CHAPTER 91: LITTLE HAPPINESS

"So what are we cooking?" Daniel asked Elara, who opened her chit, to see what was written on it.

"It says Lasagna Pasta," Elara said.

"That’s pretty easy to cook," Daniel said.

Elara, who grabbed the basket to take some ingredients from the shelf that was placed with necessities on the side, arched her brows.

"Look who’s talking," she commented.

Daniel’s lips lifted slightly.

"Do you think I don’t know how to cook?" He asked.

Elara shrugged.

"Well, it’s not a talent I would imagine you having," she said, like it was the most normal thing.

"You underestimate me, ifrit. Always has," Daniel said, his words hinting at a deeper meaning that Elara couldn’t pick up.

"Quit delaying. Wait," Elara said as she watched him with a sigh.

He was wearing such an expensive suit, yet didn’t care about it at all. She grabbed the extra apron from the counter and asked him to put it on.

"Help me," he said.

Elara pressed her lips into a thin line helplessly.

"I’ll help you too," Daniel said.

Elara hummed in agreement. That was a fair deal.

She asked him to turn around so she could tie the knot.

Once done, she wore the apron and was about to turn, but the man held her hand and pulled her close.

Rather than allowing her to turn around, he leaned forward, half-hugging her as he tied the knot.

Elara’s heart skipped a beat when she realized how close they were, and heat traveled to her face.

"What are you doing?" She deadpanned.

"What do you think, Miss Elara? I am helping you as you did for me. I am taller than you, so you don’t need to turn around. Why did you ask?" He asked before he leaned back, just enough to look straight into her eyes.

Elara swallowed hard, her pupils dilated and eyes wide as she looked at the man whose face was so close to hers. If she moved an inch, even accidentally, their lips would definitely brush, and the thought immediately made her look at his lips.

Her mind took her to the memories of how passionately he had kissed her, and she gulped.

"Wait. Are you having naughty thoughts, Miss Elara?" His voice was barely a whisper, just loud enough for her to hear before he straightened.

"Thank you. Since you have questioned my survival skills and my cooking, which I learned all for my future wife, I shall show you what I can do," Daniel said before he grabbed the packet of pasta from her hand.

Alen, who was watching from the corner, raised his brows in surprise. Was their boss, who didn’t even bother boiling water for himself, going to cook before everyone?

He clicked a photo to send it to that one man who is always worried about their boss with a cute caption that said, ’a man in love.’

"Are you sure about it? I don’t want to get disqualified," Elara said, the subtle hint of amusement underlying her words, and the man smiled as he rolled up his sleeves before he did something that made her squeal in surprise.

He circled his hands around her waist and lifted her onto the counter.

"Just wait and watch," he smiled.

Elara watched the man chop the vegetables and couldn’t help but chuckle when the tomato slipped from under his fingers.

"Tut. Tut. These big hands are scaring the tomatoes away. Let me help a little. After all, this competition is for me," Elara said before she extended her hand and was about to pull the chopping board towards herself when the man grabbed her hand.

In one swift motion, he pulled her before him, his hands on Elara’s.

"If my big hands are scaring the tomatoes, then you hold them." His hot breath fanned Elara’s neck as he bent to speak.

He gently placed Elara’s hand on the tomato before chopping the vegetable into smaller pieces, so slowly as if cutting a mere tomato was the most artistic thing.

The warmth of his chest radiated off Elara’s back, and she realized how close he was behind her and how her body wasn’t repulsed by him at all.

"I can do it alone, you know," Elara said, sulking, though her voice carried an unusual warmth that Daniel could very well feel.

She was no longer resisting him as she had earlier, and that was a good sign for him.

"I never doubted you, my ifrit," He whispered, his soft voice like a melody that calmed Elara’s raging heart immediately, something she didn’t know she needed so bad.

"But I can’t. Not without you anymore," Daniel added.

Elara’s heart skipped a beat at his words, and she nearly jumped in her place. Her finger brushed against the knife slightly, pricking her skin and making it bleed.

"Shit." She said and was about to walk to the tap to wash it off when, to her surprise, the man put her finger in his mouth.

Elara looked at him in utter shock, a look shared by everyone as they looked at the man and the woman who had probably forgotten they weren’t at home but at a live show, where every moment was captured by the cameras and, most importantly, streamed online.

"Who is this man?"

"I want a man like Daniel in my life!"

"What a mafia boss!"

"He is straight out of fiction!"

"Hey, director, get me a plate of Daniel Macros, please. I will ensure your streams skyrocket."

"Ahh, my romantic heart can’t take this anymore."

"Who said our man Daniel doesn’t have a heart?"

"Hehe, isn’t he one of the men who kneel only before their woman?"

"I can’t take this anymore. This contestant, Elara, just called me single in 100 different languages."

"I have never craved a man like this in my life before."

"Hey! Don’t just praise him. The contestant, Elara, is so beautiful. It will melt even God’s heart for her."

"True. How come she isn’t the female lead? Her acting is top-notch too,"

The stream’s comment section exploded immediately, and the director who was watching it all looked at the duo.

For the first time since the contest started, he realized, Elara never needed to play any tricks to catch everyone’s attention. She already had this kind of presence.

"I told you. She is a gem," Producer Li said as if he understood what the man was thinking.

The director smiled and nodded.

At the same time, the other contestants were busy with their own tasks, all doing well and enjoying the process with their boyfriends or male best friends.

However, there were two duos that were the least happy.

The first was Carla, who wanted to grab Elara’s face and burn it on the same stove she was using, out of jealousy, because everyone was praising her online for her beauty.

And the second one was none other than Beatrice. Not because she was jealous of Elara at the moment, but because her partner, Andrew, hadn’t been able to take his attention off that duo.

Beatrice noticed Andrew’s fingers tightening around the knife, his gaze fixated on Elara and Daniel, and suppressed the urge to throw everything on the counter to the ground.

This was supposed to be her shot at making people believe in the good chemistry she had with Andrew and their comments, to force the man to think about her the way he used to back then, when he did anything and everything for her.

But with him constantly looking at Elara and not even listening to her, how was she supposed to do it?

Elara pulled her hand from his grip, her cheeks turning red, and the man chuckled before he got some sauce on his finger and flicked it on her nose.

"Hey!" Elara scowled, annoyed, though everyone could see the smile on her face, and the man smirked.

"Don’t tease me, or I might get tempted to lick it off your nose," Daniel cooed in her ears before he stood straight and got back to cooking while Elara stood there, shocked at his words.

This man... he was definitely going to be the death of her with how he has developed a habit of making her heart race so rapidly.