Transmigrated: Stealing the CEO husband-Chapter 35: Unexpected surprise

When Ariana returned home, she was greeted by an unexpected sight.

The dining table was set with a meticulously prepared dinner, every dish arranged with careful precision. The scent of perfectly cooked food wafted through the apartment, instantly making her stomach grumble.

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Standing by the table, arms crossed, Elias awaited her reaction. His eyes glowed with barely concealed expectation, his expression practically screaming, Praise me!

Ariana circled the dining table slowly, eyes narrowed.

Then, without warning, she grabbed his ear.

"Ow, ow, ow—what the hell!" Elias yelped, trying to wriggle free.

"You have an anatomy exam in three days," Ariana scolded. "And instead of studying, you're playing house chef?"

"Elder sister, I did study! I promise!" Elias protested.

Ariana ignored him, tightening her grip. "If you can't answer a single question today, I'm throwing you out of my apartment."

"Ouch! I understand! Let go, please!"

Ariana let go with a sigh, her gaze drifting to the sumptuous feast before her.

Her mouth watered.

Sure, she could order takeout anytime, but homemade food was homemade food. It had a kind of warmth nothing else could match.

"Alright," she said, at last, her pride reluctantly giving in to her stomach. "Since dinner looks delicious, I'll let you off this time."

Elias huffed but said nothing, rubbing his poor assaulted ear.

Ariana took her seat and reached for the steamed fish. The delicate white flesh was perfectly cooked, each piece flaking apart effortlessly beneath her fork. She lifted a bite to her lips and let it melt on her tongue.

Her eyes widened.

It was beyond delicious.

She swallowed, looking at Elias with newfound suspicion.

"Where did you learn to cook like this?"

Elias raised a brow. "You know where. Mum taught me."

Ariana froze.

She hadn't expected that answer.

Elias tilted his head, confused. "Elder sister, why are you even asking? You know this."

Ariana choked on her fish.

Crap.

She coughed once, forcing an awkward laugh. "N-no, I meant... it seems like you've improved a lot lately!"

Elias still looked doubtful.

Ariana quickly continued, steering the conversation away. "Of course, it was Mum who had the real cooking talent. There's no way you'd be this good on your own. You have barely improved."

Elias narrowed his eyes. "Excuse me?"

Ariana casually took another bite. "You heard me."

"You—!"

Elias could feel his nerves catching fire.

He had worked so hard on this meal—he had spent hours perfecting each dish, making sure everything was flawless! He had poured his heart into it, trying to express his gratitude for everything she had done for him!

And all he got was a barely?!

Presumptuous!

His face burned with frustration.

Ariana, noticing his reaction, chuckled and reached over, ruffling his hair.

"Relax," she teased, "I was joking. You've definitely improved. Maybe you should drop out of college and become a chef instead. You've got a real talent for it."

"Don't do that," Elias grumbled, swatting her hand away.

Ariana just grinned and moved on to the stuffed mushrooms.

The same dish that had exploded in the oven when she had tried making it.

Elias's version, however, was perfect.

The mushrooms were golden brown, crisp at the edges with just the right amount of cheese, the flavors rich and balanced.

She took a bite and sighed in contentment.

Yeah... homemade food really is the best.

After dinner, Ariana wasn't about to let Elias off the hook.

"Alright," she said, setting down her utensils. "Let's see if you actually studied."

Elias groaned. "I just cooked you a five-star meal—can't I get a break?"

"Nope. If you can cook, you can think."

Elias muttered something under his breath but reluctantly agreed.

Ariana fired off anatomy questions one after another. To her mild surprise, Elias answered each one without a single mistake.

"Not bad," she praised.

But Elias still looked dissatisfied.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I'm not sure if this is the right way to study," he admitted.

Ariana leaned back, arms crossed. "You've been struggling with anatomy for a while now, haven't you?"

"Yeah."

"The problem is that you waste time on irrelevant details."

Elias frowned. "But I thought we were supposed to learn everything."

Ariana shook her head. "That's impossible. Even the top student only scores ninety percent in this subject."

Elias blinked. "That's... really the highest?"

"Yup. No one can memorize everything. That's why you prioritize the most important topics first."

Elias still looked uncertain.

"Just trust me this once," Ariana said. "It's not your final exam. Try my method and see how it works."

Elias hesitated... but eventually nodded.

"Fine. I'll give it a shot."

Ariana smirked.

"Good. Then stop complaining and keep studying."

Once Elias was back to his books, Ariana returned to her own mission.

She opened her laptop, her fingers moving swiftly as she pulled up the Skyline Project files.

Her eyes scanned the screen, absorbing every detail.

She had read the book. She knew how things played out.

The male lead had lamented for years about not investing in Skyline.

Ariana had been blamed for the company's missed opportunity—accused, punished, discarded.

But this time?

Not this time.

Her gaze hardened as she dived headfirst into work.

She wasn't going to let history repeat itself.

Not if she could help it.