Chapter 184
Beau stomped his feet and threw a tantrum. “Then what are we supposed to do? Are we going to starve to death?”
Niamh quickly reassured him, “Bean, we won’t starve. We have snacks! Let’s just eat those!”
They decided not to use their points to exchange for lunch ingredients. Instead, Niamh handed Beau some snacks.
Bean eagerly tore open a bag of cheese puffs. Normally, he could only eat five or six pieces under Elara’s strict watch. But now, he could stuff his mouth freely, devouring as many puffed snacks as he wanted
After all, Elara wasn’t here to stop him. Even better, Niamh loved these snacks too. The two of them sat together, happily munching away as their loud crunching sounds filled the air.
As they were snacking, a rich aroma drifted through the alt. Other parents had started cooking
Some parents were eager to get on Harvey’s good side, so they extended invitations for him to join their families for lunch. But he turned them all down.
He could see right through their intentions–accepting favors meant owing something in return, and he had no interest in associating with these scheming social climbers.
Wow!”
“Whoa!!!
Beau’s attention was drawn to the excited shouts of the other children. Curious, he immediately got up and turned toward the commotion.
A crowd of kids, including Merida, had gathered to watch Finnegan toss ingredients in a pan. The flames were leaping more than three feet high. The children squealed at this, feeling both thrilled and slightly afraid.
Since their team had earned the most points, they were able to exchange the points for a large variety of ingredients.
Finnegan was preparing multiple dishes. First, he simmered sugar syrup, then carefully carved strawberries into delicate rose shapes before drizzling them with the syrup to create candied strawberrie
Each berry gleamed like a crimson rose encased in crystallized sugar. He then handed them to Merida, letting her distribute them to the fascinated children.
Elara noticed that Finnegan was clearly using this cooking session to showcase his skills. It was quite a stark contrast to his usual low–profile nature.
“Isn’t this a bit much?” she asked, watching him prepare an impressively large quantity of food.
From the looks of it, he was making enough to feed more than ten people, possibly even more than necessary.
“I’ll finish cooking, and then you can invite the other kids to try some,” Finnegan said. “Once they’ve eaten, they won’t listen to that brat Beau and gang up on Merida anymore.”
Warmth spread through Elara’s chest. “Those kids already admire Merida so much they practically worship her.”
Earlier, Merida had mentioned that Theodore was taking home economics classes. Finnegan had me…y scoffed.
Opportunities were self–made–he had seized his moment to shine. Now, with his skills on full display, he was curious to see what Theodore could possibly do to compete!
Finnegan picked up a candied strawberry, its skewer sticking out like the stem of a rose, and handed it to Elara as if presenting her with a flower.
Chapter 191
She chuckled, accepting the treat. “Are you treating me like one of the kids now?”
His gaze softened and was filled with warmth. “You’ll always be my little one.”
Elara took a bite, the sugar shell shattering in her mouth with a crisp crunch.
Finnegan turned back to his cooking, catching a glimpse of larvey’s gaze locked onto him. It was intense and sharp, as if daggers might fly at him any second.
At the long dining table, the children sat neatly in rows.
“Merida, your Uncle Finn’s cooking is amazing!”
“My grandpa is the executive chef at a five–star hotel, and swear, your Uncle Finn’s food is just as good as his!”
Meanwhile, Merida ate heartily, flashing a big thumbs–up at Finnegan. Seated across from her, he leaned one elbow on his spread knee with a cocky and unrestrained grin, flashing his set of white teeth.
“Next time you see Mr. Theodore, remind him your Uncle Einn once cooked for state banquets. He should give up on the whole ‘winning women over with food‘ thing before it’s too late.”
