Chapter 243

“Didn’t you make this for me? Why are you taking it away now!"

Rachel pouted and, as if suddenly realizing something, placed the meatballs back in front of Tyler. “Oh, I just thought you didn’t…”

Tyler picked up his fork and started helping himself to the other dishes, eating slowly and deliberately. “Rachel, your tricks are way too obvious.”

Rachel smiled nonchalantly and muttered under her breath, “It doesn’t matter as long as they work.”

The food was, in fact, pretty good. It wasn’t exactly like the taste he remembered, but it was close.

He took a sip of coffee and casually asked, “Did you ever cook for William?”

“Of course. Did you have to ask?”

As soon as she brought up her past as a pathetic lovelorn loser, she wanted to slap herself.

Tyler clicked his tongue twice and set his cup down. “So did you ever learn how to cook just for him?”

Rachel nodded honestly.

“Yeah. There was a time when he had a bit of a stomach problem, and he couldn’t handle porridge served outside. I had to make it for him myself. In the beginning, I never got the consistency right, so I just kept searching recipes everywhere I could.

“I’d get up at five in the morning to cook porridge and make all the dishes he liked.”

Tyler smiled at her response. “I didn’t expect you to be the nurturing type, but Samantha sure has it easier. All she has to do is bat her lashes, pout a little, and call out William’s name in that soft voice of hers.”

His words stung.

The contrast hit Rachel hard.

Even she had to admit that William had probably never let Samantha wake up at five in the morning to make him porridge.

Tyler had a way of hitting where it hurt. His words were merciless and always stripped away any illusion. He forced her to face the brutal truth.

Rachel couldn’t help imagining what would happen if Tyler had kids one day. If one of them came home upset because they’d been bullied at school, the mother would probably hug them, talk it out gently, and help the child think through it…

But Tyler? He’d probably throw out something cold like ‘You can’t even handle that? Why do you even bother staying alive?’”

She thought of what Xavier had said. Tyler had been physically punished as a child, and he used to be locked up in his room for hours.

When it came to being locked up, Rachel had her own trauma.

Once, while playing hide-and-seek with kids in the neighborhood, she’d hidden inside a closet as she usually would, but someone had locked it from the outside, unaware that she was inside.

She had panicked. That pitch-black space had felt like it was swallowing her whole.

She had been stuck there for two hours. No matter how loudly she cried or screamed, no one had come to help.

Ever since then, she’d had a fear of tight, enclosed spaces. Lock her up, and her mind would spiral into irrational panic.

“Are you thinking about how to improve your cooking so you can win William back?”

Rachel snapped out of her thoughts and realized Tyler was suddenly standing right in front of her. He was so close she could see every pore on his skin. She had never seen a guy with such perfect skin before. Curious, she asked, “Mr. Hunt, what kind of skincare products do you use?"

Tyler raised an eyebrow and smiled. “What, are you jealous?”

Rachel nearly rolled her eyes.

It felt like she always walked straight into his traps, but it couldn’t be helped. He had every reason to be proud.

Still, thinking about the favor she had to ask him later, it probably wouldn’t hurt to throw in a few compliments now.

She nodded earnestly and looked at him with admiration.

“Totally. Mr. Hunt, I’ve never seen a guy with skin as flawless as yours. You’re basically the heartthrob of Yurelia City. No wonder all those women are dying to date you. You really are that amazing."