Her Accidental Mafia Husband

Something delicious

Anna spent the rest of the morning at the market, carefully selecting equipment and fresh ingredients for her new venture. She knew running a small restaurant on her own wouldn’t be easy, so she wanted to go home and prepare everything thoroughly.

When she finally left the market, pushing a heavily loaded wheelbarrow, she quickly became a spectacle. Many people turned to stare as she made her way down the street.

Thankfully, Anna had thick skin. Whenever acquaintances stopped to ask what she was doing, she smiled confidently and promoted her upcoming business, warmly inviting them to come and support her once she opened.

By the time she turned into the narrow alley leading home, her face was radiant with excitement. Neighbors who spotted her called out greetings, and she happily chatted back, cheerfully telling everyone to stop by when her little restaurant was ready.

From the attic room at the end of the alley, a man sat quietly on a bed by the window. He wore a shabby gray shirt that did little to hide his natural aura of nobility and strength.

The window was half-open, letting in the breeze ruffled his loose clothes and dark hair.

His face was strikingly handsome with sharp features, a stubbled jaw that looked as though it had been carved by the gods, and piercing green eyes that gleamed like polished emeralds.

He was none other than the stranger Anna had rescued.

The lively noise from the alley drew his attention so he turned his head and looked down.

There was the pretty girl from last night, still wearing the same apricot-colored short jacket and simple brown trousers. She was pushing a wheelbarrow piled high with supplies, far too heavy for one young woman to handle alone, yet she moved with cheerful determination.

The young man’s expression became somewhat peculiar.

He had known many women in his life, but he had never seen one riding a wheelbarrow through the streets without a care in the world.

Then he reminded himself that he was in a small village, not the big city where things like this were uncommon.

The girl soon moved out of his line of sight, but he could still hear everything clearly.

Her little sister’s excited voice rang out first.

“Ana! What are you carrying? Where did all these things come from?”

The girl’s voice bubbled with laughter and energy. “I bought them, of course!”

The noise grew louder as her aunt, Mrs. Thompson came out to help push the heavy wheelbarrow.

Then the girl announced happily, “I’ll be cooking something really delicious today!”

“Yay!” The little sister cheered with pure happiness.

The man eventually tuned out the noisy voices from the alley and closed his eyes, trying to rest. Opportunities for peace like this were rare, yet his mind kept drifting back to Vesper City. He needed to find out what was happening there and who dared to have him killed.

Completely unaware of the dangerous man watching from the attic window, Anna pushed the heavily loaded wheelbarrow to the front of her house.

Mrs. Thompson came out to help her unload everything she had bought: a large iron stove, several sturdy cooking pots and pans, wooden cutting boards, sharp kitchen knives, sacks of flour, sugar, and rice, fresh eggs, potatoes, a variety of vegetables, a few cuts of meat, and several bundles of fragrant spices.

Lily eagerly helped too, carrying the lighter items like the smaller bowls and utensils with both hands.

“So you’ve really decided to open a restaurant?” Mrs. Thompson asked as she set down a heavy sack of flour in Anna’s kitchen. “Are you sure about this, dear?”

Anna nodded firmly as she placed the new iron stove in the corner. “I’ve never been more sure of anything, Aunt Margaret. And don’t worry about cooking a late meal for your family tonight because I’ll make something delicious for everyone.”

That evening, the aroma of sizzling onions and fragrant spices soon filled Anna’s kitchen.

She had decided to make one of her mother’s signature dishes which was hearty chicken and vegetable stew with fresh herb dumplings, something warm, comforting, and filling enough to share with the Thompsons as a thank-you for all their help.

Anna moved around the kitchen with ease, her apron dusted with flour. She stirred the large pot on the new iron stove, tasting the broth and adding a pinch more salt and a handful of chopped parsley.

The meat had been simmering for nearly an hour, turning tender, while the vegetables, carrots, potatoes, and celery, softened perfectly.

On a separate pan, golden dumplings were frying lightly before she would drop them into the stew to finish cooking.

A few minutes later, a rich aroma wafted from Anna’s kitchen. The neighbors all sniffed the air, wondering whose house was stewing such fragrant broth.

The aroma drifted upwards and since the Thompsons and Marrin houses were adjacent, the man in the attic room smelled it particularly strongly.

He swallowed hard and closed his eyes tightly.

His body was too weak. Since being injured, he hadn't had a proper meal.