Chapter 9 Meet Chef Buder
1116 Words
At that moment, the guys in the restaurant noticed me standing behind Murphy and Charles.
"Who are you? How did you get in here? I've never seen you before," someone asked me.
"I'm Peter Gallagher. I am..."
I wanted to say I was Murphy's personal servant, but I swallowed those words.
Murphy's agreement included a clause not to disclose my role as his personal servant. He might not want others to know about our relationship.
I waited for Murphy to introduce me, but he remained silent. Finally, Charles slung an arm around my shoulder and introduced me to everyone. "He's a friend I invited here for lunch."
"Ah, Charles' friend."
The smiles they gave me suddenly took on a knowing look.
I followed Murphy and Charles to our seats, and snippets of the guys whispering still reached my ears.
"Looks like Charles has set his sights on this new pal. That's definitely his type."
I glanced at Charles awkwardly. "Seems like they got the wrong idea."
Charles just shrugged and replied, "No biggie. I don't mind."
'Let them think what they want.' Charles thought.
Today, Murphy's lunch included Sea Snails in Spicy wine, crab cakes, and Smoked Salmon Cheese Puffs. My lunch was a salad and seafood risotto made from the rest of the ingredients of his food.
As Murphy and I opened our lunch boxes, Charles caught a whiff of the food and said, "They smell incredible. I've never had the pleasure of tasting Peter's cooking. It must be top-notch for Murphy to cherish it so."
'Cherish? Seriously?'
I shot Charles a puzzled glance. He took a heavy sigh, looking somewhat wounded.
"Peter, you know, Murphy's usually so generous, but he wouldn't even let me have a taste of the food you cooked."
Murphy coughed lightly to conceal his embarrassment. "You wouldn't be used to it."
"Come on, even the picky prince can get used to it, why can't I? It's just too good, and you don't wanna share, no need for excuses."
Charles smirked at Murphy, then turned to me with a grin. "How about this, Peter? You can order whatever you like from the restaurant, my treat, and let me have yours."
I widened my eyes and asked, "Are you serious? You'd skip a Michelin chef's meal for my food?"
"Absolutely, I've had enough of George's dishes. Time for something new."
"Well, here you go."
I was about to hand over my lunch box when Murphy grabbed my arm.
Murphy frowned, his blue eyes locking on me, his tone commanding. "Don't give it to him."
Charles looked annoyed. "Murphy, don't be so petty, okay? I asked to taste your food, and you refused. I want to try Peter's cooking, but you still won't allow it. Are you just trying to spite me?"
"Peter is now my personal servant, and his cooking is for me alone."
Charles scoffed. "You say Peter's your personal servant now? You didn't mention that earlier. Everyone just knows him as my friend."
I looked at Charles in surprise. 'Is he sticking up for me?'
Murphy's brow furrowed as if a layer of frost had settled between his eyebrows. "Charles, what's between Peter and me is none of your business."
"Peter's my friend, so how is it none of my business? Murphy, you're being too controlling. Peter's your servant, not your slave. He can make his own choices about these personal matters."
The air was thick with tension as Charles and Murphy faced off. Eventually, both of them turned their gazes to me.
Charles, ever the gentleman, said to me in a mild tone, "Peter, you decide. Do you want to listen to Murphy?"
But Murphy was more commanding. "Peter, you gotta listen to me."
My eyes shot between Murphy and Charles. Then, I took a deep breath and made my decision.
I pulled my arm from Murphy's grasp and handed the lunch box to Charles.
"Prince Murphy, Mr. Taylor is right. I can make my own decisions on personal matters."
Murphy fell silent, his expression sour.
Charles smiled as he took the lunch box. "Don't call me Mr. Taylor. We're friends, so just call me Charles."
"I'm honored to taste Chef Buder's cuisine. Thank you, Charles."
I ordered the chef's recommended cuisine from the menu. When the waiter came, I asked for Chef George Buder's autograph.
However, the waiter informed me that Chef Buder had already left.
After a long silence, Murphy suddenly spoke up, "Are you a fan of George?"
I shook my head and explained, "Not really. But my dad is, and I wanted to get his autograph for him."
"That's easy. When I see him next time, I'll get you that," Charles said with a smile.
I looked at Charles and said gratefully, "Thank you."
My father was still in the hospital, and getting him the autograph he had always dreamed of might help him recover faster.
But what I didn't expect was, when I got home from school, Chef George Buder was standing at the door.
More precisely, he was standing at Murphy's apartment door.
"Chef George Buder!" I almost exclaimed.
My dad was a big fan of Chef Buder and often watched his interviews. I'd seen plenty with my dad, so I recognized him immediately.
George smiled and extended his hand. "Hello, Peter."
"You know my name?!" I was even more surprised.
"Yes, I know you, and I'm honored that your father is a fan of me," George said while turning to Murphy. "Prince Murphy told me all this."
"Prince Murphy?!" I looked up incredulously at Murphy standing beside me. "Did you specifically ask Chef Buder to come here?"
Murphy was cool as a cucumber. "Yeah. Why are you staring at me? Shouldn't you be getting Chef Buder's autograph right now?"
'He actually took what I said at the cafeteria to heart and brought Chef Buder here for me?'
"Right, right, I need to get Chef Buder's autograph! Where's my pen..."
As I scrambled to fetch a pen and paper from my backpack, George pulled out a Polaroid camera.
"Hold your horses. Let's snap a picture together first."
I straightened up, and we both faced the camera.
With the click of the shutter, the photo slid out from the camera.
George was decked out in his chef's attire, all smiles and natural. I looked a tad awkward, not quite sure where to put my hands, and my smile was also stiff.
Surprisingly, Murphy was also caught in the background.
He wasn't looking at the camera but at George and me. His expression was neutral, but his deep blue eyes sparkled under his hair, highlighting his handsome features.
'He's indeed a knockout from any angle!'
- Writer
