Chapter 99: Nothing More Than a Fool
This time, his sudden appearance startled Deborah, nearly causing her to cut herself. She wasn’t upset, though, and calmly asked, “Caleb, you’ve been hanging around the kitchen a lot. Are you looking for something?”
Caleb glanced at the busy chefs and expressed his doubt. “Mom, have you really mastered all thirteen dishes?”
Deborah hesitated for a moment before replying, “Of course I have. I told you I’d cook for you myself, and I wouldn’t lie about that.”
Caleb nodded, then turned and left. Just as Deborah breathed a sigh of relief, she saw him return. This time, he had a stool in his hands, making it clear he had no intention of leaving. The smile on Deborah’s face froze. “Caleb, what are you—”
“Mom, you’re amazing! You’ve managed to master the recipes for thirteen dishes in just a week. I’ve always been a bit slow since I was a kid. I wanted to learn from you, so I brought a stool to sit and observe how everything is done. Surely, you don’t mind, do you?”
Deborah’s expression froze entirely. A bead of cold sweat formed on her forehead, but she managed to respond with a strained smile, “No, no, it’s a good thing that you’re ambitious.” She turned around and continued with her tasks.
Caleb’s gaze lingered on her retreating figure, his expression unreadable but his eyes filled with curiosity, as though he was genuinely intrigued by the intricate process of preparing a thirteen-course meal.
As she worked, Deborah suddenly set down her kitchen knife. “Caleb, I need to step out for a moment. I’ll be back soon.”
Caleb rose to his feet. “Do you have something to take care of? Let me accompany you. Maybe I can be of help.”
Deborah was taken aback for a moment, then she managed to squeeze out a smile. “I’m just going to the bathroom. You can’t help me with that.”
With a touch of regret, Caleb replied, “All right, then. I’ll wait for you here. Don’t take too long. My stomach’s already growling!”
After cracking a joke, Deborah left the kitchen. Strangely, not long after she left, all the chefs in the kitchen followed suit, leaving it completely empty. Caleb stroked his chin thoughtfully, a theory beginning to form in his mind. Still, he needed confirmation, and only when dinner was served would the truth come to light.
Two minutes later, Deborah returned. Caleb said truthfully, “Mom, as soon as you left, all the chefs disappeared too. They didn’t seem serious about their work at all!”
Deborah chuckled lightly. “Maybe they had urgent matters to deal with. Don’t worry about them. I can handle cooking the meal on my own.”
Caleb said with a tinge of concern, “Thirteen dishes and no help? That’s going to take forever. Let me help you.”
Deborah raised her hand to stop him. “Caleb, just sit back and watch. I promised I’d prepare everything myself, and I won’t go back on my word.”
Taking her at her word, Caleb watched intently as Deborah cooked. After a while, his eyes began to sting. “Mom, I’m going to head back to my room. Take your time with the cooking. It’s fine if we can’t eat them tonight. I’m not in a hurry.”
Deborah sighed in relief and replied cheerfully, “All right, you head back to your room and do something else for now. I’ll send someone to call you once I’m finished.”
Once she was certain that Caleb had indeed returned to his room, she gestured to the chefs who had been waiting outside. The chefs walked in, each carrying a plate.
Two hours later, Caleb came back downstairs. Before heading to his room earlier, he’d counted the number of dishes on the table. There were only two dishes. Including the dishes Deborah had prepared but had yet to serve from the kitchen, there were only four in total. Yet somehow, within just two hours, eight dishes had appeared on the table.
To Deborah, it seemed Caleb was nothing more than a fool.