Ghost of My Heart

Chapter 25

“Hue?” Jennet summoned her courage to call his name as she stood at the entrance to the kitchen, gaping at the rare sight of seeing a real and living man cooking in the kitchen.

She had never seen one in real life and, the one before her was much handsome than those men who appeared in the cooking show on TV. She dreamt to watch one cook in her kitchen but little did she know that she got the chance of seeing one who claimed himself as her husband. All in one!

Hue glanced back at her when he heard a voice. He saw her standing at the door to the kitchen and, on her facial was only confusion.

“Honey!” He exclaimed. He turned off the fire and hopped happily towards her. He was the embodiment of an excited golden retriever.

“You’re finally home!” He snuggled to her and drowned her in a tight embrace that had the power to crush her body as his high nose nuzzled in her hair, messing it up.

Jennet gasped for a breath, “Let me go. I can’t breathe!” She cried in desperation as she hit his back continuously. Her lungs were parched for air. Her vision blurred and, she could see stars too.

The man’s strength was unimaginable!

Hue released her but still not letting go of her shoulders. Suddenly, his nose twitched. He leant closer but, Jennet evaded his leaning face.

‘W-what is he trying to do?’ She was terrified when he took a lock of her hair and sniffed it.

“Your hair…” Hue glared at her, leaving his words hanging.

“W-what is wrong with my hair?” Jennet stammered in puzzlement as tension wrapped her mind.

Hue’s face soured and, he continued to glare fiercely at her, “…it had a lingering smell of a man. Where have you been?” he asked coldly. There was a hint of jealousy in his voice.

Jennet got confused at the question thrown at her. She frowned as she sniffed her hair. It took her quite a while but, she smelt nothing. She noticed nothing weird about the smell of her hair. She cannot distinguish the smell that he spoke of.

She eyed him with knitted brows. “I didn’t go anywhere except to work,” she replied honestly. Shortly after that, she added after thinking of the possibility, “Well, I work alongside men so, I must have that lingering smell that you said.”

Yes, she worked among men in her workplace and, it was normal. But, the lingering smell of a man? Was he referring to a specific man?

She could not tell.

Jennet wondered why she had to explain herself to him. ‘I should be the one to ask questions because he had the nerve to cook in my kitchen. Well, I am not that displeased because I enjoyed watching him cook. Sheesh, what am I even thinking about?’ she grumbled inwardly.

Then, she glanced at the sour face before her. “Don’t get angry at me. I cannot help it because I am working among men. I work in a co-ed environment where men and women work together in a building. You cannot do anything about it because we are professionals. Something that you worry about does not happen among professionals. Do you understand me?” She hoped the explanation could cool him down.

Hue’s grip on both of her shoulders hurt and, Jennet contorted in pain once again. She grabbed his wrists, pulling them off her shoulders.

“Can you please control your anger? Don’t let it control you because you are hurting me!” she nagged. As much as her heart paced with uneasiness, it turned into ice when she saw his grumpy face.

Hue wrapped his arms across his chest as he turned his pouty face away and, his long hair swayed behind him when his head moved. It gave off a sweet scent in the air.

Jennet sighed when her strong will started to crumble. At work, she had to deal with the uneasy stare from her toxic colleagues, especially Mira, who babbled non-stop whenever she saw her. She had enough exhaustive day at work and, when she got home, she had to explain herself to the grown-up baby, who seemed to accuse her of doing something shady behind him.

‘Why can’t I have a normal and happy day without any more explaining? I hate misunderstanding!’ Jennet whined forlornly, grieving over her pitiful fate.

After keeping silent for a while, she paced a step forward and turned his body towards her. “Well, because you said I had this lingering smell of a man, I will take a shower right away but, you have to promise me that you will show me no more long faces. Is that okay with you?” she asked.

‘Wow, I can’t believe that I am trying to win his heart by bargaining with him,’ she grunted in disbelief at what she had done.

Hue glanced back as his jade blue eyes stared intently at her face, wanting to make sure she spoke the truth. Shortly after that, he opened his mouth, “Wash your body properly until I am satisfied,” he said coldly with a hidden threat in his words.

“But, what if you are still not satisfied even after I have washed up? Can I still have dinner?” Jennet asked when she eyed the food on the preparation counter. Hue prepared quite a lot of salivating dishes. Her stomach had growled ferociously since earlier. She had intended to ask about the food but since he was disturbed and perturbed by the ‘lingering smell of a man’ on her body, she had to keep herself away from the food for now.

Hue smirked at her. ‘She had the nerve to ask about the foods I cooked when she should be concerned about that homewrecker’s scent on her body. Is food much more important than taking care of my heart?’

He rolled his eyes at her, feeling displeased and unhappy. ‘Whatever was she doing with him at work?’

But, when he saw her eyes gleamed in anticipation, he immediately looked away and said, “Once I am satisfied after inspecting your body thoroughly, then you can have dinner.”

He had to make a wise decision while dealing with her because he knew her nature was unpredictable.

Jennet looked at him with an unsatisfied look. “That is not fair,” she whined in dissatisfaction.

“What is?” Hue glared back at her. His patience thinned once again.

“You say it is my hair that smells like a man, but why do you want to inspect my whole body after the shower? Should you inspect only my hair?” She fought back. Hue was not being reasonable with what he just said.

Hue balled his hands into fists, “Actually, it is not just your hair. Your whole body reeks of that stinky smell. Your nose is not functioning well because you cannot sniff it!” he said while being ignorant of how she felt at the moment. “Now, hurry up and go wash before I eat all the dishes,” he added more fuel to the fire in her heart.

Jennet was so hungry that she had no energy to continue brawling with him. At the same time, she was also so angry at him because she had to use all of the remaining energy to get rid of the smell that she could not even smell.

‘I will make you pay for all that you did to me today. Just wait and see what I will do!’ She grumbled as she walked out of the kitchen. She dashed to the bedroom and, as she opened the wardrobe, she gawked at what she saw.

All of her clothes were folded neatly and stacked according to size. Some of the clothes that have been ironed, were hung in order of colours and lengths.

As she pulled the drawer, the undergarments were in a neat arrangement. The messy wardrobe went through a massive transformation. She also found out that her bed had been tidied properly, the floor was spotlessly clean and, she could see the room shining like never before.

It seemed that Hue cleaned the entire villa, may have polished every nook and cranny until they shine. The curtain was drawn and clipped neatly. Everything had been tidied and, the dustbin had been emptied as well.

Jennet felt terrified at how excellent he was at doing house chores. If people were to compare them, she couldn’t win against him. Hue was on another league, much farther than her.

‘I failed to live as an independent woman. I thought I had been doing the best, however, he out best me in everything. I am a failure!’ Jennet fell on her knees, frustrated at the truth that she had to digest.

As the woman kept mulling over her failures, something flashed in her head. ‘But, he is doing an excellent job at doing house chores. Why didn’t I think about it?’

At that same moment, she had second thoughts about chasing him out of the villa. Since Hue claimed that they were married, why not lure him and she get to enjoy the benefits from his naivety.

Hue did a great help to her. He could clean and cook. Those were expensive skills for someone as handsome as him. She betted there might be fewer men who had all that packages.

“He actually can help me with the problem at hand. If he stays with me, he can help me with the cleaning and the cooking. I can also play the role of his wife to get him to do what I want him to do. By doing so, I can lessen the stress I get when I reach home. I also can have so much time to rest and, I will be able to enjoy a peaceful life,” Jennet giggled.

When she thought about coming home to a clean villa and eating home-cooked meals prepared by a handsome man who had an alluring figure, her mood lit up with excitement. The fatigues she felt would be washed away every single day. She could enjoy the peaceful life that she had longed for so long.

Yes, that could be a perfect plan towards a better future to continue staying sane.