CHAPTER 61

Chapter 61

Andrew saw Edmund and Clayton return from the balcony, looking calm, and asked, “Are you guys done talking?”

Ignoring him, Edmund and Clayton sat down on the couch, Clayton proceeded to pour tea for himself and Edmund.

Victor tapped his cup. “What about me?”

Clayton had already set the teapot down and was sipping from his cup.

Andrew chuckled sheepishly. “Give up, Victor, You won’t be winning this guy over anytime soon.” He poured tea for himself and Victor. “Who would’ve thought we’d gather here like this? I wonder if Isabella knows Carmelo. It’d be great if she does.”

The other three men felt the same way.

It was rare for the three of them to show up for the mandatory weekly family dinner at the Maguire manor, which made today rather special.

“Dinner’s ready!” Regina announced as she bounded up to them, then humed into the study to beckon the others.

The house livened up at once.

A feast was laid out on the extended dining table.

Kayson and Hendrix exclaimed, “Wow, look at this spread it’s incredible”

Denise was bringing a plate of beef and broccoli to the table, but Kayson was in her way. She stepped to the left, but so did he. She tried going to the right instead, but he blocked her again. She asked him to move, but she said it so softly that he did not hear her over his bickering with Hendrix

In the end, she kicked Kayson’s leg and snapped, “Move!”

Startled, Kayson turned around and immediately smiled when he saw Denise. “Here, let me take that before you scald yourself”

Denise made no reply. She simply shoved the dish into his hands and walked away.

Kayson watched her leave, chuckling to himself.

“Stop staring.” Hendrix chided, poking Kayson, “You’ll drool in the food.”

The women, on the other hand, were discussing something and laughing among themselves. They also occasionally glanced in Kayson and Hendrix’s direction.

Clayton looked at Isabella. He could sense how happy she was at this moment, and he hoped she would stay this way forever because she deserved to be happy every moment.

The food looked and smelled delicious.

The four secretaries sat across the table from the four assistants Isabella sat facing Clayton, Victor faced Gwendolyn and Andrew, much to his dismay, sat with the women and faced Edmund

Edmund looked around and asked isabella, “Where’s Riharina?”

Isabella, who was passing the utensils around the table, said, “Oh, she couldn’t come because she has to take care of a sick family member.

Disappointment flashed in Edmund’s eyes.

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“Is someone sick? Anything I can do to help?” Andrew piped up immediately after hearing what Isabella said.

“I told Rihanna she could look for you if need be,” Isabella replied with a smile.

“Okay, that’s fine. Just have her mention your name.” Andrew’s fork was already hovering over the dishes.

Everyone dug in and praised the food. The women beamed, indulging in the compliments.

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Isabella forbade Clayton from drinking due to his injuries, Andrew thought about telling her that Clayton’s injuries weren’t that serious but changed his mind when he considered how amusing it would be to see Clayton deprived of alcohol

Victor realized the dishes he and Clayton liked were made in larger portions, save for the shrimp,

Clayton had just speared a shrimp with his fork when Isabella stopped him. “Hey, no seafood while you’re still recovering. You can have the other dishes and leave the shrimp for Victor.”

Victor grumbled, “I don’t want them just because Clayton can’t have them.”

Isabella ignored him.

Clayton ate the pork ribs that Isabella gave him and said to Victor, “It’s barbecue shrimp, with Isabella’s special seasoning”

Victor hesitated before spearing a shrimp, inspected it, and put it back. He opted for the lemon pepper wings instead.

Andrew said in a not so quiet voice, “Victor loves shrimp, but he doesn’t know how to peel them,”

Gwendolyn cheked on her food and coughed, Isabella patted her back.

Andrew leaned close to Gwendolyn and patted her back as well.

Victor’s face darkened. “Is that funny?”

Gwendolyn took a sip of her drink and nodded, “Yeah.”

Victor’s face darkened even more.

“How do you usually eat shrimp then?” Gwendolyn asked curiously.

Victor picked up a shrimp and put it on Gwendolyn’s plate. “Peel it for me.”

She was no pushover. “Why should 17”

“Because I dealt with those directors and took care of that insufferable actress for you,” Victor countered.

Gwendolyn pouted and turned to Isabella. “Do I have to peel shrimp for him just because he helped me?”

Isabella pondered for a moment and said quietly, “Just do it for him. I’m usually the one to do it for him and Clayton, but I can’t do it now or Clayton will throw a fit. Just think of it as returning a favor.”

Gwendolyn glared at Victor, who eyed her smugly.

She looked at Isabella again, and the latter nodded.

Gwendolyn’s gaze fell on the shrimp before her. Then, she began to peel it, much to Victor’s satisfaction.

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Everyone else at the table was staring at them.

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Gwendolyn deftly peeled the shrimp and dipped it in some sauce. Victor waited for her to give him the shrimp, but he ended up watching her

eat it instead.

“Mm, delicious,” she declared while chewing.

Victor stared at her rosy lips, then put another shrimp on her plate.

Wiping her fingers with a wet tissue, Gwendolyn glanced at the shrimp, then at Victor, and proceeded to peel it. This time, Victor watched her every move. Just as she had finished peeling the shrimp and was about to dip it in the sauce, he snatched it away

“Hey!” Gwendolyn groused as Victor dipped the shrimp in the sauce and ate it

He nodded as he chewed. “Mm, delicious.” He put another shrimp on Gwendolyn’s plate. “Keep going.”

Gwendolyn glowered at Victor, her eyes wide.

A smirk curled on his lips. “Worried you won’t be fast enough?”

Gwendolyn scoffed and immediately began to peel the shrimp. This time, she ate the shrimp without even dipping it into the sauce and shot

Victor a defiant look

Unaffected, Victor put another shrimp on her plate.

This time, he succeeded in hijacking the shrimp again.

Everyone had gone quiet and stopped eating at this point.

They watched six rounds of Victor and Gwendolyn’s shrimp–snatching game before finally looking away.

“Denise, try the snow peas. They’re delicious.”

“Regina, have you had some of the beef stir–fry yet?”

“Could you pass the baked codfish, Maggle?”

“How’s the broccoli, Jordyn?”

The four secretaries pretended not to have seen Victor’s childish behavior and pass

passed the dishes

among themselves.

Meanwhile, the four assistants dutifully helped the ladies to the dishes and avoided looking at Victor, though they found it hard not to laugh

at him.

Andrew exerted superhuman effort not to laugh outright at Victor’s behavior.

“Have some chicken, Andrew,” Edmund said as he placed a chicken thigh on Andrew’s plate.

Clayton stuffed a small piece of pork rib into Isabella’s gaping mouth and said gently, “Eat your food.”

Isabella bit down on the pork rib instinctively and glanced at Clayton.

“Did you cook all this today, Mrs. Murray?” he asked evenly.

Isabella chewed on the pork rib, spat out the bone, and stammered in reply, “N–No. Maggie, Jordyn, and the others helped, too.”

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She was still staring at Victor and Gwendolyn.

Before long, the shrimp were gone.

Gwendolyn’s hands were coated in shrimp juice, but Victor’s were clean. He nodded and remarked in amusement, “Not bad. You peel fast”

“Can you believe him?” Gwendolyn asked Isabella angrily, lifting her dirtied hands.

Isabella quickly pulled out a few wet tissues to clean Gwendolyn’s hands, unable to answer the latter’s question as Victor’s eccentricity had rendered her speechless.

Gwendolyn glowered at Victor, her hands still raised. He assessed those hands, silently approving of her clean and trimmed nails.

His gaze trailed to her face. She was glaring at him. He decided that she looked rather pretty, and she had a nice figure, too.

He suddenly reached out and wiped some sauce from the corner of her lips.

Once again, everyone fell silent.

Isabella was about to discard the shrimp shells in the glass bowl when Victor’s gesture made her stop.

‘T–That’s a little intimate… Isabella thought.

Gwendolyn was so stunned that she did not react until a beat later. She jabbed a finger at Victor and shrieked, “What are you doing?”

“Wiping your mouth,” Victor answered matter–of–factly, cleaning his hand with a tissue.

Gwendolyn blushed.

Clayton and Edmund were stunned for only a moment before they exchanged a look and continued eating.

Andrew, however, was incredulous. “V–Victor, how could you?”

Victor picked up a chicken wing. “You got a problem with that?”

Andrew nodded and wrapped an arm around Gwendolyn’s shoulders. “She’s my junior and my master’s daughter. I must take care of her, and it doesn’t mean you can pick on her just because you’re my brother.” With that, he took a sip of his drink to calm himself down.

Victor took a delicate bite of the chicken wing. “Then I hereby absolve you from that duty, because I’ve decided to court and marry her. She’ll be your sister–in–law soon.”

Everyone choked at this.

Andrew, who had been drinking water, choked the hardest. He rose from his seat and doubled over as his face reddened from the coughing. pointing at Victor as he choked out, “V–Victor..

isabella, Gwendolyn, and even Edmund and Clayton gaped at Victor.

Victor ignored their reaction and merely looked at Edmund and Clayton questioningly. “What? Is there a problem?”

Edmund and Clayton looked away and said in unison,

on, “Nope.”

They continued eating,

Once the assistants and secretaries realized they had lost composure, they quickly straightened up and cleared their throats.

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Andrew managed to stop coughing and took another sip of water, then returned to his seat. He leaned forward and asked Victor, “What did

you say earlier?”

Victor had a slice of beef and gave Andrew a withering look. “Why’d you cough if you didn’t hear me?”

Andrew choked out, “Did you say you were going to court Gwen?”

Victor nodded. “il you heard me, then why’d you ask?”

Gwendolyn finally snapped out of her daze and shook her head vehemently. “You’re not my type.”

Victor took a sip of wine. “Doesn’t matter. I will be at some point.”

Everyone fell speechless.

Gwendolyn sipped her water and tried to calm down. “I don’t like childish men.”

Victor paused in helping himself to the dishes and looked up at her. “Doesn’t matter. You’ll just have to match my energy.”

His reply left everyone stumped again.

Gwendolyn gave Isabella a despairing look. She had never been so embarrassed in her life. The love letters she had received from boys since she was 12 were nothing compared to Victor’s eccentric advances. She doubted he was operating on the same wavelength as her. She thought he might be a Martian.

“I promised my dad I’ll be on a three–year dating ban,” Gwendolyn said, desperate enough to use her father as an excuse.

“That’s fine, I can talk to your dad. I’m an excellent negotiator. I’m sure he’ll change his mind. Victor set his utensils down, cleaned his mouth with a napkin, and gave Gwendolyn a level gaze. “Anything else?”

“Yes! I object to this!” Gwendolyn said loudly.

“Me, too!” Andrew chimed, raising his hand.

“Same here!” Isabella slowly raised her hand. “I don’t think you guys are right for each other.”

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