Chapter 149 | Fixing The House
Mira was sitting in her wheelchair by the living room window, exactly where he had left her. Her head was tilted slightly toward the glass, her crimson eyes watching nothing in particular.
At the sound of his voice, she briefly glanced in his direction before closing her eyes again and returning to her own world without a single word.
Dexter shook his head slightly. ’Same as always.’
He walked further inside and found Lyra standing in the doorway of her room. Her AI smart glasses blinked slightly. The moment she saw him, her dark eyes brightened.
’You’re back.’
She said in his mind but she was looking at him with wide eyed and with an expectant gaze as her body leaned er body forward just a fraction, as though she were waiting for something.
Dexter understood what she meant but he simply smiled and said nothing.
He had indeed bought snacks of various varieties for her but he wasn’t going to give it to her just yet.
’Let her wait a little. It’ll make it sweeter.’
He turned away from Lyra’s hopeful stare and walked through the hallway toward the backyard to check up on Selene. He open the rear door, he found Selene.
Her silver-white hair hung loose over her shoulders as she sat on the swing cultivation with her palms on her laps and upwards.
She turned her head toward the sound and nodded slightly.
"Welcome back."
Dexter nodded. "Thanks."
before nodding once and heading back inside.
He walked to the storage room near the back of the house and began unloading everything he had purchased. One by one, he pulled each item from his spatial storage and arranged them neatly against the wall, cataloguing everything in his mind.
Then he got to work.
He started with the tiles.
The kitchen floor had several cracked and loose tiles that had been bothering him since the first day they moved in. He pried them up carefully, scraped away the old adhesive, and laid down fresh grout before pressing the new tiles into place one by one.
From the kitchen, he moved to the bathroom. The wall above the shower fixture had a section where the old tiles had completely fallen away, leaving an ugly patch of exposed concrete. He measured the gap, cut the replacement tiles to size, and fitted them snugly into the wall. He grouted the seams, wiped away the excess, and stepped back to inspect his work.
It was clean and looked professional.
Dexter wasn’t a trained contractor, but he was no stranger to manual labor. Growing up in the Ashford estate as little more than a servant, he had been forced to perform nearly every odd job imaginable. Serving food, washing floors, scrubbing dishes, mending fences, repairing roofs and yes, construction work.
Whenever something in the estate needed fixing, the Head Servants pocket the money to call professionals and give the job to the servants to fix instead.
Over the years, he had learned to work with his hands out of pure necessity and that experience had made him versatile. Tiling, painting, carpentry, basic plumbing — he could do all of it. Not perfectly, but well enough.
After finishing the bathroom, he moved on to the wallpaper. He carefully stripped the damaged sections, applied fresh adhesive, and pressed the new wallpaper flat against the walls, smoothing out every air bubble with a clean cloth. Then he moved to the bedroom and repeated the process.
Once the wallpaper was done, he opened the cans of paint. A soft, warm white for the kitchen to make the small space feel brighter. A light grey for the bathroom.
Slowly, the rooms began to transform, becoming neater and cleaner.
Just like that, two hours passed.
"Riiiiing!"
Dexter checked his phone.
[Alarm; Make lunch for ’Wives?’]
Dexter set down the paint roller and wiped his hands on a rag. It was time to make lunch.
He washed up in the backyard tap, changed into a clean shirt, and walked into the kitchen. Lyra was already there. She had followed him from the moment he entered the kitchen and now sat on a small stool near the counter, watching him with sharp, unblinking eyes.
Dexter glanced at her. "You’re going to watch me the entire time?"
She nodded without a shred of shame.
He sighed and pulled out the ingredients.
Today’s lunch was going to be special.
Fiend-Class meat was rich in mana and possessed a naturally savory, deeply complex flavor that ordinary beef or pork could never match.
Dexter seasoned the meat carefully, using a blend of herbs and spices then seared it in the Type-II Cooking Pot until the surface caramelized beautifully, then reduced the heat and let it simmer in its own juices alongside fresh vegetables and a portion of Diamond Rice.
The kitchen filled with an incredible aroma and the smell was so intense that even Mira, sitting in the living room with her eyes closed, unconsciously turned her head toward the kitchen.
Dexter plated the meals. Four bowls of steaming rice, each topped with thick slices of the seared Fiend-Class meat and a ladle of the rich cooking broth.
He paused, studying the food carefully.
[Grade 4 Meal]
He had expected the Fiend-Class meat to push the meal’s grade higher. Perhaps even to Grade Five. If it had reached Grade Five, then there might have been tribulation lightning.
But nothing happened.
Dexter blinked in mild disappointment, then simply shrugged.
’Grade Four is still excellent. I’ll try again another time.’
He carried the bowls to the dining table and called the girls.
They gathered quickly. Lyra was already in her seat before Dexter had finished setting the last bowl down.
Mira wheeled herself to the table with the help of her Spectral Arms, Selene walked in last.
Then they all ate in silence.
Lyra of course was intensely focused on her food.
Selene ate slowly but somehow consumed the meal quickly as her pale face has a tint of red in them.
And, Mira was also eating speedily despite the fact that she was using her spectral arm.
Dexter watched them from across the table, a quiet pride swelling in his chest. As a cook, there was no greater compliment than seeing someone lose themselves entirely in a meal he had prepared.
"I have something to tell you," Dexter said.
Mira eyed him while Selene tilted her head upwards and Lyra continued focusing on her food.
"I’ve arranged a business partnership with Tessa and her father," Dexter said. "They own the bakery on the corner. I’ll be preparing a few portions of my meals each day, and they’ll sell them at the bakery on a trial basis."
He paused.
"If it sells, great. If it doesn’t, then that’s it for my plan."
The room was quiet for a moment.
Then Lyra’s brows furrowed as she pouted.
’You want to cook for other people?’
Dexter smiled.
"Not particularly. I’m exchanging my services for money. Selling Enchanted Meals is a lucrative business, Lyra. And since I can cook, I decided to try it."
Lyra’s blinked her eyes as her deepened and she focused in her food but she was slower this time.
Mira, on the other hand spoke in her usual flat tone.
"Do what you want."
Selene nodded slowly. "That’s a nice idea, Dexter. I’m sure you’ll do well."
Dexter smiled. "Thank you, Selene."
The girls gradually dispersed after their meal.
But Lyra remained in the kitchen doorway, her arms crossed, her pout still firmly in place.
Dexter looked at her then, with a flick of his wrist, a bag of snack materialized in his hands.
Lyra’s eyes widened and the pout vanished instantly as her hands shot forward with speed.
Then she looked up at him, and for the briefest moment, a faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
’Thank you Dexter. Good luck on your business.’
Then she turned and hurried toward the living room couch, already tearing open the bag of chips before she even sat down.
Dexter watched her go, shaking his head with a quiet chuckle.
’That girl and her food.’
[A/N: Y’all continue to stun me with your gifts. I’m really grateful for the gifts, everyone. It’s a really great boost. Especially SKYLER_WILLIAMS. Many thanks! Will dedicate a few Chapters for each of you. Look forward to it!]