After overhearing their conversation, Julian felt relieved. Even if Matthew wasn't wealthy, he seemed kind to Valerie.

Their mother might scoff at Matthew's lack of money, but Julian thought it better that Valerie married an average guy. If she married into wealth, there would be too many rules, and they might look down on her. But now, if she ever needed help, Julian could step in. As long as Matthew treated her right, being poor wasn't a big deal.

Valerie cooked a large lunch, but they got sidetracked, leaving many dishes untouched. No problem; they could reheat them for dinner. The leftover meats could be frozen, the vegetables stored in the crisper, but the organic fish and shrimp were still fresh.

Valerie fetched two basins, separating the fish and shrimp and placing them on the balcony in fresh water. "Hey, shrimp, you're pretty cute," she said.

Matthew narrowed his eyes, wondering why she was talking to the shrimp. First, it was the hamster, now the shrimp. And who kept live organic fish and shrimp as pets? They were clearly meant for eating.

Matthew sighed at her gentle nature, considering custom tanks for the fish and shrimp, but then realized they'd need separate setups due to their different habitats.

The next morning, when Matthew came out of his room, Valerie was already plating food. Seeing him, she greeted him with a bright smile. "Morning, Mr. Grant. Just in time for breakfast."

"Morning," Matthew replied, taking a seat at the table as Valerie set a plate in front of him. It was spaghetti. Were they having spaghetti today? He recalled her mentioning egg whites and waffles yesterday.

Hungry and enticed by the aroma, Matthew dug in. The spaghetti looked appetizing. Taking a bite, he savored the burst of flavors from the fish and shrimp, satisfying his taste buds.

Unsure if it was his imagination, he felt Valerie's gaze was particularly eager.

"Mr. Grant, how is it?" she asked immediately.

"Pretty tasty," Matthew replied truthfully.

"Phew, as long as it tastes good! It's my first time making spaghetti, so I was a bit worried it would turn out terrible," Valerie exclaimed with relief.

He'd thought she'd just heated up store-bought spaghetti, but she'd actually made it herself. The meat was fresh and tasty. Wait "Did you make it all yourself?" he asked.

"Yup, I got up early to clean and prep the fish and shrimp. Gotta keep it fresh, right? Apart from that, I made a few other dishes with the leftover meat," Valerie said, pulling out two lunchboxes from seemingly nowhere. "So, how about we take lunch to the office?"

After that, she glanced up at him, noticing a teasing smile at the corner of his lips. She couldn't help but ask curiously, "What's so funny?"

He hadn't expected that. Yesterday, when she called the shrimp "cute," he thought she was planning to keep them as pets. Today, he realized she'd simply meant they looked delicious.