Chapter 282

Chapter 282

Dinner ingredients were all prepped and neatly arranged on the kitchen counter, vibrant green okra, sliced portobello mushrooms, and beautifully red cubes of steak… It all looked quite professional.

Next to the main cooking area, Joy was setting up another stove, getting ready to make some pasta.

Leanne didn’t quite understand why this culinary showdown had started in the first place. She had already started coughing, trying to convince Joy, “Stop it, he’s almost done.”

Joy whispered to her, “Just eat mine, don’t touch his.”

By the time she finished cooking and served it up, Curtis’ dishes were already beautifully presented on the table.

Sautéed portobello with seared steak, shrimp and tofu stew, blanched okra, stir-fried

asparagus…

Joy then looked at her pasta. Even though it had an egg, some beef, and mushrooms, making for a balanced diet, it seemed rather plain compared to Curtis’ flavorful dishes.

Even she wouldn’t choose her cooking over his dishes.

Her competitive spirit eventually lost to the hard reality of gastronomy.

Leanne was sick, after all. She deserved to eat something good.

“Forget it, just have his chicken soup,” Joy conceded, pushing the pasta towards herself to eat instead.

Leanne served three portions, “Let’s eat together.”

Joy, as stubborn as a diamond. “Me, eat his cooking? That’s a joke!”

Curtis brought out the stew pot and placed it in the center of the table, lifting the lid. The aroma of chicken soup instantly filled the room, carrying with it a hint of coconut from the astragalus added to it, along with other herbs, making Joy’s mouth water uncontrollably.

Joy struggled with her utensils for a good five seconds.

“There’s too much for just the two of you, I’ll sacrifice my stomach then!”

Curtis, wiping his hands slowly, chuckled, “I thought you were tougher.”

Leanne, serving the soup, looked up at him with clear eyes.

“What are you glaring at me for?” Curtis’ mocking tone took a turn, adopting a falsely admiring one towards Joy, “It’s commendable to be flexible. She’s lucky to have a friend

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Chapter 282

like you.”

Joy was speechless..

After dinner, having lost the battle, Joy wanted to redeem herself by insisting on washing the dishes. Curtis didn’t argue, graciously letting her have the stage.

Once Joy had finished cleaning the kitchen until it shone, and came out hoping to claim. some credit and also to shoo Curtis away, the scene in the living room struck her like lightning.

Half an hour post-dinner, Curtis was gently offering Leanne a glass of warm water to take

her medicine with.

Leanne, feverish and aching all over, tried to self-massage her back.

Curtis’ tone softened drastically when he spoke to her, “Back hurts?”

Leanne merely hummed in response.

He sat down beside her, his hand gently landing on her slender waist, “Let me help.”

In her feverish and painful state, she almost didn’t resist, but Leanne was coherent

enough now.

Her pale hand reached for Curtis’ wrist, trying to push him away, “I can do it myself.”

Curtis, getting it wrong, asked, “Not here?”

Her position against the chair made it awkward, so Curtis simply lifted her onto his lap, his fingers sliding under the silk of her pajama top to her lower back.

Her back was thin, with delicate shoulder blades and a visible spine that was quite

pleasing to the eye.

Curtis couldn’t see it, but he remembered.

His hands, neither too light nor too heavy, massaged her back, asking softly, “Is this the

spot?”

He found the exact sore spot, causing a mix of relief and pain.

Leanne, still somewhat in control, was about to get up from his lap when his touch hit a critical area, eliciting an involuntary sound from her throat.

Curtis paused, then his lips curved up. His voice, teasing and relaxed, “That sounds adorable. I like hearing it, but your friend might throw a fit.”

Leanne’s cheeks warmed, and as she instinctively looked up, she saw Joy, who had emerged from the kitchen, brandishing a broom, furiously declaring, “Get out, you jerk!”

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