Chapter 126 - Reminds Of Home

Carina smiled at her. "Oh, Santiago is here. He arrived just an hour before. He had some work with your papa but since your papa wasn't home, he asked his subordinate to assist him. A maid informed me that their work is almost done and he will be coming down." 

'Ah, work with papa? Must be to kill someone.' She scoffed. 

"Cindy?" Persephone called out as she saw the chef steaming the soup. 

"Yes, Miss Marino?" Cindy smiled. "What can I help you with?"

"I want to cook something,"Persephone announced, horrifying the two women. 

" I don't think that it's a very good idea, "Carina was quick to reply. She was horrified with the idea of Persephone in the kitchen. Yes, she was giving her daughters cooking classes as Persephone had insisted but it didn't mean that she was all ready to be inside the kitchen on her own. " You must not hurt yourself in this condition." 

"Chill mom. It's pregnancy not a disease," Persephone said. Taking a bowl from the drawer, she started taking out the ingredients. "And I know my capabilities. Just stand there and see if I am doing it correctly." Seeing that his mom had no intention of bulging, she pressed, "Please mom." 

"Fine," Carina could only sigh. 

After forty minutes, a whole messy kitchen and around twenty contaminated utensils later, Persephone yelled, "I'm done. Cindy, please help me take it out of the oven." She turned with a grin and asked,"It looks yummy, mama, doesn't it?"

Carina couldn't help with that infectious grin. "Yes, it does." Only after saying that, she saw what Persephone had cooked. Well, she was doing something with nutella, fruits and oats. Lord knew what she was cooking. However,it didn't look as horrifying as she had initially thought. 

"Cam shared this recipe," Persephone informed both the ladies. "He said when he used to work in a diner, these recipes helped him in getting the girls!" She then grinned and continued,"And Valencia approved this too. She said it was good for my diet too." Then she tore a bite and fed it to Carina and Cindy. "Tell me, is it good?"

Carina and Cindy were surprised to find that it actually tasted like food. They meant it didn't taste that bad. 

"I didn't know that little Percy one day would be able to learn this art of cooking,"Cindy added with a smile. 

"I guess being a mom changes you,"Persephone said with a happy smile. " Truth be told, I'm feeling many changes in my body,both physically and mentally. It's like I have this excessive energy to do and learn new things for me and my baby but at the same time so lethargic to handle some things. I don't know if I will ever be able to make you ladies understand what I am feeling." 

Carina patted her shoulder with a teary smile. "To be able to nurture another life inside of you is a bliss. It changes you for good." 

Despite the circumstances, Persephone was thoroughly celebrating her course of pregnancy. She didn't learn cooking for anyone but for her baby. One day, she would leave this family with her baby for good. And there wouldn't be chefs and servants to serve her. If she didn't want to starve, she had to learn certain survival skills, cooking being one of them. 

Another servant helped her in taking out the dishes she cooked to the dining table, until she would freshen up. She went upstairs leaving her hardly cooked food alone on the dining table. When she came downstairs only a few minutes later dressed in comfy home clothes, she found that ridiculously weird but gorgeous man munching on her food. The same food she spent more than half an hour on. 

"What the hell are you doing?"

Santiago looked up when he heard a horror shriek. He found angry green eyes weaving ways to murder him right there on the spot. 

Chocolate was still glued to his finger when he blinked his eyes at her. "I was just trying it out. It's not that bad..." 

To be honest, when Carina asked him to wait on the dining table as she would serve him dinner and wouldn't let him leave without dinner. He agreed as he knew how insistent Italian mamas can be about the matters relating to food. But when he occupied the chair, he found a dessert kind of thing made with Nutella. He didn't know why but it reminded him of his mom's recipes. She used to make something very similar to this thing. And imagine his joy and surprise, when this thing tasted almost like his mama's desserts. For the first time in years, Santiago found solace. It was odd but precious indeed. 

One might not understand what he was feeling right now. Not even a single bite of this snack could top fancy restaurants but no fancy restaurant cooked bring the magic of this kind of home cooked meal to him. 

"How can you do this to me?" Persephone asked him. Her eyes filled with tears. No, she wasn't actually crying. It was just pregnancy messing with her emotions. She couldn't control her emotional outbursts. 

Santiago paused and looked at her with apparent worry. He had never seen his Red crying except that day. And he had never dealt with crying women. So, he had no idea how to console them. 

"Hey! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you," Santiago awkwardly said. 

Instead of sobering up, Persephone cried even more. As he tried to console, her tears became uncontrollable. 

Those sobs were heartbreakingly saddening him. "I will go if you don't want me at home. Tell me, why are you crying,I will try my best to make up for you." 

Persephone sobbed. These stupid hormones. 'Why am I even crying?' Thinking for a minute,she came out with no answer. 'I wanna cry for no reason.' 

Carina came running out the kitchen. She found Santiago patting Persephone and apologizing in a thousand ways. Soon after him, Isabelle and Sophia came too. They all started looking at him with accusatory gazes. 

"I didn't say anything to her. She shrieked at me and then suddenly started crying." For the first time in life,he was afraid of women who were even one-tenth in his power." Now she is not telling the reason either.''

Ignoring his existence,Sophia went closer to her sister and asked in a cooing voice,"Why are you crying, Percy? Did this man hurt you? Tell me and I will sharpen my knife." 

Behind her, Isabelle picked the knife that was placed beside the fork and spoon. She even gestured in a way that said she was sharpening it. 

Imagine Santiago's horror… 

When Persephone's sobs lessened , she said amid hiccups,"This damn man ate the food I hardly cooked for the first time in my life."Pointing towards the empty plates,she continued when her tears started pouring out,"He didn't even leave a bit for me. How can someone be so callous?! I want justice. For me and my food. How could he do this to me?"

"Wait, you were just crying because of food?"Isabelle asked her. She had heard about the fluctuating emotional state of pregnant women but saw and experienced it for the first time. All she could say was that she had no intention of experiencing it once again. 

Persephone threw a glare at Isabelle and she shut her mouth, understanding that she said something she shouldn't have. 

"You cooked it?"Santiago asked her in a weird tone. 

Persephone scowled at him first but then nodded her head. " You didn't have the decency to save something for the chef. Mannerless brute!"

Rather than getting offended, he smiled at her genuinely. "I didn't mean to offend you. I'm really sorry. But as a person who was bestowed with the opportunity to taste your first cooked meal,I can say that you did a pretty good job. Your food reminds me of my mom and home. Thank you."

Now how could Persephone get offended? His words meant more than a simple compliment to her. It felt good to be honest. 

"Wait, you were just crying because of food?"Isabelle asked her. She had heard about the fluctuating emotional state of pregnant women but saw and experienced it for the first time. All she could say was that she had no intention of experiencing it once again. 

Persephone threw a glare at Isabelle and she shut her mouth, understanding that she said something she shouldn't have. 

"You cooked it?"Santiago asked her in a weird tone. 

Persephone scowled at him first but then nodded her head. " You didn't have the decency to save something for the chef. Mannerless brute!"

Rather than getting offended, he smiled at her genuinely. "I didn't mean to offend you. I'm really sorry. But as a person who was bestowed with the opportunity to taste your first cooked meal,I can say that you did a pretty good job. Your food reminds me of my mom and home. Thank you."

Now how could Persephone get offended? His words meant more than a simple compliment to her.. It felt good to be honest.