Chapter 2

I inhaled sharply under his cold, scrutinizing gaze.

“You’re definitely not who I was expecting,” he said finally, his voice was cold.

I straightened my shoulders. “No, I’m not. You were supposed to meet my mom, Mrs. Davis. I’m her daughter, Emily. I’m filling in for her. She’s unwell.”

I saw the flicker of disbelief behind his blank expression.

“This,” he gestured vaguely at me with his left hand, “is the best replacement she could find?”

His tone was a mixture of rudeness and disapproval. 

He added in a condescending manner  “Can you even hold a knife properly?”

That last question did it. My blood was boiling. First, he insulted my mom, indirectly calling her judgment poor. And then he had the temerity to question my skills after barely meeting me? This bastard. How dare he?

I stepped forward, eyes narrowing.

“With all due respect, Mr. Black, I’d appreciate it if you spoke to me with basic decency,” I said, struggling to keep my voice steady.

“If you don’t want me to work here, that’s okay. But I won’t stand here and be insulted or have my abilities belittled. I won’t tolerate it.”

For a brief moment, something flickered across his face. Surprise, maybe? But it vanished quickly, replaced by a dark gloomy look.

“Oh, feisty,” Jason murmured from behind, clearly amused.

He shot him a glare but said nothing. The air grew thick with tension. You don't know tension if you're not in this room.

“What’s your name?” He asked, his tone curt.

“Emily,” I replied simply.

He pulled out his phone, tapped a response to a message, then paused again.

“Why should I let you cook in my kitchen?” His tone was cool, almost haughty.

I bit the inside of my cheek and stopped myself from saying something rude. What is this, an interview ?

“Because I’m capable,” I replied, matching his calm with my own.

He raised a brow, clearly unimpressed. Clenching his jaw, “That’s it?”

I gave a small shrug. “You’ve already made up your mind about me. I’m not here to win you over with fancy words. I know my abilities. If you’re not willing to take my word for it,it's up to you .”

There was a long silence. Then he asked, “I assume you’ve read the instructions? The rules? There are no second chances here. Any mistake and you’re gone.”

“Crystal clear,” I replied without hesitation.

He held my gaze for a moment longer, then turned and left the kitchen without another word.

The second he disappeared from view, Jason exhaled loudly.

“That was intense,” he said.

“Intense?” I scoffed. “I am sorry he's your brother. He's a jerk.”

He laughed, “You’re not wrong. Don’t worry about it. I have heard worse trust me. Liam can be uncouth sometimes”

Uncouth is putting it mildly. “Seriously, who insults someone within five minutes of meeting them?”

He chuckled again. “You’ll get used to him. Or not. Either way, you hold your ground, and that’s more than most people manage on their first day.”

I rolled my eyes. “Well, I’m not most people.”

“That’s becoming pretty obvious,” he grinned.

I turned my attention back to the kitchen, opening cabinets and checking the pantry. “I needed to take inventory. Make a list of things I’ll need while I’m here.”

“Want some company?” he asked.

“You’re still here?”

“Yep. I don’t have much going on today. I actually came to annoy Liam. But I ended up meeting you instead.”

I gave him a sideways glance. “Lucky me.”

He smiled, unabashed. “So, how often are you going to be working here?”

“Mondays and Fridays. Why?”

He tapped his fingers on the island counter. “I’m shooting a music video soon. I think I just found my vixen.”

I paused, eyebrows raised. “You gotta be kidding.”

“Nope. As serious as a heart attack?” 

“Jason, I cook. I don’t do vixens.”

“Ouch” he clutched his chest. 

“The first favor I asked from my new friend and she refused me”

He gave me a fake wounded look, bottom lip poked out.

I laughed. “Wow, you’re not playing fair”

“Never have.”

I sighed. “Fine. I’ll think about it. Here I was thinking I’ll be the one using you.”

He leaned forward, eyes twinkling. “You’re still free to take advantage of me.”

“You’re insufferable,” I said, shaking my head.

“You have no idea.”

He stood up, pulling out his phone. “I need to call my manager. I’ll be right back.”

I watched him leave the kitchen and exhaled. What did I just agree to?

Once I was done checking the inventory, he returned, a grin plastered on his face.

He handed me his phone. “Type in your number.”

I hesitated, then took the phone and entered it. I called myself so I’d have his number too, then handed it back.

“Done.”

“Perfect,” he said, slipping it into his pocket.

I turned my focus back to the stove, chopping onions and prepping ingredients for dinner. Jason remained, sitting and watching me with mild fascination.

“You don’t have anything better to do today?” I asked, glancing at him.

“Nope. Today is for bothering Liam and watching you cook.”

I smirked. “Well, mission accomplished.”

He leaned back in his chair. “How old are you, by the way?”

“Twenty-two. You?”

“Twenty-six.”

“So, Em…wait, can I call you that?” he asked 

“Yeah, sure”

“Call me Jay,” I nodded 

“Tell me, when you are not helping your mom. What do you do?”

“I am still in college. Culinary arts”

“Hmm, nice. You know, I studied engineering, believe it or not.”

That got my attention. I paused. “Seriously? You did?”

“I know, I know. Everyone expects me to be some airhead singer. But yeah. Graduated with honors.”

“That’s actually impressive. Famous and smart huh.”

He shrugged. “You’d be surprised how many layers people have.”

“You’re not wrong,” I admitted.

He kept me company until I was done for the day. I packed up my things and glanced at the time.

“Well, Jay, this was  unexpected.”

“In a good way, I hope?”

I smiled. “Yeah. Surprisingly, yes.”

His brown eyes followed me to the door.

“Goodnight, Em,” he said, a playful glint in his gaze. “Get ready your summer is about to get lit.”

I laughed softly, shaking my head. “We’ll see about that.”

As I stepped out of the Black mansion, the warm evening breeze brushed against my skin. A strange flutter danced in my stomach. Maybe it was nerves. Maybe it was excitement.

Whatever it was, I had a feeling this summer was about to change everything.