Maxine frowned and asked, “Howe I smell something burning?”

    48%

    Lisa looked utterly desperate. With a cautious gesture, she pointed at the pot on the stove, where the boiling soup was violently lifting the lid. “Mom… please tell me you didn’t forget about the soup?”

    It was only then that Vivian remembered. Letting out a gasp, she spun around and scrambled to turn off the stove.

    +23

    Lisa wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and shot Maxine a pleading look. “Maxine, don’t just stand there! Help me!”

    Maxine frowned and widened her eyes in dismay. She jerked her chin at Vivian’s back, as if to say, “You’re her own daughter, if you can’t handle her, what chance do I have?”

    Lisa was at her wits‘ end. Vivian was nothing short of extraordinary. She was a high–powered legal counsel at a tech firm, a self–made millionaire, in great shape, highly capable, and full of life experience. She was the very picture of a captivating woman, except when it came to cooking.

    It seemed Vivian had put all her talent into everything except cooking. The dishes she made weren’t just disastrous, they were downright unbearable to look at. Maxine still remembered the first time she ate at Vivian’s ce, when Vivian did the cooking.

    “It honestly felt like falling straight from heaven into hell,‘ Maxine thought. For a long time after that, she was just grateful that Jessica had been at school that day and missed that dinner.

    Snapping out of her thoughts, Lisa stared at the strange pink blob bubbling in the pot. She gulped nervously before asking tentatively, “Mom… what kind of soup did you make today?”

    Vivian, busydling soup into a bowl, said casually, “It’s tomato and mushroom soup today.”

    Vivian said so matter–of–factly that the oblivious Jessica assumed the soup must be tasty. She reached for the bowl,

    looked up at Vivian, and asked, “May I have a taste?”

    “Hey!” Lisa instinctively tried to stop her, but Vivian shot her a warning look.

    The warning died on Lisa’s lips. All she could do was give Jessica a look of pity. Still holding her bowl, the confused Jessica

    asked, “Lisa, did you want to tell me something?”

    Vivian shot her a subtle re from the stove. Swallowing hard, Lisa forced a strained smile and said, “It’s… fine, Mom’s cooking is always worth a try.”

    Jessica held the bowl up eagerly, her face lighting up with excitement. “That’s bgreat/b! Hove tomatoes!” she said cheerfully

    Maxine squeezed her eyes shut, unable to stomach the sight.

    After taking a sip, Jessica’s cheeks instantly puffed up as she made a strangled sound. She mmed her bowl down on the table and mped both hands over her mouth, desperately trying not to spit it out.

    Vivian nced over at Jessicai, /idrawn by her sudden reaction

    09:49 Sat, 30 Aug w

    Frowning, Vivian picked up the bowl and asked, “Doesn’t it taste good?”

    ?49%2

    As she spoke, she scooped up a spoonful of soup and tasted it. Then, with forcedposure, she said, “It’s… passable. Maybe just a tad too salty. I’ll just add some waterter to dilute it…”

    Turning her attention back to the steak in front of her, Lisa cautiously leaned in close to Maxine and whispered, “Do you think something’s bothering her today? She’s acting even stranger than usual.”