Chapter 4 Aliana Is Rebellious

They were at a stalemate in the kitchen.

Joshua's patience was wearing thin. He didn't have time to eat lunch earlier because of work.

Now, because of Aliana, who seemed to be in a bad mood, he had a headache.

"I will go and cook corn."

After that, Aliana went straight to the kitchen, not wanting to talk to Joshua again.

For some reason, anger suddenly rose inside Joshua, and his tone became serious.

"Aliana, you are trying to provoke me?"

This was an affirmative sentence.

Aliana, who brought a chair to the kitchen, trembled all over.

She had just returned, and her fear of Joshua hadn't completely dissipated.

Hearing Joshua's angry questioning, Aliana panicked and wanted to turn around and explain to Joshua.

She tightly gripped the corn cob and crushed a few grains.

Aliana forced herself to calm down.

She took a deep breath and turned to face Joshua.

"No, I'm just hungry, so I want to cook corn for myself."

Just like before, Aliana was indifferent and distant, as if she was deliberately keeping a distance from Joshua, which annoyed Joshua.

He wanted to say something to Aliana. Then he met Aliana's watery big eyes.

This was the first time Joshua had looked at Aliana seriously.

She had dry and somewhat yellowish hair, slightly ginger-colored skin, and a thin figure. She wore the pajamas that Leia didn't want, which had already faded from washing.

The shocking sight silenced Joshua. He could only watch Aliana skillfully pick up the pressure cooker, pour water into it, and put in the corn cob.

Aliana easily turned on the gas stove, waiting for the pressure cooker to make a hissing sound.

The kitchen once again fell into an awkward situation.

"Just corn? There are still plenty of ingredients in the refrigerator. You can call Luke to help you. You are now cooking by yourself. Do you feel that we've mistreated you?"

Joshua looked at her and asked in a deep voice. Aliana was so skinny that her spines were prominent.

Aliana turned around and calmly glanced at Joshua.

"I'm just hungry and want to have something to eat."

Aliana didn't want to say anything else. The more she explained, the messier it became. Aliana didn't care what Joshua would think about her.

The pressure cooker started to rumble. The harsh sound relieved the awkward atmosphere a little bit.

In the dim light, Joshua looked at Aliana's weak figure, feeling a bit dazed.

His heart missed a beat as if it wanted to burst out of his chest and block his breath, making it a bit unbearable.

Joshua inexplicably approached, wanting to touch Aliana.

Aliana was different now.

She was so unfamiliar.

Aliana was elusive, ready to disappear before Joshua...

Hiss...

Aliana removed the valve of the pressure cooker, releasing the gas inside.

This sound made Joshua snap back to reality, and he looked at Aliana strangely. He then picked up his cup and brewed a cup of coffee before returning to his study.

In the gloomy room, Joshua was unable to focus on his work at all. He rubbed his furrowed brows and took out his phone to call Luke.

"Luke, come and make dinner."

"Okay, Mr. Joshua. What would you like to eat?"

"It's not for me. It's for the young lady."

The young lady?

Luke was a bit confused.

Leia went out for dinner with her parents, so this young lady should be Aliana.

Although Luke didn't understand why Joshua would care for Joshua, Luke was in a much better mood.

"Understood, Mr. Joshua. I will prepare the meal and deliver it to Ms. Aliana's room. What would you like to eat?"

"I don't need anything."

After hanging up, Joshua finally calmed down. He opened his laptop and got down to work.

Aliana had a corn cob in her hand. She nibbled on it as she entered her room. She hadn't eaten all day, so the taste of the corn in her hand was especially sweet.

Just as Aliana entered her room and had only eaten half of the corn cob, Luke came inside with a smile, carrying a tray of food for Aliana.

"Ms. Aliana, Mr. Joshua asked me to prepare dinner for you. Why are you eating raw corn? If you are hungry, you can let me cook for you!"

Luke quickly put down the food tray and snatched the corn cob from Aliana's hand without waiting for her to explain.

Concern filled Luke's eyes as he looked at Aliana. He took out his phone, intending to call the family doctor.

It wasn't until the fragrant aroma and sweetness of the corn filled Luke's nostrils that he calmed down.

"Hmm? It was cooked?"

Doubtful, Luke broke off a grain of corn cob and put it in his mouth.

It was cooked.

"Ms. Aliana, what did you use to cook it?"

"A pressure cooker."

"Hiss..."

Luke gasped in fear.

The fact that Aliana cooked corn with a pressure cooker was even scarier than her eating raw corn.

"Did you make it by yourself? Did you get hurt?"

Luke was truly flustered and checked Aliana from top to bottom for any signs of injury.

There was no trace of injury at all.

Luke wondered, "This is strange. When did Ms. Aliana learn how to use a pressure cooker?"

"Ms. Aliana, if you're hungry, just come tell me. Using a pressure cooker is too dangerous for you."

"I understand, Luke."

Aliana looked at Luke, her eyes filled with warmth.

"Ms. Aliana, Mr. Joshua asked me to cook dinner for you. Please eat."

Aliana looked at the delicious dinner on the table, went up, and took the corn from Luke's hand.

"Luke, I'm almost finished with the corn cob. You can just take the dishes back. This one piece is enough to fill me up."

"But, Ms. Aliana..."

Joshua especially had Luke prepare the dinner.

Remembering Aliana's hunched back in the morning, Luke chose to stay silent.

He could only take the dinner back to Joshua's study.

"Mr. Joshua, Ms. Aliana said she was full from the corn and asked me to bring the dinner to you..."

Joshua's face darkened immediately.

The dishes on the table looked appetizing.

Yet, he had no appetite at all.

He wondered, "What did Aliana mean by this?

Is she being rebellious at this age?

Does she try to use this method to gain attention from the family?"

Aliana was so well-behaved last night. She served Joshua milk and late-night snacks.

But today, she started throwing tantrums.

Clearly, Leia was the only sensible one!

"I see, Luke. You can have this dinner with others. I don't need it anymore. From now on, there's no need to inform me about anything related to Aliana. You may leave now."

"Yes..."

Luke left the study with dinner and shook his head helplessly.

Why were both Aliana and Joshua so stubborn?

But the Harriman family wasn't friendly toward Aliana.

Ever since Leia was born, everyone's attention had been focused solely on her.

At the age of two, Aliana had to learn to read people's expressions and act accordingly. She could not be willful or throw a tantrum in order to please her family.

If one day, Aliana secretly ran away from home...

They might not even notice it!