HEIRESS REBORN: MARRYING HER EX-FIANCÉ-Chapter 80: A Sweet December to Remember (5)

’Ivan!’

’I love you Ivan!’

’Do you also share my love, Ivan?’

’You know Ivan, you...are the only who has always been on my side.’

’Thank you for loving me, Ivan!’

Axel jolted awake from the familiar blurry dream. His chest heaved with sharp quiet gasp escaping from him.

’I’m getting something.’ He blinked his eyes to the ceiling of his apartment as he tried to make another sense of his dreams.

On the day he met Ayana at the former young miss Easmond’s birthday banquet, he has been getting strange dreams with a voice that seemed to be calling out to him.

Even if it was a different name he heard all the time, Axel just had a nagging feeling that the name seemed to referring to him, which was strange. He had no second name or third name that was Ivan.

His family doctor couldn’t prove what was wrong with him, so Axel had been living years with dreams of blurry images and a voice calling out the name ’Ivan.’

As Axel laid on the couch of the living room, lost in thoughts, an unexpected aroma wafted through the air. It was warm and enticing, like a deliberate tease meant to stir his senses.

He hadn’t woken up earlier to cook something, had he?

Axel slowly sat up, and his eyes found a familiar figure in his kitchen. His dark eyes traced the outline of the figure and knew instinctively by heart the identity of the person.

As if on cue, the person turned around from the burner with a bowl of pasta and hazel eyes unsurprisingly met his stunned eyes.

Wearing an apron that he hardly used, Ayana greeted him with a warm smile. ’’Good morning.’’

’’...and Merry Christmas, Axel Kratos.’’ She also wished him.

Axel blinked twice, not expecting the beautiful sight.

He wasn’t dreaming, was he?

He suddenly wondered as having his fiancée dressed casually in his apartment and cooking breakfast for him was one of his best dreams.

’’I prepared breakfast for us. Why don’t you wash and come eat?’’ She suggested before wearing oven mitts to check on the cinnamon roll casserole in the oven.

’’...’’

Okay, it wasn’t a dream.

Axel realized quickly.

His fiancée was actually in his kitchen, live in the flesh. Shouldn’t she be at home with her family by now?

Axel was confused because he had personally escorted Ayana outside the building yesterday at late hours.

Whatever was going on now, Axel temporarily pushed the confusion aside and stood up from the couch to freshen up, like Ayana told him.

He might as well get his answers over the first breakfast from his fiancée.

****

At the Kingston Mansion, little Jason woke early for once on his holidays from school, and dashed to his elder sister’s office first thing in the morning. The expectation was practically shining on his face as he opened the door, ready for the usual sight of his elder sister buried in her work.

However, his eyes froze at the sight of the cold room. There was no sign of anyone using the office this morning. A swoosh of imaginary breeze drifted past him.

Where was his elder sister? Little Jason wondered to himself.

He quickly left the office and dashed for his elder sister’s room. Perhaps she was in there and was taking it easy on herself on the holidays.

His eyes shone with more expectation, but little Jason was bound to be disappointed. It was as if someone had poured cold water on him at the sight of the empty bedroom.

Little Jason immediately searched for his big brother watching television in the parlor. When he demanded his elder sister’s location and complained why she had not come back yet, little Jason learned that his elder sister had decided yesterday late night to spend the Christmas morning with her fiancée.

’’...’’

****

A shiver ran down Axel’s spine and he wondered if the heat system was not working properly in his apartment for him to feel chilly.

Axel had already freshened, and he was seated on a stool by the island. Ayana joined him a moment later after preparing chrysanthemum tea bags in the mugs with a kettle of boiling hot water.

The island was filled with pasta dish well-garnished fresh herbs and tomato sauce, freshly baked cinnamon roll casserole with a glossy glaze and two mugs of chrysanthemum tea.

It was a perfect breakfast for a Christmas morning.

Ayana served their plates with from pasta dish and poured the hot water in their two mugs. Her movement was well-practiced and coordinated that Axel could tell it wasn’t her first time doing something like this.

’’Let’s dig in.’’ She smiled at him, and Axel nodded in silent anticipation.

He picked up his fork and scoop some pasta with the tomato sauce and fresh herbs into his mouth. His eyes faintly flickered in surprise. He had not expected the pasta to be this good.

Axel felt that he had underestimated her words when she admitted she used to cook in the past.

The flavor of the pasta was rich and satisfying, the perfect balance of tangy tomato sauce and fresh herbs. The rate at which he ate the pasta sped up gradually.

On the side, Ayana did not touch her plate as she was keenly watching his face as he ate her food. She wanted to see how the food tasted to him, but it seemed she was expecting too much from a fiancé with a hardly expressive face.

Perhaps her gaze was too sensitive that Axel noticed them and paused his meal.

’’You’re not eating?’’ He asked with a slight frown.

’’Oh...um....I am.’’ Ayana hesitantly answered and twirled the pasta around her fork.

I only want to know if the food tasted alright.

She almost asked, but stopped herself from saying anything. This was the first time that someone would taste the food she cooked without help. She was quite nervous and shy so to say.

If possible, Ayana would have done another round of cooking classes in this life before she could have cooked her first meal to her fiancé.

This breakfast was just a whim of decision yesterday.

’’It’s good.’’

Ayana raised her gaze to her fiancé, who spoke up just now.

’’Your pasta is delicious.’’ He continued. ’’I didn’t expect you to be this good at cooking. I guess we won’t bother hiring a chef after we get married.’’ A soft smile graced his lips.