Mark had never showed off his family background to his classmates.
The Wilsons were actually influential in the region.
He was the third kid and known for his wisdom.
The construction of railways and highways was under the management of his eldest brother, but he also had shares.
In addition, he expanded his family business by tapping into cross-border shipping.
He had been talented in management since he was little and refused the invitation of elite schools abroad several times.
In retrospect, he had tried the hardest resisting going abroad to study in his sophomore year in high school, because that was when he set eyes on the cat-like Elaine with thick hair during an extracurricular activity....
As a matter of fact, he had never been sure how he really felt.
Until one summer vacation, he saw Elaine wolfing down food at a street stall....
At that moment, his heart skipped a beat.
...
Then he and Elaine talked, and it felt like a dream.
His heart was hammering. Even though a beautiful woman was with him, he was thinking about that stall.
That was when he knew what he wanted.
He wanted Elaine! He wanted to dote on her!
He would protect her from harm!
However, things didn't always go according to one's plan.
In that summer vacation, Elaine met someone else.
"Come! The food is ready! It's time to eat!"
Elaine rubbed her hands with a simper. She was wearing an apron like a housewife. She walked to Mark and Hazel and supported Mark by his arm like he had been an old man in his eighties.
"Mark, does your back still hurt? Are you feeling better? Let's have dinner."
Mark's heart melted as his arm was held by Elaine's soft hands.
"No, it doesn't hurt much. Don't worry."
Elaine looked up at him with an innocent smile and said, "You will taste my cooking. I'm not bragging, but I'm quite the chef back home!"
"Right. There are three people in your family, and you are the only one who is willing to cook stuff. Of course you're the chef. Get over yourself!"
Hazel ran her down.
Elaine glared at her with her beautiful eyes.
Oliver saw Elaine holding Mark's arm in the kitchen and gritted his teeth.
Darn it! He had a craving for beating Mark up!
Oliver was eaten up by jealousy!
He shook a spoon hard and made a clink, fuming, "Are we having dinner or not? Make haste! Do we have a king over?"
Elaine turned and rolled her eyes at Oliver, then looking at Mark with a smile.
"Mark, ignore him. He's like that, snarky. Come. Let's eat."
Mark glanced at Oliver and secretly sneered. Then he cried out and leaned to Elaine. She was so frightened that she opened her arms and hugged his waist tightly, propping him up with her petite body.
***
"Mark! How are you? Can you walk?"
Hazel raised her eyebrows.
She caught the joy in Mark's eyes.
Men were so lame! Mark would use such a dirty trick to win a woman's heart.
Men....
Hazel remembered how Lucas threw himself at her onto bed lying about his numb legs....
'Why am I thinking about him?' Hazel shook her head to get Lucas out of her mind.
The four of them sat at the dining table, and it felt weird.
Oliver was the creepiest one of the group.
He would stare at Mark every time he took a bite, as if he was trying to prove his eyes were bigger than Mark's.
Elaine wasn't perceptive, so she did not sense anything wrong. As the "chef "who made the food, she naturally hoped none of it would be wasted.
Therefore, she was helping everyone with the food.
"You know what, broccoli is good. It's the most nutritious. You must taste it. Here, have some."
She put it into all of her friends' bowls.
Oliver was the first to be served, so he beamed, and his eyes shone with happiness.
'Yes! Elaine thinks of me first!' he thought to himself.
Elaine turned around and noticed there wasn't much meat in Mark's bowl, so she put two pieces of beef into it.
"Mark, you can't just eat vegetables. The beef is nutritious. Try it. It's tender and delicious. I'm not lying."
Mark looked up and gave her a gentle smile, replying with a nod,
"Okay, since you made it, I'll eat it."
Oliver put down his chopsticks and stared at the pair sullenly.
***
Damn it!
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