As their conversation flowed, an unexpected burning smell wafted through the kitchen.


    Matilda gasped, “Oh no! My stir-fried shrimp!”


    In a flurry, she shoved Jacob aside, her cheeks flushed as she dashed to the stove. Peering into the pan, she cried out, “It’s toote! It’s all burnt!”


    “Quick! Turn off the burner!” Jacob urged. “Otherwise, it’ll char even more!”<fn843b> This content belongs to Find★Novel</fn843b>


    With urgency, Matilda switched off the gas. By now, the shrimp was utterly ruined. She sighed in despair, “This is all your fault! That was my signature dish, and now it’spletely ruined…”<h3 style="background-color:DodgerBlue">


    Feeling guilty and awkward, Jacob quickly suggested, “How about I run out and grab you another bag of shrimp?”


    Meanwhile, Charlie and Paul, who were sipping tea outside, caught a whiff of the burning odor. Charlie instinctively asked, “Do you think they’ve burnt something?”


    Paul frowned and replied, “My mom is a skilled cook. I doubt she’d let something like that happen…”


    Standing up, Charlie said, “Paul, stay here and rx. I’ll check on them, just in case.”


    “I’ming with you!” Paul insisted, eager to help.


    Before Paul could rise, Charlie gently ced a hand on his arm, smiling as he said, “Please, just enjoy your tea. I’ll handle this alone.”


    As Charlie walked toward the kitchen, he pondered if Paul’s mother and his father-inw were engaged in something inappropriate while cooking. If they were, it would be quite embarrassing for Paul to walk in unexpectedly.


    For Charlie, however, it was a different story. He had no blood ties to either Paul’s mother or his father-inw, which meant he could simply enjoy the spectacle.


    Oblivious to Charlie’s thoughts, Paul let him go ahead and enter the kitchen alone.


    Upon reaching the kitchen, Charlie opened the door and peeked inside.


    To his surprise, he found the two of them busy cleaning up the charred remnants of the dish. They were dressed neatly, showing no signs of any mischief. Charlie felt a twinge of disappointment.


    His hopes of witnessing an amusing scene were dashed.


    Yet, he couldn’t help but notice that both his father-inw and Matilda had flushed faces, suggesting they might have just shared a moment of intimacy.


    Feigning shock, Charlie asked, “Dad! Aunt Matilda, did you burn something? Are you both okay?”


    Jacob quickly responded, “We’re fine! Nothing to worry about. We just identally burnt a dish, and we’re sorting it out now.”


    Charlie couldn’t help but think it was unlikely for a dish to burn with two people watching over it, leading him to suspect there was more to the story.


    Feeling a twinge of guilt, Jacob suggested, “Charlie, why don’t you go back outside and enjoy your tea with Paul? Aunt Matilda and I can manage this ourselves…”