Branch One Hundred and Forty Five
“I know you are very busy and I did not want to take up much of your time but the lady downstairs told me I must deliver it myself so here I am. I will drop this here and be out of your hair” she ranted.
“It’s lunchtime why would anybody be busy?” he asked as he stood up from behind his desk.
“I thought you were having a meeting with Brian?” she asked as she watched him walk towards her.
“He was asking me out to lunch,” he said and she nodded.
“Are you not going to sit? This is your first time here and you are in a hurry to leave?” he asked as he sat down on one of the chairs.
She looked at him as if she was searching for extra approval before she took her seat. She sat on the same sofa as he did but she put a little space between them.
“This is the lunch I brought for you,” she said dropping it on the table before them.This content © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.
“Have you had lunch?” he asked.
“Not yet, I plan to have some when I get back to the mansion” she replied.
“We can share this one,” he said nonchalantly as he opened up the box and began to empty the content containers onto the table.
“This might not be enough for you alone”
“I had a big breakfast thanks to you and l also had a snack when I got to the office, so I think I will not need to eat so much” he lied partly.
He had a big breakfast indeed. It had been established that Jessica did not hold back when it came to meal preparation. He never had a snack. He had even barely drank water since he came into the office.
“I must say your eating habits have improved” she commented.
“What?”
“When I first came you did not eat at all but now you eat all three important meals of the day, you even eat snacks too”
“Well you began to make delicious food that I can’t resist”
“Thank you for calling my food delicious” Of all the compliments to her the ones about her food were the ones that she cherished most. She loved hearing them so much. It was what pushed her to become a better chef.
“I brought my one set of utensils,” Jessica said.
“That can’t be an issue now can it?” he asked winking
“Are we going to share one?” she asked as she gasped and covered up her mouth.
“If you want to, but that was not my thought. I will ask them to bring a new set from the cafeteria down”
“Oh okay,” she said as she felt so stupid about what her lone of thoughts were.
Xavier stands up and goes to his desk. He pushes a button on the intercom. “I need a pair of cutlery. Please make them new and please hurry, my wife has not had lunch”
The word wife from Xavier’s mouth was all Jessica needed to have butterflies swimming around in her stomach. She cleared her throat to hide her excitement.
The lady she had seen on the deal outside of his office came in a few minutes later with a new set of cutlery. Jessica thanked her as he left the place.
“Have I told you?” Xavier asked as Jessica wiped down the table with the disposable napkin she put in the lunch box.
“That?”
“You do make the best meals,”
“Better than your hotel staff?” she asked teasingly.
Of course, she was not expecting him to agree. It would be a lie if he did. Those chefs were trained in the biggest and most prestigious schools in the world. All she ever did was go to a small college where she could barely learn anything.
Most of what she knew she taught herself by practicing with uploaded videos on the internet. A vague recollection of her days in college flashed before her eyes. She remembered having to work part-time and then using the money she got to buy luxury ingredients to make those dishes.
“Well,…” he said as he began to speak.
“Don’t answer that, I was only teasing you. How can I cook better than them? They were enrolled in better schools than I have” she said as she smiled.
“What if you learn some more?” Xavier asked a big plan forming in his head.
“Learn some more?”
“Yeah, it can be very helpful to your restaurant,” he said. She faced him and the expression she saw on his face told her that a plan was brewing heavily in his mind.
“What is it? Your face looks like you are plotting something”
“It’s not a plot but a plan,” he said slowly. He did not want to be misunderstood by her. “And I mean this in the most respectful way possible”
“What is it?” she asked.
“What if we get some famous chefs to come to teach you a thing or two, I am sure you can upscale your skills”
“I thought you said I made the best meals?” she asked. She did not know what she felt. Was he helping her or was he showing off his wealth? She could not place the feeling. Learning from world famous chefs from around the world would be a dream come true for her. Could she accept this?
“See this as an investment opportunity from me. I Xavier Delgado am willing to invest in your business. You should take it as this is purely business” he said when he saw the discomfort on her face.
“So it’s an investment opportunity?” she asked as she tilted her head to make it look like she was thinking about it. He nodded at her question and she narrowed her eyes. “And I have to pay you back right?”
“Of course, how would it be an investment if you don’t pay returns?”
“Okay then Deal,” she said stretching her hand to him.
“Deal”