Chapter 793 - 792

793 Chapter 792

Sean sighed, looking at Lewis with a calm, almost genteel expression. “Mr. Horton, I get it, truly. I know this might annoy you, but I really, truly am just here for a meal.”

He then turned to Keira. “Ms. Olsen, if I had any other intentions, I would have pursued you back in Oceanion. Besides, I’ve gone from being an eighty-pound skeleton to a whole 120 pounds because of your cooking—you should know me better than anyone.”

Keira blinked. “I… practically raised him.”

The way he put it sounded odd to her somehow. She frowned, considering. “Once a week, like before. Just like Oceanion. But, I’ll be heading out of town soon, so I may not have time to cook.”

Sean’s assistant jumped in, “Ms. Olsen, are you going somewhere? We could tag along! Without you, our young master will starve to death!”

Keira raised an eyebrow.

Lewis scowled, not liking the way this sounded one bit. A strange tension settled in his chest. He had a little sense of urgency here.

Sure, Ryan Cobb had a thing for Keira, but Lewis had never been bothered. Ryan, with his praying beads and all, was practically monk-like and clearly had no intention of breaking his celibate streak. But Sean—thin, meek Sean—was giving him an actual feeling of unease.

Lewis cleared his throat, drawing Keira’s gaze. She looked back to Sean. “Couldn’t your family send a chef to train under me?”

Sean’s assistant sighed. “Ms. Olsen, we’ve tried. We sent more than one chef to work with you, but, well, the results were lacking. Even when they follow your methods precisely, something’s just missing. Our young master has the palate of a hound, so he can tell right away when it’s just not right—makes him sick even…”

Sean gave him a calm side-eye.

The assistant clammed up. “My mistake. Of course, you’re not a dog, sir. Your sense of taste is just more sensitive…than any dog could ever be.”

Sean shook his head and turned back to Keira. “I know this is an imposition. How about this: if you ever need anything, I’m at your service.”

The assistant immediately chirped in, “Ms. Olsen, that’s a big promise. Our young master here is known to be the smartest man alive! Genius-level IQ. It’s said that if it weren’t for his illness, he’d have solved world hunger by now. You need any help, he’s your guy.”

Sean cut him off with a pointed cough. “Maybe talk a bit less.”

The assistant promptly zipped it, looking sheepish. Sean met Keira’s eyes. “But he’s not wrong. You saved my life. If there’s ever anything you need, just ask.”

Keira gave a small nod, considering him. “Alright.”

Sean stood, looking like he wanted to bow in gratitude, but the moment he rose, his legs wobbled, and he nearly collapsed.

Keira watched him with concern. “You look half-starved. I’ll go make you something.”

Sean gave a grateful nod. “I’d appreciate it, Ms. Olsen.”

As she headed into the kitchen, Lewis trailed after her, voice tinged with barely disguised jealousy. “Are you two…close?”

Keira coughed lightly, gathering her thoughts. “Actually, he’s been a big help to me over the years. You could say he’s one of my oldest regulars.”

Lewis raised a brow. “How so?”

Keira smiled slightly. “When I left my family, I had to work to get by, and eventually, I trained at this little restaurant and got the hang of things in the kitchen. After the place ran into financial trouble, I scraped together what I could and took it over, but business was slow. Sean was one of our few regulars who’d pay generously for each meal, basically covering a day’s revenue with every order. He kept us afloat. Eventually, the restaurant took off, and though I was planning to retire from the kitchen, I kept up that weekly meal tradition just for him.”

Sean had been the lifeline that pulled her restaurant through its roughest patches, and she’d never forgotten that. Even after becoming known as a culinary talent, she continued making that weekly meal for him.

Lewis nodded thoughtfully, then asked, “Was it his looks that got you cooking for him in the first place?”

Keira rolled her eyes. “He was barely eighty pounds when I first met him. Imagine—a grown man over six feet tall, yet frail as a skeleton. Sure, his face was the same, but at that weight, he looked more like a specter. I couldn’t have imagined he’d fill out to look so…presentable. Besides, we haven’t even seen each other in ages, so get over it, okay?”