Isabella's POV

His body still goes against mine and I pull away instantly. 

A cold shiver runs down my spine instantly at the absence of the touch of his body on mine.

What did I just do? I know I am excited about the thought of going to Verona and having Jayden sponsor my trip but why did I jump on him that way?

Won't he get the wrong idea about me? Why is he even doing this?

I know he has been nice to me for a week now but I believe it's because of his ill-health and how I have been helping him recuperate but it shouldn't be more than that. 

If I don't take care for him, who will? I am his wife after all.

I clear my throat and tuck the strand of hair that falls on my face behind my ears. I gulp down and ask him. "Why are you doing this?"

"What?" Confusion skates his expression at the question.

"Why do you want to sponsor my trip to Italy?" I ask again and he smiles. A smile that sends my inside in disarray.

I have seen him smile a lot these past few days but this one feels different. It looks different.

I ignore the temptation to ask him why his smile looks different and ask instead. "The last time I checked, you weren't even interested in having me go on that trip and now you want me to go without asking? Is this a form of bribe?"

"What?" He chuckles and sits upright. "Don't be funny."

"I can't help it", I say and face him. "Are you doing this to stop me from leaving like I said I would the other day or is it because I have been caring…"

"Do you still harbor the thought of leaving?" He frowns deeply, replacing the smile on his handsome face.

"Well, no but…"

"No buts. I'm doing this because you deserve it. This is what you want and I should do whatever you want because you are my wife", he utters firmly, with a serious expression.

"Well, yes. That's true but we are only married on paper…"

He cuts me off by standing up abruptly. "I am not disputing that fact. I'm hungry, I should cook something", he begins to walk away and I rise to follow him.

"You know how to cook?" I ask him from behind as we walk on the wooden floor towards the kitchen.

"Yes, I do that whenever I come here", he answers while I rush forward to stop him from moving further into the kitchen.

I spread my arms to block him and he raises a brow.

"I will cook today", I say. "I'm really curious to know what your food will taste but I want to cook today. You can do the cooking tomorrow."

Slowly, he raises his hand in surrender. "Fine, I will just go back inside to wait for you. Cook something really fast. I could eat a horse right now."

"A horse you would eat", I reply sarcastically and I hear his laughter resound as he walks away from the kitchen.

When he is out of the kitchen, I turn to the fridge to check out what he has that I can use to make something.

Surprisingly, the refrigerator is stocked with varieties of things, ranging from milk to vegetables, fruits, and drinks.

I try to check the containers to see if there is any chicken but there is none. I thought as much. He barely comes here but I am a bit surprised that the groceries that are here in his refrigerator are still fresh.

Maybe he has a maid who comes here regularly to clean up the whole place and do the grocery shopping for him when he is about to come over.

I see a container and pick it up. There is no chicken but potatoes. I know several potato recipes that I can make with this and I don't know which one to settle for.

He says he wants something fast.

Suddenly, an idea strikes me and I turn back to the refrigerator to see if there is cheese. 

There isn't but there is a small oven.

Great!

Quickly, I bring out the potatoes and place them on the kitchen cabinet before peeling off each back and dumping them one after the other into a bowl.

I fill the bowl with water from the sink before I continue. When I am done peeling up to 10 potatoes, I stop and put the rest back in the fridge.

This is dinner for just the two of us and this should be enough. I just hope he has wine in the house because red wine will go well with this recipe.

I rinse the potatoes and turn on the stove before placing a pot on the fire to boil it. I add a little water and potatoes to it. Then a pinch of salt before covering the pot.

After covering the pot, I bend down to search for something that will make the squishing of the potatoes very easy.

There is no potato masher in here but I can see a big fork so I pick it up and take the colander before dropping it on the cabinet. I walk to the oven to preheat it and bring out the baking pan.

I remember seeing butter in the fridge so I go back to the fridge to bring it out. Gently, I use the butter to grease the pan and keep it aside.

By the time I am done, the potatoes are soft already. I turn off the cooker and drain the potato with a colander. When it has been fully drained, I pick each potato with a spoon and place each on a greased pan. They are pretty soft already and using my hand might ruin the texture.

Once the 10 pieces are on the pan, I pick the big fork to squish each of them to create a butterfly shape and to give room for a crispy result.

I finish up quickly and sprinkle ginger and a little olive oil all over it before placing the pan in the oven.

I'm almost done now, I sigh with relief. 

I wonder what Jayden would have cooked if he was the one cooking and I really hope he will be impressed with my recipe. I never knew billionaires know how to cook too, he doesn't look like someone who does.

I'm impressed and I can't wait to eat his food.

While waiting for our food to bake, I quickly wash the used fork, spoons, colander, and pot, returning each of them to their original position.

As soon as I am done, I bring out two places and a tray to serve the food. Then I take out the parsley bottle which will be added to our freshly baked crispy potato to taste.

I open the oven to bring it out. It looks really nice and I feel proud of myself for a job well done.

I drop the pan and put 5 pieces of the baked potatoes on the first plate and the other 5 on the second place. I dump the pan in the sink to be washed later with the plates after we are done with dinner.

Then I grab the parsley bottle and sprinkle a little on each plate before placing the food on a tray.

With a grin of satisfaction, I shout. "My freshly baked crispy mashed potato is done. Dinner is ready!"

****

Let's go and join Jayden and Isabella in the lake house to eat some baked potatoes😂😂😂

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