Chapter 3 - The Cold Kitchen
Leonardo stared at the beautiful woman standing in his guest room.
He realized she had answered his advertisement for a wife specifically to hide behind his massive army.
Abigail swore she only wanted a safe place to cook and a chance to show his children the love they were missing.
Leonardo decided to keep her secret for now, but he assigned two armed guards to watch her every move.
Abigail returned to the massive kitchen to finish Ellie’s birthday cake.
The kitchen staff, fiercely loyal to Leonardo's dead wife Serena, glared at Abigail with open hostility.
The head chef intentionally bumped into Abigail's mixing bowl, sending the vanilla frosting crashing to the floor.
Abigail did not complain or raise her voice to the cruel staff.
She simply grabbed a new bowl and completely rebuilt the recipe from memory with terrifying speed and precision.
The staff watched in silent awe as she spun sugar into delicate, edible glass flowers.
When evening arrived, Abigail carried the masterpiece into the formal dining room.
Five-year-old Ellie gasped in delight, her tiny hands reaching for the beautiful dessert.
Even the older twins, Felix and Flora, leaned in with hungry, curious eyes.
Julian sat at the end of the table with his arms crossed in stubborn defiance.
He grabbed a slice of the cake and sneered, claiming it probably tasted like cheap garbage.
He took a large bite and immediately stopped talking.
The flavor was absolutely perfect, triggering a powerful, unspoken memory of their mother's kitchen.
Julian refused to admit he liked it, but he quietly finished the entire slice.
Abigail smiled, feeling a genuine spark of hope for this broken family.
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Suddenly, a security guard standing near the doorway started coughing violently.
He grabbed his throat, his face turning a horrific shade of blue as he collapsed onto the hardwood floor.
