Chapter 722 Smoke and Soup
Gill hurried to explain, “Don’t get the wrong idea, Mr. Wyatt. I meant… maybe Ms. Yunice acted this way after signing the divorce because she still has some feelings for you. She’s the type who cares deeply.”
Wyatt stayed silent. He couldn’t be sure of Yunice’s heart. She claimed she wanted nothing to do with him, yet the moment she was freed, she still lingered within his reach. Maybe she liked him only as a backup–never to be made official, never allowed to bind her.
Fine, he thought. Even if I’m just the spare, I’ll be the only spare she has.
“Tell me,” Wyatt asked, his voice low, “what else did your lady used to like to eat?”
Gill thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up. “Don’t worry, Mr. Wyatt. I’ll make a whole list for you!”
When she hung up, she scratched her head in unease. “This doesn’t really count as betraying Miss, does it? Mr. Wyatt cares about her too. I’m not harming her by helping him… right?”
The next morning, Yunice didn’t come downstairs until late.
She padded down in her pajamas, hair slightly messy, and froze when she saw Gill waiting in the living room. “You didn’t go to work?”
Gill grinned. “I’m the boss now–I just sit at home and collect money. Why bother showing up?”
She slipped into the kitchen. “I’ve already cooked. Go wash up.”
By the time Yunice returned, Gill was setting out dishes, ladling soup with a smile. “You’re getting lazier–breakfast and lunch all in one. You can’t just hide at home like this forever. After we eat, let’s go shopping. Your closet’s empty. What will you wear if you don’t buy new clothes?”
Yunice lifted her spoon, sipping. Fair point.
But then her gaze sharpened. She studied the broth. “This soup…”
Gill leaned on the counter, feigning casualness. “Nostalgic, isn’t it?”
Yunice pressed her lips together, recognition dawning. “This is exactly like the soup from that breakfast stall by my high school–the one everyone lined up for. But… their recipe was a secret. The boss’s two sons fought over it, drove him to his grave, and the stall closed. The recipe should’ve been lost.”
She took another mouthful, eyes closing in satisfaction. “Gill, your cooking is unbelievable.”
“Actually…” Gill started, but the truth–that Wyatt had delivered it at dawn–caught in her throat. If Yunice knew, she might refuse to drink it. And lately she was visibly thinner.
So Gill swallowed her words.
After lunch, Yunice finally agreed to go out with Gill.
They strolled lazily through the mall, Gill whispering gossip. “I heard Mr. Wyatt still hasn’t sent Paul to the police. He must be keeping him for his own punishment. Paul’s in for it now.”
Her tone brimmed with satisfaction, relishing the thought of Paul’s misery.
Yunice shook her head. “It’s not that he won’t hand him over. It’s that he can’t–not yet.”
“What do you mean?”
“Paul has a card up his sleeve. He and Nora worked together. I’d bet the dirt he’s holding on her is the same dirt that once threatened Oscar.”
Her eyes narrowed. “If it can threaten Oscar, it can threaten Wyatt too.”
Gill frowned. “Then what if Paul never talks?”
Yunice let out a sharp laugh. “Paul’s spineless. Breaking him will be easy. He’s nowhere near as tough as Nora.”
Gill smiled in relief. “Then I won’t worry.”
She suddenly tugged Yunice’s arm. “Look, Miss! That store has gorgeous clothes. Let’s go!”
Inside, the boutique offered personalized service. Yunice sat while models tried the clothes for her, sizes matched to her measurements.
Gill pointed decisively. “This one’s great. That one too! Except the third and the eighth–those don’t suit her. The rest, wrap them up.”
Yunice raised a brow. “So many?”
“Why not? We’re not short of money now.”
Gill added quickly, “But those few pieces need the waist adjusted for my Miss.”
While Gill fussed with the racks, Yunice lifted a hand to cover her nose, turning slightly.
A customer nearby was wolfing down a leek pie, the sharp smell filling the air.
Yunice shifted seats, but the scent still drifted over.
A sales clerk noticed and approached politely. “Excuse me, ma’am. We kindly ask customers not to bring in strong–smelling food. Could you please put it away, or enjoy it somewhere else?”