Chapter 406

Harrison's cousin, Teddy, was determined not to miss this golden opportunity to bring these two together.

Nathan stared at Teddy with an unreadable expression, completely speechless.

Marcus rolled his eyes dramatically, refusing to even glance in Teddy's direction.

Evelyn's lips twitched with amusement. "Mr. Blackwood, I see you've... adjusted your hiring standards?"

Nathan's inner circle consisted of nothing but the best in their respective fields.

Teddy, with his round physique, didn't seem to fit Nathan's usual preferences. By all accounts, he should've been eliminated during the first round of interviews.

Miracles do happen.

Nathan pressed his lips together, searching for an explanation, but Teddy beat him to it with a beaming smile.

"Ms. Sinclair, I got in through connections!"

Evelyn raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Whose?"

Teddy leaned in conspiratorially. "I'm Harrison's cousin. But shhh—don't tell anyone. The gossip would be unbearable!"

Evelyn couldn't help but laugh. "Your secret's safe with me."

So he's Harrison's relative? I never realized Nathan valued his assistant so highly... Interesting.

As Evelyn turned to leave, she suddenly remembered why she'd returned.

"My belongings—"

"All safely returned to their proper places! You'll find everything exactly as you left it."

Evelyn exhaled in relief, her expression softening noticeably.

Nathan observed her from the dining table, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

So she's not completely indifferent after all. At least she cared enough about those cosmetics to come back for them.

Evelyn caught his gaze and narrowed her eyes. "What's so funny?"

Despite his portly appearance, Teddy moved with surprising agility.

Within minutes, he'd arranged an assortment of light, flavorful dishes before Evelyn—each beautifully presented and perfectly balanced.

Evelyn sampled each dish and finished her soup with appreciation.

Nathan's eyes warmed as he watched her eat, his own appetite improving significantly.

Teddy swelled with pride. All those grueling culinary courses and nearly bankrupting his mentor's restaurant through "quality testing" had finally paid off.

As the two ate in comfortable silence, Teddy launched into his flattery campaign.

"Mr. Blackwood is truly remarkable. Working through illness shows incredible dedication—a quality we should all aspire to emulate. Don't you agree, Ms. Sinclair?"

Evelyn, caught off guard, glanced up at Nathan across the table. "Absolutely."

Nathan, who'd been enjoying his meal, nearly choked. His expression darkened immediately. I was about to make his position permanent for his cooking skills, but this idiot is testing my patience!

"Men like Mr. Blackwood are rare these days. Most crumble under pressure, but not our Mr. Blackwood! He leads by example—a true paragon of masculinity!"

A violent coughing fit erupted from the kitchen—Marcus apparently drowning on water.

Teddy rushed to his aid. "Marcus! Are you alright?"

"No."

"Here, have some water!"

Teddy thrust a glass at him, but Marcus waved it away fearfully.

At the table, Evelyn smirked at Nathan. "Paragon of masculinity, hmm? Quite the title."

Nathan closed his eyes, radiating mortification and icy displeasure.

Evelyn stood with an amused smile, heading upstairs while thinking, This chubby charmer is something else. What an outrageous brown-noser.

"Ms. Sinclair, wait! I haven't finished! If you're looking for a man, you should—"

"Enough!" Nathan finally snapped.