Derek knew Owen had handled Arla’s divorce, but hadn’t realded he lived next door. Suddenly, a thought struck him. “Can i buy your wanted to be Aria’s neighbor,
Owen’s voice was calm. “I’ve lived here for years, but the ant upstairs is vacant–you could buy that one.”
“That works.” Derek did a quick mental check of his savings, then caught up, “Wait, why are you here to see Ari?”
“For dinner,” Owen replied.
“Huh?” Derek was baffled. Then a strange look crossed his face. “Owen, are you after Aria?”
Owen was good–looking–he’d admit that but Derek wasn’t sure about the rest.
Owen smiled faintly, “No”
Derek stared.
“Really? What a wi
La waste.” He thought Owen must have no taste
Owen explained, “I’m working on my cooking skills. She helps me taste–test. Want to join us? I made four dishes and a soup, more than enough for three.”
Derok’s eyes lit up. “Can 1 come over otten
“Of course
“Great! Wait here- go get Aria”
By the time he’d finished the sentence, Owen had gone from “Mr. Shaw” to “Owen”
Owen couldn’t help but feel he’d been bought off rather easily.
A minute later, Aria appeared. “I already ordered from Amour Bistro,”
Owen always invited her for dinner, but she’d started going less and less. Still she never missed his messages.
Owen said, “I haven’t had Amour Bistro in a while. Let’s eat together.”
Derek thought, “Wait, isn’t Owen learning to cook at Amour Bistro? That’s suspicious
He couldn’t help pulling a funny face. “Sounds good–I can eat a ton.”
When the food arrived, Derek immediately made himself at home, pulling out chairs for everyone and tearing open the packaging.
He tried a bite of Owen’s stir–fried beef and gave a big thumbs up. “Owen, this is delicious”
“Thank you,” Owen replied.
There was beef from Amour Bistro as well, and it fasted almost identical to Owen’s
Derek tried a bite, then paused, puzzled. “Wait, why do these taste exactly the same? Did Owen secretly order from the band pass it off as his w cooking”
Aria noticed his confusion and explained, “Owen learned from the chef at Amour Bistro. That’s why the taste is so close.
“Ohhh, got it,” Derek said, rolloved
1/2
10:46 ATHU, S’JU G.
Chapter 183
At Mandino University, Hannah was teaching a class. As the peiled was ending, a student raised her hand. “Hiss Gibson, the interna
a proteovirus inhibitor all by yourself–outshining Aria’s entire twenty three person team, Is it true?”
Hannah blushed, lips curving into a modest smile. “That’s a bit exaggerated–consulted a lot of experts.”
It was an indirect admission. She really had developed the inhibitor
Another female student asked, “Miss Gibson, aren’t you in pharmaceutical analysis? How do you know so much about herbal medicat
“Traditional medicine is a passion of mine. Since childhood, I apprenticed with an old doctor.
Another student pressed, “Miss Gibson, 1 heard Aria cured several women’s facial allergies. Since you’re better than her, could you write me a prescription? I’ll pay. I’ve been so stressed and anxious lately, I can’t sleep, and my face keeps breaking out.”
Hannah replied, “That’s simple. You just…”
But the bell rang, cutting her ofl. She smiled, “Time’s up–don’t want to keep everyone. I’ll answer your question tomorrow
“Okay!”
“Bye, Miss Gibson.”
Just as Hannah turned to leave, Amelia burst in,
Invoice
ringing through the classroom.
She said,
id, “You little witch! What did you say to my son to make him spread rumors about Arla online?”
The entire class
swas stunned by the outburst.
D
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