Chapter 8

Worried Archer might still leave, Violet immediately had the maids move his suitcases into the largest guest bedroom. Valerie turned, gave Dylan a haughty look, and said gleefully, "It's late. Why are you still idling here? Go make dinner now! Also, Archer can't eat spicy food, so make sure none of your dishes are spicy."

Although the Padden household employed many maids and servants, Dylan was the only one tasked with cooking. This was because Violet was an extremely picky eater, very hard to please, and refused food even from famous chefs abroad. However, she seemed to find Dylan's food somewhat palatable.

Yet, however much time and energy Dylan spent cooking for her, Violet would only taste small amounts of his food. Sometimes Valerie would eat it, but not without critiquing it every single time.

Dylan shook his head and uttered two words that shocked everyone.

Violet abruptly turned to look at Dylan upon hearing his rejection. As far as she could remember, he had never dared to disobey them. This was the first time he'd rejected her.

Just as Violet opened her mouth to speak, Archer's eyes suddenly turned red.

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have stayed. I'm just… after all, Mr. Cloud has no obligation to cook for me."

With that, Archer turned to get his suitcases, but Violet stopped him.

"It's got nothing to do with you."

She then turned to Dylan and said in a low voice, "Didn't you say you weren't angry? What is the meaning of this?"

Dylan lifted his fingers, showing band-aids wrapped around his second and third fingers.

"I hurt myself and can't get them wet for a while."

Actually, Dylan wasn't hurt at all. He simply didn't want to continue wasting his time and effort on Violet now that his contract was over. So, he purposely wrapped his fingers with band-aids as an excuse not to cook anymore.

The atmosphere immediately grew tense. Dylan had always been in charge of household chores since moving in; the other servants and maids always left at the end of the day. Now, he was the only person in the villa who knew how to cook. Nobody else knew how to cook.

It would be too late to get another servant to cook. Valerie frowned unhappily and grumbled, "Why didn't you say so earlier? Were you trying to starve us on purpose?" Valerie was about to jump at Dylan when Archer held her back.

"Val, don't be like this."

Archer then looked at Violet and said, "Vi, after being abroad for so long, I'm craving that pizza place we used to always go to back when we were in high school. Remember? Should we just order pizza tonight?"

Of course, Violet would never reject Archer's suggestion. She answered pleasantly, "Alright. I'll take you there."

They left for the pizzeria, bringing Dylan along. In the backseat, Violet chatted happily with Valerie and Archer. Their conversation eventually turned to high school, and Archer seemed keen to reminisce. Valerie joined in occasionally.

When they brought up something funny, all three of them laughed heartily. However, while laughing, Archer suddenly seemed to recall something. He looked over at Dylan in the front passenger seat.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Cloud. It's not that we want to ignore you on purpose, but you're just not part of our past from back then."

It wasn't just their past that Dylan wasn't a part of; he wouldn't be a part of their future either, very soon.

Dylan hummed in response and clouded his eyes. Violet rarely glanced at him, but she did this time. She somehow thought that there was something about Dylan that had changed.

After parking the car, Dylan excused himself to go to the restroom. He splashed some cold water onto his face and looked at himself in the mirror. He had good looks and flawless skin, but he looked tired and worn out. Both he and Violet had been married for five years. However, while Archer still looked young and energetic, Dylan looked much older and tired.

Still, he only had to hold out a bit longer before he was finally free. That was what he kept telling himself.

When he finally got back to the table, the others had already placed their orders.

"We'll have the three-cheese pizza and the marinara pizza. Since Archer doesn't eat meat, we'll add mushrooms and bell peppers, but skip the onions," Violet said, giving the order to the waiter. Even after many years, Violet still remembered everything Archer liked.

"Anything you don't eat, Dylan?"

This was the first time Violet had ever asked about his food preferences in five years of marriage. Dylan sat at the other end of the table and grabbed a napkin to clean the utensils. "I'm fine with anything except seafood."

When the pizzas arrived, Violet kept making sure Archer's plate was full. She barely ate anything herself as she kept giving Archer the sides and drinks.

Halfway through their meal, the table next to them erupted into a brawl. Two people started fighting physically. Other patrons tried to break up the fight.

However, one of them had a terrible temper and grabbed a huge bowl of piping hot miso soup and flung it at the other person, who managed to duck. Unfortunately, the hot soup was redirected towards Dylan's table.

Seeming to react instantly, Violet subconsciously shielded Archer with her body. Meanwhile, Dylan wasn't able to duck in time. He stared in horror as the bowl of hot soup flew straight toward him.