

A pissed grumble escaped her throat and she glared at him, trying to suppress the urge to slap him upside his head. His laughter erupted at her expression and he backed away from the table, leaving her with a grin on her face. "I hate you," she mouthed, allowing him to read her lips.

He responded with a nonchalant shrug, his face smug and proud of himself. "You love me." He whispered, giving her a wink before turning around to disappear with his employee.

Maria watched him as he danced away, the scent of food in his restaurant symbolizing money influenced his happy steps. Her feigned anger dissolved into a chuckle as her eyes followed his funny movements. He was her favorite person in the world and she would be lying if she told herself otherwise. But she couldn't help but feel that he often annoyed the shit out of her and caused a great deal of trouble whenever he came around.

She sighed contently and turned back to the food, picking up her fork and digging her teeth into the juicy chicken. A smile played on her lips as she chewed through the succulent meat, relishing its taste, and proceeded in enjoying her food without further interruptions. 

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