Chapter 5 I'll Prepare Meals For You Daily

Connor shrugged casually and said, "Keeping Nicole close beats having the Reed family's shadows tailing my every move. At least she's too naive to pose any real threat."

Samuel's eyes drifted to the pistol-shaped object resting on the desk, his forehead creasing in mild disapproval. "And you think that's naive? She had the guts to walk in here carrying a firearm to meet you."

Connor lifted his gaze toward Samuel and abruptly shifted the topic. "You look worn out. Were you up all night again?"

Samuel answered with unwavering dedication, "My priority is ensuring your safety."

"Loosen up a bit-have a smoke. You're wound too tight." Connor extended a cigarette toward him.

To Samuel, the offer was hard to resist. Serving under Connor felt like living under constant restrictions, leaving him hardly any chance to smoke. Now, with the cigarette placed right in his palm, he accepted it without hesitation.

Connor casually lifted the supposed gun from the table. With a sharp click, a flame sparked from its barrel, igniting Samuel's cigarette.

For a moment, Samuel stared in stunned silence. Hell, it wasn't a weapon at all-it was an incredibly realistic lighter.

Samuel inhaled deeply, chuckling through the plume of smoke at Nicole's clever prank. Connor inquired, "Like it?"

"It's satisfying, yes."

"It came out of your holiday bonus."

Samuel immediately crushed the cigarette in the ashtray. "Mr. Reed, you handed the cigarette to me yourself!"

"But I never promised there wouldn't be consequences."

Once more, Samuel felt a wave of frustration wash over him. Curse it-he'd been outmaneuvered again, stumbling into Connor's subtle games time and again.

By the time Nicole returned carrying their morning meal, Samuel had slipped out of the room, taking the lingering tobacco scent with him that Connor couldn't stand.

"I wasn't certain about your preferences, so I prepared what was available," Nicole explained as she set the plate before Connor. "Give it a try and let me know if it suits you."

She passed him the utensils.

Connor's eyes dropped momentarily to her hands-chapped and inflamed, far too weathered for a young woman her age. The Perry family controlled a listed corporation. Had her life at home been filled with such menial toil and neglect? Yet, his expression betrayed no sympathy. "There's no need for you to bother with this. I rarely eat in the mornings anyway."

"Skipping breakfast can harm your health over time. You should avoid those packaged meals from now on. Let me handle your meals." Nicole settled into the seat opposite him, sampling her own serving first. "We're husband and wife now. Looking after your well-being is part of my role."

In an era where people scrambled for status, masking any weakness to avoid judgment or exploitation, Nicole's straightforward honesty and lack of pretense made her strikingly unusual.

Regrettably, Connor found no value in it. "Before you commit to this effort," he warned coolly, "understand that I won't feel any obligation or appreciation."

Nicole met his stare, a trace of compassion flickering in her eyes. How tragic, she reflected inwardly, that he armored himself so fiercely against simple kindness. His past must have been riddled with betrayal and pain.

For once, Connor found himself briefly without a retort.

Nicole finished her portion and noticed his portion remained untouched. She ventured carefully, "Is the dish not to your liking?"

Connor avoided risks with anything unfamiliar. He answered in a flat tone, "I've never experienced home-cooked food this decent before, so it's foreign to me."

Her chest ached at his words. "Then I'll prepare meals for you daily, if that's okay?"

Staring into her earnest gaze, Connor felt reduced to a wretched, abandoned animal begging for scraps in her view. He cautioned her firmly, "My position in the Reed family is precarious at best. As my spouse, you'll face intense pressure and need resilience-and real capability. Think it over carefully."

Nicole offered a warm, gentle smile and proposed, "If you doubt me, we can structure the substantial payment your family promised to mine into ten equal parts. Deliver them to my account gradually once you see I'm capable. Does that work?"

Her voice remained soft and calm, yet this suggestion stemmed from thorough deliberation the previous evening. To outmaneuver Phillip effectively, the initial strategy was to dangle the lure-the enormous sum of money served as ideal bait.

Little did she realize that Connor's blindness was merely an act; she believed her scheme was airtight. In reality, he had already detected the subtle anxiety in her expression and the strain evident in her features.

Swiftly piecing together her underlying motives-rooted in the difficulties she faced under Phillip's household-Connor let out a derisive chuckle.