Chapter 153
“Can’t believe you’ve got sea urchin!”
Leonard stared in astonishment at the tray, neatly adorned with freshly made sea urchin dish. Just as he reached to pick one up, the man stopped him, “Don’t touch.”
Leonard knew the sea urchin was likely prepared for Xanthea, but couldn’t he try just one? That seemed a bit stingy!
Sea urchin dish was a delicacy from the Everglades, rare and prized for their tender flesh, commanding a steep market price. What made them unique was their smooth, round body covered in spines that embed deeply, requiring careful skills to complete this special dish.
A glance at the tray revealed about twenty to thirty pieces, each requiring significant time and effort to prepare. The kitchen island was littered with various other breakfast items, making Leonard wonder what ungodly hour the cook had started at to prepare all this.
“Orion.” Leonard looked at him, expressing admiration, “You really love her, huh? I can’t even imagine how happy she’d be as your wife.”
His words caused Orion, who was turning off the stove, to pause abruptly, drifting into a brief reverie, while the pancakes on the griddle started to burn.
“Hey, hey! They’re burning! Just when I was praising you!”
Leonard pointed at the griddle, catching a fleeting look of distraction in Orion’s eyes, and couldn’t help but tease.
Although he wasn’t sure how Orion and Xan’s relationship would evolve, the fact that Xan was engaged with a wedding planned for the end of the year was undeniable. Wasn’t he just stirring the pot by saying
this?
“Hey, things that haven’t happened yet still have room to maneuver! Unlike me, destined to be a dashing bachelor this lifetime. If I were reborn as a woman next life, bro, I’d totally chase after you!”
He tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but was met with a cold glance from the man. Just as Leonard was about to receive a “scram” from Orion, he wisely made his exit, “Alright, you keep at it. I’m gonna go hang with Xan!”
Exiting the kitchen, Leonard was about to head upstairs when he heard a commotion at the entrance.
“Sir, sir!”
“Please stop, you are now trespassing. If you proceed further, we will call the police!”
“Go ahead! My fiancée is here, can’t reach her by phone, can’t see her imperson, the police coming would actually help me find her! See where you’ve hidden her!”
“Ms. Nightshade is indeed here, but without any proof of your acquaintance with her, we cannot let you in!” Leonard turned around, watching from a distance as the butler, a servant, and a man in a suit who was clearly agitated, were arguing. He shouted, “Louis, what’s going on?”
“Mr. Marlowe!”
Louis hurried over to report, “This Mr. Martinez at the door claims to be a friend of Ms. Nightshade’s, but
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can’t specify when she arrived here or who she came with. I asked him to call her but the calls weren’t going through, so I stopped him.
Then, angered by being stopped, he tried to force his way in, even fabricating close ties with Ms. Nightshade. Considering her celebrity status, I suspect he might be an obsessed fan, hence I thought to expel him from the estate!”
Mr. Martinez? As Leonard heard this, his brows furrowed slightly.