Chapter 208
Elle’s POV
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I woke up early next morning, feeling surprisingly energetic despite everything that had happened. The food festival competition was today, and somehow, the thought of cooking with my family made me feel lighter than I had in weeks. Being a shareholder of Rayne Group worth over a hundred h still too surreal to process, but at least it meant I could buy Sophia that car if we lost
rs was
“Elle, sweetie, are you ready?” Susan called from the kitchen, her voice filled with an excitement I hadn’t heard in years.
“Coming, Mom!” I called back, slipping on comfortable clothes and pulling my hair into a practical bun.
The kitchen was buzzing with activity. Susan was methodically checking our ingredients and supplies, while Abigail and Sophia were reviewing our planned menu one more time. The atmosphere felt so normal, so wonderfully ordinary after all the chaos.
“Everything looks perfect,” Susan said, wiping down the counter. “I think we’re as ready as we’ll ever be.”
As we made our way to the competition area, I couldn’t help but smile. The main deck had been
transformed into individual cooking stations, each equipped with professional–grade equipment. Families
were already gathering, their excited chatter filling the air.
“Oh my God, did you hear?” a woman at the station next to ours was practically bouncing with excitement.
“The captain is going to personally judge the competition!”
“Really? I heard he’s incredibly handsome,” her daughter added, eyes sparkling. “I can’t wait to see him at
the awards ceremony!”
I rolled my eyes internally.
My phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number.
“Today I want cream puffs. Consider this part of our deal.
My jaw tightened. That bastard. Using something as simple as cream puffs to trade for information about
Grace’s whereabouts was infuriating.
Another message followed immediately:
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Chapter 208
“Want to know who I am? Bring me the cream puffs, and tell you.”
I stared at the phone, torn between anger and curiosity
“Do we have ingredients for cream puffs?” I asked Abigail, trying to keep my voice casual.
“Yeah! You want to make cream puffs?” she replied, looking surprised.
“Mhmm. Just one. Something for a… trade.”
Abigail raised an eyebrow but didn’t push for details, which I appreciated.
–
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When the competition officially started, I should have been resting pregnant women weren’t expected to do much of the actual cooking. But I found myself at the prep station anyway, following a cream puff
recipe on my phone.
The dock around us suddenly erupted into excited whispers and gasps.
“Holy shit,” someone whispered. “That’s him.”
I looked up to see a tall figure in an ornate silver mask leading a group of what appeared to be world- renowned food critics toward our cooking stations.
The other contestants were going absolutely insane. What had started as a cooking competition suddenly became a desperate attempt to catch the captain’s attention. People were abandoning their carefully planned dishes, trying to create something more impressive, more eye–catching.
I noticed that while everyone else was losing their minds, my family seemed relatively unaffected. But I also noticed something else – the captain’s gaze kept landing on me. Even through that elaborate mask, I could feel his attention like a physical weight.
1 directly in front
I kept my head down, focusing on the delicate pastry I was piping. The cream was perfect, the consistency exactly right. I was so absorbed in my work that I didn’t notice when the captain
of my station.
“Hmm, that looks quite promising,” came a smooth, familiar voice.
I looked up, startled, to find the masked figure studying my work with apparent approval.
“Seeing you so focused puts my mind at ease,” he continued.
I felt something sticky on the corner of my mouth – a bit of cream that had gotten there while I was
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Chapter 208
tasting the filling. I was about to wipe it away when the captain stepped closer.
“However, you’ve got something on your face,” he said, His voice dropping to a lower register that sent
unexpected shivers down my spine.
Before I could react, he leaned down, his face inches from mine.
“But don’t worry, I’ll clean it off for you.”
–
And then Jesus Christ – he actually licked the cream from the corner of my mouth.
“Sweet,” he murmured against my skin.
My brain completely short–circuited. The audacity, the intimacy of the gesture, the way every person around us had gone dead silent it was too much. My heart was hammering against my ribs as he straightened up and walked away with his entourage as if nothing had happened.
1
The silence lasted exactly three seconds before everyone started talking at once.
“Did that just happen?”
“Oh my God, the captain just—”
“Who is that girl?”
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I stood there, frozen, my hand unconsciously moving to where his lips had touched my skin. The gesture felt familiar in a way that made my stomach twist with recognition.
“Elle!” Sophia’s voice cut through my daze. “You okay, girl? What the hell was that about?”
I turned to find her grinning like a maniac.
“You’ve got some serious game, Elle! I didn’t know you were feeling so confident a Sophia laughed. “That captain is definitely interested in you!”
r situation!”
I looked toward the judges‘ table where the captain had taken his seat. Even from this distance, I could feel his attention on me again. When our eyes met, I saw something in his posture that made my breath catch. He was watching me with the focused intensity of a predator studying his prey.
Then, to my absolute horror, he pulled out his phone and quite obviously took a photo of me.
The other contestants noticed and started murmuring among themselves.
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Chapter 208
“Why is he taking pictures of her?”
“She’s pregnant, what’s so special about that?”
I felt my face flush with anger and embarrassment. The arrogance of this man was unbelievable.
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“Elle and the captain are having quite the moment, aren’t they?” Sophia continued, completely ob my growing suspicion. “Look at you two, making eyes at each other across the deck!”
But Abigail was watching me with a more serious expression. “Sophia,” she said quietly, “you’re Haven’t you noticed anything… familiar about this whole situation?”
“What do you mean?” Sophia asked, confused.
“You’ll see why soon enough,” Abigail replied mysteriously.
I turned back to my cream puffs, cutting them with perhaps more force than necessary.
15 to
“I’m going to tear that mask off his face today,” I muttered under my breath. “I’ll see how long you can keep up this charade, you bastard. If you think you can toy with me like this, you’ve got another thing
coming.”
The other contestants were finishing up their dishes, and I could feel the competition winding down. Soon, there would be a judging ceremony, an awards presentation.
And when that time came, I was going to get my answers.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
