Mr billionaire's regret chasing his irresistible wife by Gabby Emmanuel

Secret crush

(REBECCA'S POV)

I showed up to work with a ready smile on my face, not for anything in particular -because the day was just as ordinary as any other. I moved through the motions of my role at the restaurant with efficient muscle memory for most of the day. "Who's taking the order for table eight?" Stephen asked as he poked his head into the kitchen.

He was looking brighter than the previous day when Arielle had a visitor. I could tell what upset him so much even though he'd rather we both pretended like that wasn't the reason.

"I am," I finally announced. "It will be ready in a second."

"Alright. We don't want our customers waiting on their orders for so long," he said with a nod before walking away.

I quickly prepared the order, a classic English meal, imagining the couple at the table celebrating something special-perhaps an anniversary or a first date.

"Hello guys," Arielle's voice chimed in as she entered the kitchen. My heart skipped at the sight of her. She looked a bit pale, and her eyes were slightly red. Had she been crying? But despite that, her spirit seemed undampened, and I couldn't help but smile back at her infectious energy.

"Hey, Becca," she nodded specially to me and I nearly bit my tongue from sheer nervousness.

Get a hold of yourself! I cautioned myself.

"Hey, Arielle," I managed to say eventually.

She smiled and headed to the sink to wash her hands before tying on her apron. My excitement bubbled up; I was about to witness the artistry of a culinary genius in action.

"Today I'll be sharing how to make this special Italian dish I learned during my time there. Of course, the recipe is modified with a little bit of the Arielle touch," she said with a wink.

As she began, the kitchen filled with the comforting aroma of heavy cream and vanilla as she heated it up. I watched in awe as she whisked the egg yolks and sugar, effortlessly combining them with the warm cream. Then she poured the mixture into delicate ramekins and set them in a water bath.

was her domain. I loved

time in the oven, she pulled out the custards, still slightly jiggly

for at least two hours or overnight, but I'm going to cheat today," she said with a

over each one and expertly caramelized it with a

She beamed, "Come

a perfect balance of rich vanilla flavor and sweetness. As I cracked through the caramel layer, the bittersweet taste mingled beautifully with the creamy custard beneath. It was nothing short of fantastic. Just as I was about to share my thoughts, that

Stephen m suddenly asked rhetorically, gushing with admiration like a high school teenager. No one had noticed him walk into the room for very obvious reasons (we all had our eyes glued on

words if I didn't think the same thing about Arielle-he only beat

the compliment and I instantly wished she'd

committed a murder

concurred

could tell he was hopelessly smitten. It explained why he was hurt that Arielle had received an exceptionally

That'd be all for today," she said and

Stephen sigh deeply in frustration beside me

move on from this crush," I teased, suppressing the urge to

talented, elegant, kind. She's perfect! Remember that customer issue I had? She swooped

like a

the supplier and sorted it out quicker than I could've imagined. She's my queen!" he said resolutely with that pink bubble in his eyes which literally

alright, I get

"No you don't understand..."

really do," I shrugged, "I used to have a crush on her, too,"

the manager gasped in

couple of memories flashed through my mind. "Yeah... but that was ages ago. I was just an assistant back then. Arielle was so strong and capable-it was hard to ignore. Well I may have ignored the fact that she had a husband at the time." "Well, I totally feel you Rebecca.

ex-husband," I joked

based on certain real-life people, if you catch my drift," I finished with a wink. "You don't say," Stephen's eyes lit up. "How many secrets do you have!