Chapter 3

Elliot scoffed. "What kind of chef gets paid that much? That has to be your allowance for being her kept man!"

The way he said it felt like a direct insult, especially since I'd earned every penny of that money honestly.

I was finally losing my patience, so I pulled out my phone and called Cecilia.

"Ms. Bennett, could you please keep your man under control?"

A heavy sigh came from the other end of the line.

"He found you?" She sounded resigned. "Let me talk to him."

Elliot took the phone with a look of utter disdain, but as he listened to Cecilia, his expression gradually changed.

By the end of the call, he shot me a vicious glare, muttered "Got it", and hung up.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he lifted his chin and slipped right back into his usual arrogant posture.

"You got lucky today. But don't think I'm letting you off that easily. Ceci is only blinded by you right now. Sooner or later, she'll realize that a knockoff like you could never compare to me!"

With that, he turned on his heel and stormed out. The door slammed behind him so hard that the entire apartment seemed to shake.

As I stood there, I seriously considered asking Cecilia to compensate me for emotional damages.

…

To keep Elliot from causing me any more trouble, I stopped going to the mansion altogether for the next few days.

Instead, after I finished cooking each day, Martha would come by, pick up the food, and deliver it to Cecilia.

Then one afternoon, Martha showed up with something besides the usual stack of food containers.

She handed me an invitation to Elliot's welcome-home party.

I stared at the gold-embossed invitation and felt a headache coming on.

I was just about to turn it down when Martha added, "Mr. Lawson has been driving Ms. Bennett crazy. She said that if you attend, she'll pay you ten times your usual overtime rate."

Martha looked at me with the unmistakable expression of someone thinking how nice it was to have it so easy.

I immediately changed my tune. "Why are we even talking about overtime pay? If Ms. Bennett needs me, I'll do whatever it takes."

The welcome-home party was held at Cecilia's mansion.

When I arrived, Elliot was sitting at the piano.

A soft spotlight shone down on him, and for once, he looked every bit like the larger-than-life first love straight out of a romance novel.

The moment the guests spotted me, several of them came over to say hello.

"Mr. Brooks, are you cooking tonight? If so, I'm definitely looking forward to the food."

"Mr. Brooks, have you ever considered taking another job? My mother is obsessed with your cooking."

Variations of the same conversation followed as more guests approached me.

Suddenly, the piano music came to an abrupt stop, and everyone instinctively turned toward Elliot.

He picked up a microphone and glared at the people gathered around me.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Cecilia's one true love. And the person you're all crowding around is nothing more than a lowly replacement.

"You're free to suck up to whoever you want, but make sure you're sucking up to the right person. Otherwise, you might regret it."

The guests exchanged bewildered glances.

Apparently deciding they had no idea what he was talking about, they simply shrugged and went back to chatting with me.

Elliot, meanwhile, seemed convinced that I must have somehow won everyone over while he was away.

He was furious, but then, as if an idea suddenly occurred to him, a mocking smile spread across his face.

He straightened his suit and walked over to me with a pleasant smile.

"I may have played well just now, but I've heard you're an even more accomplished pianist. Why don't you play something for everyone and liven things up?"

Then he added with a sly smile, "Unless, of course, you think you're too good to play for everyone."

Elliot looked thoroughly pleased with himself, clearly expecting me to embarrass myself.

He had already done his homework. I was completely tone-deaf. Forget playing the piano—I could barely carry a simple tune.

If I sat down at that piano, there was no doubt I'd make a fool of myself in front of everyone.

And then Ceci would finally realize that this so-called "replacement" was nothing like him.

Elliot practically seemed to be savoring the humiliation he imagined was coming. The smugness on his face was impossible to miss.

But I didn't hesitate to correct him.

"You heard wrong." I looked at him matter-of-factly. "I can't play the piano."