Sienna glanced at the username of the netizen who had sent her over a million "little red flowers"—ysgswd—but she had no idea who it was.
That evening, Sienna came downstairs.
Julian had just returned from the office and was in the living room.
He tilted his chin up slightly, reaching up to loosen his tie. From his well-defined knuckles to his prominent Adam’s apple, he exuded a restrained sort of sensuality.
Catching sight of Sienna coming down from the stairs, he arched an eyebrow slightly. "What do you want for dinner?"
Sienna replied casually, "Anything’s fine."
’I’ll just eat whatever the kitchen staff is making.’
But the next moment, she watched as Julian strode toward the kitchen, casually picked up an apron, and put it on. "In that case, I’ll just whip up a few dishes."
Sienna’s eyes widened in astonishment. "You cook?"
Julian asked, "What about it?"
Sienna shook her head and walked over curiously, hopping onto a high stool. She fixed her clear eyes on him, not blinking once.
Julian stood at the counter, his head slightly bowed as his long, pale fingers deftly washed the green vegetables. His movements were practiced and fluid; it was obvious he was a good cook.
’How strange.’
Sienna remembered him being completely dismissive of things like cooking when they were children.
The reason she remembered so clearly was that she had used it as an excuse to reject her childhood engagement to Julian. She had declared that since Julian couldn’t cook, he wasn’t her type; she wanted a husband who could cook, so there was no way they could ever be together.
And now, unexpectedly, Julian had become an excellent cook.
’He’s really changed as he’s grown up.’
While Julian was making the soup, he noticed Sienna was still staring at him, her dark, bright eyes wide and round like a curious little kitten’s.
He arched an eyebrow, ladled a spoonful of soup, blew on it to cool it, and held it to her lips. "Taste this for me?"
Sienna nodded and reached for the spoon.
But he didn’t let go, holding it to her mouth. "Just taste it like this."
Sienna hesitated for a second. ’It’s just a taste,’ she thought, and took a sip from the spoon he was holding. Her eyes lit up. "It’s delicious! Not too salty, not too bland. It’s perfect!"
"Then I won’t add any more seasoning."
"Yes, the flavor is just right." Sienna glanced over. He had claimed he was just making a few simple dishes, but it was anything but.
And coincidentally, every single dish was one of her favorites.
The dishes were brought to the table.
A faint, lazy smile played on his lips. "Let this meal be a toast, to congratulate Sienna on winning first place in the semifinals."
Sienna’s heart jolted at his words.
’So that was it.’
He had personally cooked a meal to congratulate her for winning first place in the semifinals.
No one in the Everett Family had ever shown her this kind of care.
Sienna was deeply touched. Her rosy lips curved upward, and a radiant smile bloomed in her sparkling eyes. "Thank you!"
Julian placed a piece of pork rib on her plate. "Try it and see if you like it."
Sienna took a bite. It was no exaggeration to say it was so good she felt like she could swallow the bones and all.
She swallowed her food, looked at him with sparkling eyes, and praised him with genuine sincerity, "This is incredible! I had no idea you were such an amazing cook!"
He lowered his gaze and chuckled softly. "Really?"
"Of course!"
He let out a lazy "Oh," his tone nonchalant. "Well, since I’m such an amazing cook, does that mean I’m qualified to be your husband?"
"COUGH, COUGH...!!"
Sienna nearly choked.
Julian frowned, reaching out to pat her back gently. "Slow down."
’How unfair!’ Sienna fumed internally. ’It was all his fault for what he just said.’
’That damn man! He’s definitely teasing me about the excuse I made up to get out of our childhood engagement!’
Later that night, just before bed, there was a knock on Sienna’s door.
She went to open it and found Julian standing in the hallway.
He looked as though he had just showered. His dark hair was still damp, falling messily across his forehead, and he exuded a clean, fresh scent and an air of casual languor.
"It’s late. Is something wrong?" Sienna asked.
"I came to get something," he said. "There’s a document in here that I need."
"Oh," Sienna said, stepping aside to let him in.
It was her grandfather’s arrangement, after all, that had her staying in Julian’s room while he slept in the guest room.
He hadn’t moved all his belongings out, so many of his things were still in the master bedroom.
Sienna felt guilty for taking over his room. Watching his back as he bent down to look for the document, she cleared her throat. "Um... you should move back into the master bedroom."
Julian froze at her words and turned to look at her, his gaze darkening with an unreadable emotion.
’Is she asking me to move back in... and sleep with her?’