Chapter 4: A Yummy Breakfast with a Twist
1040 Words
An extravagant breakfast was laid out across the long mahogany dining table.
There was a basket filled with freshly baked butter croissants, Eggs Benedict topped with smoked salmon, Belgian waffles served with fresh strawberries and blueberries, truffle scrambled eggs, imported cheeses, and a large platter of colorful tropical fruits.
At the other end of the table were dishes more familiar to Filipino taste—garlic fried rice, glazed ham, and hotdogs.
Crystal pitchers of freshly squeezed orange juice sat beside steaming cups of cappuccino.
Each place setting was adorned with elegant white porcelain plates trimmed with gold and polished silver cutlery that gleamed beneath the chandelier.
Silence lingered after Doña Rebecca finished saying the family's morning prayer.
It was the first breakfast they would share with Jade—the newest member of the Villareal family.
"Primo," Doña Rebecca began as she placed a piece of Belgian waffle onto her plate, "why don't you properly introduce your wife? We didn't really have the chance to get to know her last night."
Primo smiled warmly before turning affectionately toward Jade.
Jade responded with only a modest smile.
"Well... the beautiful woman sitting beside me is my wife, Jade Avery Rivas. She's originally from this town, although we met in Manila."
Don Menandro fixed Jade with a piercing stare.
Every look he gave her dripped with silent contempt, as though she were nothing more than an unwanted insect that had wandered into his home.
Jade noticed.
She had expected this.
She had prepared herself for it long before stepping into the Villareal mansion.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Vince.
His expression was impossible to read.
But after spending five years loving him...
She knew exactly what that look meant.
He wasn't comfortable with her presence.
Not at all.
"Hija," Don Menandro said coldly, "you seem much younger than Primo. How old are you?"
"I'm twenty-five, sir," Jade answered politely.
"So my brother is ten years older than you."
"Aren't you bothered by such a large age gap?"
His tone wasn't curious.
It was interrogating.
Trying to measure her sincerity.
"It's okay, Dad," Vince interrupted casually.
"Primo is immature anyway."
The atmosphere immediately changed.
Primo's jaw tightened.
Jade saw his fists slowly clench beneath the table.
Gently...
She placed her hand on his thigh.
She knew exactly why Vince had said those words.
He wasn't insulting Primo.
He was trying to make Jade feel unwelcome.
Perhaps he was afraid that everyone would eventually discover the truth—
That the woman he now mocked had once been the woman he loved.
Two years ago.
In other words...
Vince was ashamed of her.
Instead of responding with anger, Jade simply smiled sweetly.
"Not at all, Sir," she replied calmly.
"In fact, I think Primo handles our relationship very well."
"Since he's ten years older than I am, he's patient enough to deal with all my childishness and immaturity."
Her respectful answer visibly eased Primo's anger.
He couldn't hide the admiration in his eyes.
Jade smiled inwardly.
It felt as though she had already begun getting even with Vince...
Even if she hadn't truly started yet.
Primo scooped a generous serving of garlic fried rice onto his plate.
Jade knew it was his favorite breakfast.
The other elegant dishes decorating the table barely interested him.
Many of them, she suspected, he probably couldn't even name.
"Sweetheart..."
Jade spoke softly.
"Can I make a special request?"
Monica, who had been glaring at her since the beginning of breakfast, frowned even more.
The hostility in her eyes was unmistakable.
And she still didn't know the history between Jade and Vince.
If she ever found out...
Would she still wear that proud smile?
After all...
She had been the woman Vince chose.
The woman who took the place of the mother of the child Jade had once dreamed of giving him.
"Of course," Primo answered immediately.
"What do you want?"
Jade leaned close and whispered into his ear.
Primo nodded before calling one of the household staff.
A few moments later, the maid returned carrying a simple plate.
Dried salted fish.
Fresh tomatoes.
And a bowl of vinegar mixed with garlic and chili.
"What the—"
Monica nearly cursed as the distinct aroma reached the table.
"Primo!"
Doña Rebecca wrinkled her nose.
"What kind of breakfast is that?"
Everyone around the table wore the same expression.
None of them appreciated the smell.
Primo chuckled.
"Sister-in-law, what's wrong with dried fish?"
"It's delicious."
"And it's one of Jade's and my favorite breakfasts."
"Exactly," Jade added with a smile.
"It smells strong at first, but once you taste it..."
"I'm sure you'll love it."
"Isn't that right, Sweetheart?"
She carefully flaked the dried fish apart before feeding Primo with her fingers.
Primo laughed.
Her fingertips accidentally brushed against his lips.
Instead of pulling away immediately, he playfully caught her fingers for a brief moment with a teasing grin before letting them go.
"Sorry, Love," he said with a smile.
"It's okay, Sweetheart."
"Now try some tomatoes."
She continued feeding him without using any utensils.
The intimacy between them was impossible to ignore.
Doña Rebecca pressed her fingers against her temple.
Don Menandro remained silent and continued eating, though the displeasure on his face was obvious.
Meanwhile, Monica repeatedly fanned the air in front of her face, clearly disgusted by the smell of the dried fish.
Then Jade looked toward Vince.
"How about you, Vince?"
"Would you like some dried danggit?"
"There's plenty left."
Her words carried a meaning only the two of them understood.
Vince had stopped eating altogether.
His face had darkened.
The cheerful atmosphere around the table no longer reached him.
Without saying a word, he dabbed his lips with his table napkin before standing.
"I have to leave."
He turned toward his father.
"Papa, I need to inspect the hacienda."
Without waiting for anyone's response, Vince walked away.
He didn't even say goodbye to Monica.
Even though she was sitting right beside him.
Jade noticed everything.
She also saw the disappointment that briefly flashed across Monica's eyes.
Already affected, Vince?
Fight for the woman you chose.
Prove to me that you're happy.
Prove that abandoning me...
And abandoning our child...
Was worth it.
- Writer
