Chapter 32: Sweet as Sugar
Moana

The children all began to cheer once Edrick agreed to stay longer so that we could make cookies. I lifted my gaze from Clara to see the Alpha billionaire standing in front of me, but he wasn’t looking at me; he was looking at the children.

We all made our way down to the kitchen. I lingered at the back of the group, still in utter shock as I tried to wrap my head around Edrick’s sudden change in demeanor. Had the tour of the orphanage and seeing how disadvantaged children lived given him a bit of compassion?

Once we were in the kitchen, I put on an apron and started to get out the ingredients to make the cookies while the children watched hungrily, licking their lips in anticipation for the sweet taste of sugar in their mouths.

“Do you like to bake, Mr. Morgan?” Clara asked, standing on her tiptoes as she gripped the edge of the counter to see.

“No,” Edrick replied, avoiding eye contact with the little girl. “I don’t.”

“Not even cookies?”

“No, not even cookies,” Edrick said. Then, in a slightly lower voice: “I’ve never baked anything.”

The children erupted into gasps, causing me to stifle a laugh. “Here,” I said, grabbing an extra apron and tossing it to Edrick. “I’ll teach you.” Edrick caught the apron and gave me a puzzled look while the children exploded with a chorus of giggles.

“I think I’d just mess it up,” he replied. “You can do it.”

chest. “There will be no cookies if Mr. Morgan doesn’t help,” I said, to which all of the children began to protest loudly, some even going

was holding back a smile. He shrugged off his suit jacket and put the apron on, coming over to me. Without thinking, I reached out

of protest became even

Edrick, shaking my head as I felt my face get hot. Next, I showed Edrick which ingredients to pour into

into this bowl,” I said, “and the

entire army. Sophia took half of the children as a group, helping them to roll the dough into little balls and place them on the trays, while Edrick

have taken a liking to him, which

he rolled a ball

you have

“I do,” Edrick replied.

into a misshapen ball between her tiny hands, then slapped it down on the tray with an unprecedented amount of force for such a small girl. Then, she

to speak, but the words didn’t

Sophia interjected from across the room, “That’s an awfully

her shoulders and dug into the bowl of cookie dough

alright.” He bent down to Clara’s level and looked at her with unexpected honesty in his eyes. “My dad doesn’t always think that boys should do the

however they wanted and to try new things. I grew up not only baking and doing traditionally feminine things, but I also had all of the opportunities in the world to try traditionally masculine hobbies. I couldn’t imagine not being allowed to try those things just because of my gender, but it explained so much about Edrick’s personality… And it made me dislike

of the little boys, who was sneakily stuffing raw cookie dough in his mouth, suddenly spoke

Elliot!” I shouted, running after the little

evading me, and the children erupted into laughter again.

chocolate-covered faces. Sophia led Edrick and I to the door; we hadn’t realized it, but we had been there so long that the sun was already beginning to

lately — the government isn’t so generous with their money when

arm. Edrick fell silent and appeared to be

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255