Chapter 54
“How could you say so?” Juliet scolded, shooting Yvette a disapproving look.
Yvette shrugged and popped a piece of broccoli into her mouth.
“Ugh!” In the next moment, she covered her mouth and spat it out.
“What’s wrong?” Celeste asked anxiously.
Looking horrified, Yvette pointed at the dish of sautéed broccoli with cured bacon on the table. “You all should try this.”
Juliet picked up a piece with her fork. A moment later, a gagging sound echoed around the table.
Juliet quickly grabbed her glass of water and gulped it down, rinsing her mouth before speaking. “Evelyn, this broccoli has gone bad! You better taste it yourself!”
Gone bad? Evelyn eyed the dish suspiciously. She picked up a piece of broccoli to try.
But even before tasting, she caught a whiff of a foul odor. “That can’t be! I just cut it up for lunch, washed it multiple times, and soaked it in salt water. It can’t be spoiled!”
Celeste frowned, sensing something was off. She grabbed a piece of broccoli and sniffed it like Evelyn did.
“It does have a funny smell. What’s going on here, Evelyn?”
Evelyn looked helpless. “I don’t know…”
Still feeling queasy, Juliet frowned and questioned Evelyn, “You cut it, washed it, and cooked it. How can you not know?”
Evelyn glanced helplessly at Phoebe. “This dish wasn’t made by me. It was Phoebe who cooked it. When I washed the vegetables, I didn’t notice anything wrong.”
Everyone’s eyes turned to Phoebe.
Under their scrutiny, Phoebe picked up a piece of broccoli and sniffed it, her face turning red.
“I–I just added some soy sauce. I didn’t use anything else. I don’t know how it ended up tasting like this…”
Suddenly, Evelyn’s eyes widened in realization.
“Oh no! You didn’t accidentally use my fertilizer mix instead of soy sauce, did you? I was wondering why it smelled off!
“The fertilizer was in an old soy sauce bottle. I left it in the corner, planning to use it on my plants today. Phoebe, I appreciate your willingness to help. But trust me, I can manage on my own.”
Evelyn was unable to hold back her thoughts anymore.
Juliet and Yvette, who had just tasted the broccoli, nearly lost their dinner yesterday at the mention of fertilizer.
Yvette was furious, especially since Juliet had just praised Phoebe for being helpful. What kind of help was this?
She clutched her chest and glared at Phoebe with a hint of disdain. “Just don’t cook if you can’t. Stop trying to show ott!”
Yvette, with her spoiled nature, spoke without considering the situation.
Phoebe felt humiliated, as if her facade had been stripped away. Her face flushed, and she muttered, “I just wanted to help Evelyn. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Juliet was still feeling nauseous. She didn’t have the energy to stop Yvette’s sharp words.
Yvette continued to speak thoughtlessly. “You know if you’re really trying to help or just seeking attention. Didn’t Evelyn say she could manage without you? You’re just making things worse!”
Phoebe’s eyes turned red, tears welling up as she tried to hold them back.
