Sorry My Step-Uncle, I'm Not Your Backup Plan novel Chapter 66

When Asher focused again, the small table was fully laden.

Stir-fried greens, beef, fragrant white rice, and a bowl of soup.

"You've made so much," Asher said with a gentle smile. "What kind of soup is this?"

"Chicken soup with Chinese yam."

Gabriella lifted the bowl, carefully blowing on a spoonful before offering it to Asher. "Try it."

Asher smiled, lowering his gaze, but suddenly his expression froze.

"What happened to your hand?"

Gabriella's right index finger had a blister.

She tried to hide it, but it was too late. "I... just burned myself a bit in the kitchen. It's nothing, just a small blister."

Asher's eyes reddened. "Does it hurt?"

Gabriella shook her head. "Not at all."

After sipping the soup, Asher gently took her wrist, lowering his head to softly blow on the injured spot.

After a few moments, he looked up at her, his eyes filled with concern. "You're lying. Burns always hurt."

Gabriella's eyes reddened at the corners. "It really doesn't hurt. Compared to your injury, this is nothing."

Asher reached up to softly pinch her cheek. "When you're hurt, I feel it too. Even a small injury is too much."

Gabriella pressed her lips together, her eyelashes fluttering as she inadvertently slipped into a softer tone. "Asher..."

Her gentle voice was impossible for Asher to resist.

He pulled her closer, kissing her smooth forehead, her flushed cheeks, and finally her soft lips.

Gabriella's ears grew hot, her heart as sweet as honey.

A moment later, she placed her hands against his chest to create some distance. "Asher, eat first. The food will get cold."

Asher drawled, his eyes crinkling. "Alright, and more kisses after?"

Gabriella made a small sound of protest, lowering her eyes without responding to his teasing.

Asher took a bite of the stir-fried greens.

Gabriella watched him anxiously. "How is it? Is the taste okay?"

Asher's eyes danced with amusement as he teased her: "Delicious. They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Is that your strategy, Gabby?"

Gabriella puffed out her cheeks in mock annoyance. "So if I can't win your stomach, I can't win your heart?"

Asher laughed, pinching her cheek again. "How could that be? You just have to exist, and you've already won."

Gabriella made a small "hmph" sound, but joy sparkled in her eyes.

Asher finished every bit of the food Gabriella had prepared, even drinking the soup to the last drop.

Afterward, he rested against the headboard.

Gabriella carefully gathered the dishes, preparing to wash them.

"Let the nurse or attendant handle that," Asher said.

Gabriella shook her head. "It's no trouble."

Asher's voice lowered, carrying a barely perceptible tenderness. "When did you learn to cook?"

His Gabriella was a pampered heiress who had never had to lift a finger for household chores.

How had cooking and washing dishes become her responsibility?

"Just these past few days," Gabriella answered.

Asher was about to ask more when the hospital room door suddenly opened, and several people entered.

Lady Blackwood Jr. led the group, carrying a food container. "Son, I've brought you some food."

Behind her were Alexander, Charlotte, and a nurse.

Noticing Gabriella, Lady Blackwood Jr. smiled. "Gabriella, you're here too. Have you eaten? Would you like to join us? I've brought plenty of food, freshly prepared by our cook."

"Yes," Gabriella replied.

"Give them to the nurse." Lady Blackwood Jr. shot a meaningful glance at the attendant.

The nurse quickly stepped forward. "Miss Rodriguez, please let me handle it."

Gabriella handed over the container.

Lady Blackwood Jr. stayed only briefly before receiving a call and departing hurriedly.

Gabriella had work to attend to in the afternoon, so after spending some time with Asher, she also left.

Just as she exited the hospital, she encountered someone she had hoped to avoid.

Drake approached her. "Gabriella, I've finally found you. Why haven't you been home these past few days?"

The "home" he referred to was the apartment in Riverside Manor.

Currently, that was the only address Drake knew for her.

Gabriella regarded him warily. "What are you doing here?"

Drake's eyes gleamed with excitement as he stared at her. "I heard your engagement ceremony was cancelled?"

Gabriella responded irritably. "How is that any of your business? Move aside!"

Drake blocked her path. "Gabriella, do you believe in fate? Your engagement ceremony being disrupted is a sign that heaven doesn't approve of your match."

"Hah." Gabriella's expression turned cold. "It's the 21st century. How is your feudal superstitious thinking still not eradicated?"

Drake wasn't bothered. The cancelled engagement had delighted him more than anyone.

Moreover, Asher had been stabbed and nearly died.

Even fate seemed to be on his side!

His eyes gleamed with amusement. "Gabriella, you know who the attacker was, right? She's Asher's obsessed admirer who's been pursuing him for ten years. Many people at the engagement party saw her. It's all over town now."

"Think about it—if a woman has been pursuing Asher so passionately for ten years, how could he possibly remain completely indifferent?"