3\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
let\u2019s not yeakfast\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s eat breakfast\u00a0<\/p>\n
Violet\u00a0<\/p>\n
Naomi was saying something, her cheerful voice flowing in the background, but I wasn\u2019t listening. My attention was on the house.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Woah.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just when I thought no mansion could outdo Matthew\u2019s, this one proved me wrong. The house was both massive and elegant, with paintings on the walls that probably cost more than my life. It was the kind of place you could easily get lost in if you weren\u2019t careful.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shouldn\u2019t have been surprised. I\u2019d wondered about Hades\u2018 wealth before, but after learning who he truly was, it all made sense. Of course he lived like this. The Sinclairs weren\u2019t just rich, they were old money. So rich that even other wealthy families looked like pocket change beside them. And from what I\u2019d learned, Hades left home young, cutting ties with his own father, yet still managed to build an empire of his own. Some even said his fortune had surpassed the Sinclair family itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHere we are,\u201d Naomi\u2019s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned to her, a little confused. She stood in front of a long dining table, smiling proudly. \u201cWhat do you think of the light breakfast?\u201d she asked, gesturing to the table. \u201cI made everything we had in the house. I wanted to go out for more groceries, but I thought it might be too late, and you might get hungry, darling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned to look at the food, and froze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oh my god.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Was this breakfast or a royal banquet? Pancakes were stacked high, bowls of porridge, roasted meat, grilled fish, fresh fruit, bread rolls, even dishes I couldn\u2019t name. The table was probably groaning under the weight of the food.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mouth opened a little. Did she just call this a light breakfast? This could feed a whole country.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned back to her smiling face, completely lost. \u201cT\u2013this is too much. And besides, I don\u2019t think I can stay for breakfast. I have to go home. My family would be worried about me.\u2018\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was a big fat lie. Nobody at home would notice if I was gone. My aunt and her daughter were probably happy they couldn\u2019t see my face, but it was the perfect excuse to slip away politely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Naomi\u2019s face fell. The cheerful sparkle vanished, replaced by the saddest frown I\u2019d ever seen. \u201cWell, that is a shame. I woke up so early to cook breakfast, when I heard that Mr. Hades brought a woman here for the first time. I cooked everything to make you happy and leave a good impression of me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fuck\u00a0<\/p>\n
She sighed, clutching her lower back. \u201cMy back is still aching from cooking so much food. I\u2019m an old woman, after all, not as youthful as I was. I\u2019m even one step to the grave.\u2018\u00a0<\/p>\n
11\u00a0<\/p>\n
My jaw dropped slightly. How had just saying no turned into this?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Naomi gave me another sad little look, her lips trembling just the right amount. \u201cBut it\u2019s alright, dear. I know your family must be worried. I will eat everything myself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I closed\u00a0<\/p>\n
my eyes and groaned inwardly. Damn it. I hated that I had a soft spot for older people, and Naomi knew exactly how to play me. That pitiful expression was lethal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s eat breakfast\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
I bit my lip. I was definitely going to regret this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I opened my eyes, looked at her, and sighed in defeat. \u201cOh\u2026 I can still stay for a few minutes. We shouldn\u2019t waste the food.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In an instant, Naomi\u2019s entire demeanor changed. The sadness vanished, replaced by a beaming smile as if the frown had never existed. \u201cOh, that is wonderful! I can\u2019t wait for you to try my cooking!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sank a little inside. I\u2019ve been played.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you should probably call your family, and let them know you\u2019ll be a little late coming home. They could probably get worried.\u201d She said. \u201cYour phone is on the counter, dear.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I followed where she pointed, and sure enough, my phone sat on the counter. My lips were dry, so I licked them nervously before nodding. \u201cI\u2019ll let them know now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Naomi\u2019s smile widened, as if she had just solved the biggest problem in the world. She gave a satisfied nod.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I walked over and picked up my phone. It felt strangely heavy in my hand. I had kept it on silent all night, completely forgetting about it, and when I turned the screen on, I wasn\u2019t surprised by the flood of missed messages. Most were from Penelope and Kai but I ignored them for now and looked at one in particular.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evil Hag.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what I had saved my aunt\u2019s number as.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I opened the messages, already bracing myself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
[ I don\u2019t give a fuck where you might have went to. If you like, you can be selling your body to an older man or be out doing drugs with your crazy friends, but your uncle asked for you a while ago. Next time you are leaving the house, leave a message so I wouldn\u2019t have to bother myself with you. And don\u2019t bother coming home to eat breakfast, because we are not waiting for you.]\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at the message emotionlessly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Like I said, no surprise. My heart didn\u2019t even ache anymore. I\u2019d gotten used to this tone, and the kind of treatment. If there was ever a day they\u2019d care about me, it would probably be the day I died. Until then, I was just an inconvenience.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDarling,\u201d Naomi\u2019s voice came softly from behind me. \u201cWhat did they say?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned off my phone with a click, and kept it back on the counter. \u201cThey said I can stay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned toward the table, and froze for a second.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hades was already sitting there. I didn\u2019t even know when he had walked in. One arm draped casually over the back of the chair, the other resting on the table, drumming his fingers causally. His eyes were closed, as if he was in thought, but his lips were curled in that cruel smile that always made my stomach twist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Slowly, his eyes opened, cutting right into me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on, princess,\u201d he drawled. \u201cLet\u2019s eat breakfast.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I should have ignored him. But for some reason, those simple words made something inside me ease, as if, in his own twisted way, he was telling me I wasn\u2019t alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And it made me feel better.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Feed me princess\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
Feed me, princess\u00a0<\/p>\n
Violet\u00a0<\/p>\n
I think I might have died, gone to heaven, and come back to earth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was the only explanation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I blinked, staring at nothing in particular, the spoon still hanging near my mouth. I sipped the last bit of juice from the spoon, savoring it. Yes. This was it. Death, heaven, resurrection, all in one bite.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Naomi\u2019s hands gripped her apron tightly as she stood a few feet away, watching me nervously. \u201cWhat happened? Is it bad?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked at her, blinked again, then set the spoon down on the table. My mouth fell open in a soft gasp.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Naomi\u2019s eyes widened, her hand flying to her chest as if she had failed me. Even Hades turned his head slightly, curiosity flickering in his eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Naomi rushed out, \u201cGive me a few minutes, I\u2019ll clean this up and make something better for you\u2014\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d The word shot out of my mouth before I could stop it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Naomi froze, staring at me in surprise. My face burned as reality hit me. I was overreacting. I coughed, pressing a hand to my lips to hide my embarrassment. \u201cI\u2013I mean\u2026 it\u2019s fine. More than fine. It\u2019s the best thing I\u2019ve eaten in a long time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Naomi paused, searching my reddened face. Then, she chuckled warmly, her shoulders relaxing. My own face turned even redder. God, I hated how easily I embarrassed myself. But it couldn\u2019t be helped. Her cooking was just that good.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t just taste good, it tasted like home. The last time I\u2019d eaten something like this was when I was little, when my mother was still alive. Both meals had that motherly touch that made them perfect. It was something I couldn\u2019t explain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
These days, I hardly ate anything special, let alone food like this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Naomi stepped closer, smiling, and reached out to pat my head gently. I flinched at the sudden touch, but her hand was soft, and comforting. \u201cThank you, dear, for the compliment. I made everything here for you. I\u2019m glad you liked it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I smiled faintly, murmuring, \u201cThank you. It\u2019s so good.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEat a lot,\u201d Naomi said. \u201cI\u2019ll be in the kitchen if you need anything.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As she left, I looked back down at the table. My mouth watered instantly. If just a spoonful of soup was that good, how would the rest of this feast taste? And I hadn\u2019t eaten anything since yesterday. My stomach was practically singing in hunger.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t immediately dive in like a beggar. I forced myself to stay composed, and think of my next move.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when a plate slid in front of me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked up, startled, to find Hades. His elbow rested lazily on the table, his head tilted, his sharp blue solely on me. In his other hand, he held a fork, using it to place pancakes neatly onto my plate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked at him, my lips parting as my tongue darted out to wet them. \u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
eyes\u00a0<\/p>\n
fixed\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ted me princess\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nights Burn With Regret \u2014 by Nathan Perez 67 3\/3\u00a0 let\u2019s not yeakfast\u00a0 +25 Bonus\u00a0 Let\u2019s eat breakfast\u00a0 Violet\u00a0 Naomi […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-craving-the-guardian-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27983\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}