The instant Leia opened the door and saw the interior, her expression of anticipation
stiffened on her face.
Within the 300 square feet room, all the walls were covered in huge posters of Shirley
White, the recently crowned best actress.
It was not just posters-everything from magazine covers, figurines, and photo albums of
Shirley was there!
It was as if the huge room was a realm that Shirley ruled, the shrine of a zealous devotee!
Just as Leia thought, Xavier loved Shirley-to him, Shirley would always be the one who got
away.
Even as her heart seemed to clench, Leia stopped at the doorway and turned away, closing
the door firmly behind her.
At the same time, sizzling could be heard from the kitchen-the crayfish was soon cooked,
and Xavier carried two tes full of crayfish. Five pounds were seasoned with pepper, while
the other five were seasoned with lemon, all served with tworge cans of beer.
“Come on, eat up!” He eximed cheerfully.
Leia took a deep breath,posing herself despite her disappointment, and walked up with
a smile, her eyes glowing as she stared at the red crayfish filling the tes to the brim,
Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.
steaming and sizzling.
“Goodness, it smells so good,” she gushed. “Be honest-your real profession is a chef, isn’t
it? Showbiz tycoon is just a side job.”
“You tter me. I actually just learned it,” Xavier smiled, passing her a pair of gloves before
remembering something and quickly saying, “Wait, weren’t you allergic to shrimp? Are you
sure you can eat this?”
“I’m just allergic to shrimp. Crayfish live in freshwater, so they’re not seafood. There are no
problems there,” Leia replied as she picked up a steaming crayfish still dripping with sauce,
peeling it and chomping down.” Mmmhmm. I can already tell this is fantastic from just one
bite!”
It would not lose out to crayfish cooked by Michelin chefs.
“Take your time. There’s plenty,’ Xavier said, watching her with a tender smile and quietly
peeling off the crayfish one after another, even skewering them for her.
Leia stared at the skewers he passed her, her eyes suddenly red, perhaps from the
spiciness of the pepper. “Be honest. Why are you being so nice to me?”
Xavier paused for a moment, a look of half-amusement showing in his eyes just then. “Is
that so wrong?’
“Yes, it’s absolutely wrong,” Leia shook her head, her eyes turning redder. “I will get serious,
even addicted. What would happen to me if you stopped being nice to me?”
“That won’t happen,” Xavier said, taking a sip of beer while watching her with tender
affection. “I will always be nice to you.”
“But your heart is like your room. You don’t clean it up…”
Leia finally gave in, turning to look at that very special room, and asked him, “Why would
you abandon her when you love her so much?”
If she remembered correctly, back at Quartz Ind, Shirley threatened him with suicide just
to make him stay with her.
Even as she teetered over the sea, he rejected her resolutely.
And that was something Leia struggled to understand.
Xavier’s gaze turned cool in turn, and he chugged the beer he was holding before he said
coolly, “Did no one tell you that it’s basic manners to not barge into someone’s room when
you visit their house?”
Leia’s heart was stung right then, and she took off her gloves as she rose to her feet. “I’m
sorry. I was out of line, though I’m used to pulling out before I get hurt. So this is it!”
She could not help giving the crayfish onest look as she did, resisting the urge to ask if he
could box it up for her.
And he would never know how hard he tried to stop himself from looking behind that door!
Seeing that she was determined to leave, Xavier took off his gloves as well and caught her
by the wrist. “What if I told you that I was hoping that you can clear my ‘room’?”