Chapter 75

Chapter 75Chapter 75 I Like It
Since Nick wasn’t feeling well, both Jonathan and Michaela decided to stay another night to care for him.
Jonathan lived a strict routine. Years of habit had turned his body into a biological alarm clock. No matter
where he was, a morning jog was necessary.
Since early morning, Jonathan had gone out for a jog.
He went straight to the kitchen when he returned, wanting to exhort the staff to take extra care of the
food for Nick. Instead of entering the kitchen, he paused outside as a conversation inside caught his
attention.
“Ms. Michaela, you’ve been busy all morning. You’ve done all the most important steps in making the
soup. I’ll watch the fire for you.”
“Martha, I can handle this. You go and rest.”
Jonathan’s foot wavered with reluctance. With a glimpse at the clock and it wasn’t six-fifteen in the
morning yet.
I saw the door to her room being shut before I left for my jog, thinking she was still asleep, but instead,
she was here making soup?
Jonathan caught a busy figure moving around through the glass door that led to the kitchen, and it was
Michaela.
She was wearing a light gray long knitted sweater paired with black leggings. The outfit accentuated her
tall, slim frame even more.With an apron tied to her front, she stood in front of the counter, cutting vegetables skillfully as she
watched the pot of soup over the fire.
Her hair was casually pulled into a ponytail with two strands of flyaway framing her face. She looked
beautiful and pure.
The soup had been boiling on the stove for a while suffusing a delicious scent all over the kitchen. She
seems skilled in cooking.
At that moment, a profound feeling swirled within Jonathan’s eyes. It was gentle yet lingering. There was
a strong sense of attachment and satisfaction in his gaze.
God had treated me well to bestow a scene that would only appear in my dreams to come to life. This
must be a reward for the deep feelings I have for her.
I had thought about simply finding someone and putting up with her my whole life. Since it wouldn’t be
the person I wanted anyway, it didn’t matter. However, imagining and actually doing it were vastly
different. I couldn’t lie to myself and accept anyone else but her.
For five years, I left the country for a foreign one and isolated myself there. I kept myself in that alien
place to bury my feelings for her deep in my heart.
I never thought distance could separate two people but wouldn’t diminish the longing in my heart.
Everyone assumed I didn’t have a girlfriend because I was picky, but what I wanted was simple. I would
willingly accept anything as long as Michaela was the one giving it.
Michaela was bustling in the kitchen and didn’t notice Jonathan at all.
Martha, on the other hand, noticed him and was about to greet him when Jonathan gestured for her to
stay silent.With a knowing smile, Martha didn’t linger around and left the kitchen with light steps.
Jonathan took Martha’s place in the kitchen, but Michaela was oblivious to it. After the soup had come to
a boil, she lowered it to a small-medium fire. Suddenly, she lost her focus briefly and swiped her fingers
across the scalding hot side of the pot. Michaela sucked in a painful breath at the burn.
She instinctively retracted her hand, but an arm had reached past her and grabbed her wrist faster than
she could react.
“What are you doing here?”
Michaela couldn’t comprehend the sudden appearance of Jonathan and had temporarily forgotten about
the pain in her fingers.
However, the only response she got was a pair of arms looping under hers and lifting her.
This is the Xander residence! Nick and Mavis are resting right upstairs! Michaela’s face paled from the
shock after falling into his embrace. “Put me down, Jonathan, hurry!”
Her struggles were pointless as Jonathan sat her on the counter, pulling her hand to the sink to rinse
under the cold running water.
The cool liquid immediately soothed the burning sensation on her fingers, but Jonathan continued to
grasp her hand tightly despite the relief.
The water was cool, but his palm was hot, sending warmth into her now-cool fingers.
His hand was beautiful with pronounced lines. His long and slim fingers with neatly trimmed nails made
him look well-groomed.
The owner of the hand seemed to be in a bad mood with his lips pressed into a line and him not
answering her.Yet from a closer look, she noticed the concern, worry, and heartache for her in his gaze.
Having just returned from his jog, so he was still dressed in a black tracksuit that emphasized his muscle
lines. They were so close that she could feel the heat coming off of his body. It was so hot that it was
about to burn her.
Michaela blushed hard at his closeness and forced her gaze to focus on her hand. “It’s not painful
anymore,” she said.
“Luckily, there aren’t any blisters, or you would’ve been crying in pain,” Jonathan said casually, with his
gaze still locked on her fingers.
Michaela felt uneasy under his avid attention and was about to pull her hand from his when she heard
his chilling tone. “Getting braver now, are we? You even dared to call my name now, huh?”
His eyes narrowed and gleamed with a dangerous glint. No one could’ve guessed what he was thinking
at that moment.
It was an urgent situation, that was why I called his name.
Even though she had a reason, it still felt awkward. Her heart began to pound harder, feeling Jonathan’s
direct gaze on her. Trying to alleviate the awkwardness, she laughed dryly and was about to say
something nice, but he beat her to it. “But I like it, and I want to keep hearing it, so call me by my name
from now on.”
“Huh?”
Michaela was stunned at Jonathan’s sudden change.
My god! I thought I was minutes away from dying! That expression of his was him liking and being happy
about it?“We have staff preparing breakfast for us, so what are you doing here in the early morning? Luckily, this
is only a burn. What if you’re injured?”
Although his tone was unpleasant, she heard his concern for her.
She coveted the warmth filling her heart, but still obediently answered, “Old Mr. Xander got upset
yesterday, causing his health to take a dive, so I wanted to make soup for him to get better.”
“Oh, so our Mich wanted to please her future father-in-law.”
Her cheeks and even her ear blushed red at his tease. “It was my fault, so I wanted to do whatever I
could,” she explained.
“I get it.”
Mirth laced his gentle voice as he answered. He released her hand with a smile, ignoring her wide eyes,
and turned around to retrieve a bag of ice from the freezer to pass it to her.
“Quietly sit here and ice your hand. Leave the rest to me.”
Michaela was worried that Nick’s deteriorated health would affect his appetite, so she planned to prepare
another two healthy light salads.
The ingredient preparations were all done, and the only thing missing was the condiments.
Jonathan’s hands moved agilely under Michaela’s command as he seasoned and tossed the salad. “How
do you know how to cook? Mdm. Simmons is willing to let you step into the kitchen?”
“I learned it when Grandpa was sick, but I was terrible at it then. After Mom took over the foundation, her
work kept her busier and busier. I didn’t get to see Dad much either. Lucille refused to eat any food the
housekeeper made, so I had to step up and do it.”Michaela explained it matter-of-factly, but Jonathan’s heart ached for her.
Without bringing Lucille into the equation, he was well aware of the effects of Old Mr. Simmons’s death
on Michaela.
To this day, a memory of her sobbing that day would still flash across his mind.
Jonathan had wanted to go up to her and comfort her but dashed it off when he saw Zack standing
beside her.
His chest still felt stuffy when the memory surfaced.
His movements paused as he apologized. “I’m sorry, Mich.”
Sorry that I wasn’t by your side when you were in pain, but I hoped I would be the one to give you all
your happiness in the future.