Chapter 311: Disaster Chef: Mansion Edition (part 2)
Clyde found Micah in the kitchen, his voice carrying in light, half-exasperated bursts. At first, Clyde thought he was speaking to someone in the room.
He approached, curious. Who could’ve come without his permission? The nanny? And who was cooking?
When he reached the doorway, he stopped. Micah stood at the counter with a chopping board in front of him, a knife gripped in one hand, a pile of spring onions scattered like tiny green confetti. He was cutting them into strange, uneven shapes, some slices too thin and bruised from too much pressure, others thick and too long. His movements were jerky, cautious in some moments and oddly reckless in others, as if he couldn’t decide whether he was cooking or battling the vegetables into submission.
"Why is it this hard? They aren’t diagonal at all!" Micah whined. "And why the hell are my eyes burning?"
A bubbling hiss rose from the stove behind him, and the sharp sound of spilling boiling water echoed in the kitchen. "Oh shoot! Noodles!" he yelped, tossing the knife onto the counter with a clatter that made Clyde flinch.
That was enough to push him forward. Clyde stepped fully into the kitchen, his brows knitting. He was worried Micah would hurt himself.
"Micah! Be careful!"
The voice didn’t come from Clyde. It echoed from the counter.
Clyde froze mid-step, his gaze snapping toward the sound. There, propped up on the counter between a jar of wooden spoons and a bowl of unwashed greens, Micah’s phone stood upright, the screen alive with a video call. Darcy’s face filled the frame, his dark eyes sharp.
For a fraction of a second, Clyde’s and Darcy’s gaze met. Neither spoke.
Micah turned, catching sight of Clyde with a faint smile. "Hey, you are up early!"
Clyde forced his eyes away from the screen and back to Micah. "That was enough for me," he said, tone natural. "What are you doing? Are you hungry? You should’ve woken me up."
Micah, completely unfazed, grabbed the noodles in both hands and dropped them into the pot. The boiling water splashed dangerously.
Clyde jumbled and yanked Micah away from the stove. "Watch out!"
Micah scratched his cheek. "I thought I could do it alone," he whispered, bummed out.
Clyde rubbed Micah’s arm gently. "It didn’t hit you, right?"
"You didn’t burn yourself, did you?" Darcy’s voice cut in from the phone.
Micah shook his head. Then he glanced toward the phone. "No, I’m fine." he paused, eyes flickering toward Clyde.
"Don’t you have anything to say to Darcy?" Micah asked, a hopeful glint in his eyes.
Clyde stared at Micah, then turned toward the screen. "I apologise for my rude behaviour at the hospital. I misunderstood the situation. And Micah clarified it. I hope we can leave it at that," he said dryly. His voice was polite. It was also as warm as the stone countertop.
Darcy didn’t answer right away, simply studying him. Then, after a second, he nodded. "Right. We’re cool."
Micah, apparently satisfied, reached over and patted Clyde’s shoulder. "Good. Go do your work. When it’s ready, I’ll call you."
Clyde’s lips twitched, but he didn’t move. His gaze slid back to Darcy, holding it just a second longer than necessary.
Darcy got the meaning behind that look. "Micah, I have to go. Nora is calling me," he lied. "You can finish with his help."
Micah blinked, clearly disappointed. "Oh. Okay. Thanks for helping. See you tomorrow."
He ended the call. The screen went black.
Clyde had already moved, picking up the discarded knife and setting it in the sink before Micah could reclaim it. He pulled the cutting board toward himself, his hands making short work of vegetables. Clyde gathered the cut spring onions into a small bowl with cold water. Then he crossed to the stove to ladle out excess boiling water from the pot.
Micah stood there, pressing his lips together, arms loosely folded, watching him.
Clyde caught the look. "What?"
"I was supposed to make you a warm meal."
Clyde glanced over his shoulder at him, then stepped closer and ruffled Micah’s hair. "You did fine. But I’d rather be the one cooking for you."
Micah slapped his hand away, though his ears had gone faintly red. "Just say you think I am a child."
Clyde raised an eyebrow. "Aren’t you?"
Micah let out a small scoff and kicked lightly at Clyde’s shin. "Shut up."
Still, Clyde didn’t let him touch anything else.
Micah stood aside, leaning against the counter, and watched Clyde finish the cooking.
They sat down at the kitchen island, the porcelain warm in their hands, and began eating Ramen in silence.
Clyde’s gaze kept flickering toward Micah as if he were waiting for the right moment. Finally, he set the chopsticks down with a soft click. "How long do you plan to hide it from Darcy?" His tone wasn’t sharp, but there was an edge behind the words. "Wouldn’t it be better if he knew sooner?"
Micah’s hand stilled halfway to his mouth. Slowly, he lowered the chopsticks and met Clyde’s eyes. "I thought about it before," he said, voice low. "But when I can’t give back what’s his... what’s the point in him knowing early? It would only hurt him... ruin his life..."
Clyde leaned back slightly. "But he will be really disappointed in you if he finds out you knew from the start. He will surely think the worst...that you got close to him for..."
"I know!" Micah snapped, cutting him off.
An eerie silence fell over them.
Then Micah spoke again, his gaze dropping to the swirl of noodles in his bowl. "At first, I only wanted to check on him, help from a distance. But he is... such a good guy. I got greedy. I wanted him as a friend. A brother. And that’s what led us here."
He glanced away, jaw tightening. "I dread the day he finds out. Will he think I was just trying to curry favour? That it was all guilt? Some ulterior motives?" His voice trembled. "It wasn’t just that! I’m genuinely fond of him. He is my first true friend. And he is the child of my parents! Willow and Aria’s little brother. How can I stand aside and do nothing? I want to protect him... shield him from those awful men."
Micah paused. Then he looked straight at Clyde. "And if he hates me, so be it. I just want him safe and happy. Even if the problem is me."