As mentioned earlier, Aiden had a talent for cooking. When buying groceries, he had already thought about what to make for dinner. After all, most of the people eating were foreigners, so the food had to suit their tastes.
Afterward, while preparing the pre-cooking steps, he also directed Roberta on how to cut the vegetables.
And facts proved that, though Roberta, used to hacking people, had no talent for cooking, she was decent at chopping vegetables. Very quickly, she cut all the ingredients into shapes that satisfied Aiden.
With her help, Aiden's dinner prep speed greatly increased. And watching the entire cooking process, Roberta would often space out from time to time, nobody knew what she was thinking.
When Aiden was stir-frying the last dish, Garcia and Ada, who had slept nearly the whole day, finally woke up. Of course, maybe they were just starving and awakened by the aroma of food.
"Smells so good!" Koko, the liveliest personality, currently only around twenty years old, was no different from a young girl. She walked to the dining table, picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork with her fingers, and stuffed it into her mouth.
"Mmm, delicious." Koko's eyes lit up instantly and she waved at Valmet, "Valmet, come try it! This is way better than the British-style Chinese food we ate in Europe."
Valmet, though retired from the military, still retained a soldier's discipline. She shook her head and said, "Koko, wait until he finishes cooking. Also, we should wait until everyone is seated."
But Koko couldn't suppress her urge to share. Seeing Valmet refuse, she turned her gaze to Garcia, who was already sitting in front of the TV watching anime, "Hey, little boy, how about you give it a try?"
"Aiden and Roberta haven't said it's time to eat yet." Garcia replied without even turning his head.
Koko could only pout, then looked toward Aiden, still busy in the kitchen.
"Truly a capable man." She muttered softly.
"What, interested in him?" At some point, Ada appeared behind her. Hearing the mutter, she asked.
"Of course." Koko nodded without hesitation. "Ada, can I have him join my team? He's such a good fighter and cook, truly a rare talent."
"He won't agree." Ada shook her head slightly.
"You sound certain." Koko looked at Ada, then held up one finger,"I can offer him a very high salary, starting with this amount, at least one hundred bills of one hundred-dollar Franklins every month."
"I'm not short on money." Aiden walked out holding the last dish. He had heard the conversation between Koko and Ada from the kitchen, including Koko's quiet murmur.
"Then what do you lack? Or what do you need? I can help you get it." Koko seemed really set on recruiting Aiden, waving her hand firmly to show her sincerity.
"My company is huge. It has everything." She added.
"I don't lack anything." Aiden smiled and shook his head, then said to Roberta still in the kitchen, "Miss Maid, prepare the utensils. It's time to eat."
"Okay." Roberta replied and came out carrying the bowls and chopsticks Aiden had especially bought.
As Roberta set the table, everyone followed and took their seats. But no one touched their utensils first, including Koko, who had snuck a bite earlier.
They all looked at Aiden.
"Before enjoying this rare feast, as the host, aren't you going to say something?" Koko said.
"Like thanking God or something? Should be like that, right?"
"I don't follow any religion." Aiden shook his head, then picked up his chopsticks and grabbed a piece of braised beef.
Of course, he didn't eat it himself. Instead, he placed it into the bowl of Ada, who sat beside him.
"Thanks." Ada smiled at Aiden and skillfully used chopsticks to put the beef into her mouth.
"Tastes great, Aiden." Ada said, and then also picked a piece of meat and placed it into Aiden's bowl.
"Ooooh!" Seeing this, Koko dragged out her voice in a teasing tone. Then, as if thinking of something, she glanced at Roberta across the table, then at Valmet beside her, and a faint sly smile appeared on her lips.
Since the host Aiden had started eating, no one held back anymore and began to dig in.
Koko, after just a few bites, ran over to the coffee table, grabbed some beers from underneath, and brought them over.
"Come on, let's drink a bit." Koko said while opening a can of beer, gulping down half in one go, then exhaling with satisfaction, "Ah, this is wonderful. After a big fight, you've got to celebrate with beer. Come on, cheers!"
After dinner, as both host and head chef, Aiden naturally didn't need to clean up. He went to watch anime with Garcia. The task of cleaning up was, as expected, taken on by Roberta.
However, Koko volunteered to help wash the dishes.
And Valmet, knowing Koko had never done housework due to her pampered upbringing, could only join in as well.
Then, Koko persuaded Ada to come into the kitchen too, and, more surprisingly, Ada actually agreed.
In the kitchen, four women stood side by side, washing dishes and tidying up while chatting. Of course, Roberta was only a listener and didn't join the conversation.
"Ada, Valmet, I've decided. I must get him into my team."
Koko said while scrubbing dishes with effort. It was her first time doing something like this, so she was actually kind of enthusiastic.
"He already said he wouldn't agree." Valmet was more efficient than Koko. As a soldier, she had been in kitchens often.
"That's because the appeal wasn't strong enough." Koko glanced at Ada, continuing, "If it's something he's interested in, I'm sure he'll agree."
"Then do you know what he's interested in?" Ada shook off water droplets from her hands and asked.
"Of course I do." Koko replied.
"Tell me, let me hear it." Ada looked at her.
But Koko shook her head and slightly curled her lips, "Sorry, this is the one thing I can't tell you."
Seeing the smile on Koko's face, Ada frowned. She had known Koko for a while now and understood that whenever she smiled like this, she was definitely up to no good. But she couldn't guess what Koko was planning, so she didn't ask further and left the kitchen.
Then, Koko and Valmet, having finished the dishes, also left.
Now, the only one left in the kitchen was Roberta, who was staring dazedly out the window at the moon, her expression dreamy.
———
Around 9 PM, the anime finally ended. Garcia, after all, was still a child. Though boys his age often had endless energy, the past few days had mentally exhausted him. Soon he got sleepy again, said goodnight to Aiden and the others, and crawled into his little bedroom.
Seeing the tightly closed door, Aiden let out a sigh of relief. Watching anime with a kid really wasn't easy, not just enduring childish plots, but more importantly, he couldn't smoke.
Lighting a cigarette comfortably, Aiden pressed the remote, casually flipping through channels.
But most of the channels were airing local news or entertainment programs, none of which interested him.
In the end, disappointed, he tossed the remote onto the table.
At this moment, Ada came out of the room wearing a red qipao.
"Walk with me?" Ada smiled charmingly at Aiden, whose face showed a flash of amazement.
"It would be an honor." Aiden agreed gladly.
He also considered changing clothes, but then remembered he wasn't into fashion. All his clothes were pretty much the same color. So he didn't bother changing and headed out with Ada.
Watching the two leave, the expressions on Koko's and Roberta's faces were completely different.
Koko was curious and excited. She wanted to drag Valmet along to spy, but after thinking it over, decided not to interrupt their moment.
As for Roberta, a flash of envy crossed her eyes. As a warrior, the only dress she had ever worn was the maid outfit she was wearing now. And up until now, she didn't even have spare clothes to change into.
'Maybe I should buy some new clothes tomorrow.' Roberta thought.
———
In truth, the battle last night hadn't completely destroyed Roanapur's entertainment industry.
Thanks to efforts from the Moscow Hotel, the Triads, and the few remaining gangs, some of the already-cleared streets had stores reopening.
So as Aiden and Ada strolled around, it didn't feel too desolate or cold.
"Come to think of it, it's been so long since I've gone shopping like this." Ada walked shoulder to shoulder with Aiden, looking at the stores on both sides of the street, speaking with some sentiment.
"Ever considered when to quit that job?" Aiden asked. "And become a normal person, living a regular life?"
"Not for now." Ada shook her head.
Then she added, "The one who trained me won't let me go so easily."
"I see." Aiden understood how deep the waters behind Ada ran and let out a soft sigh.
"Hey, is this the kind of thing we're talking about on a walk?" Hearing him sigh, Ada sounded dissatisfied. "Shouldn't you be a little happier when walking with me?"
"Of course I should be happier." Aiden quickly smiled, then took the initiative to hold Ada's hand.
That action immediately brought a blush to Ada's face. Even though she had kissed Aiden and hugged him before, those were all spur-of-the-moment. This kind of intimate hand-holding felt completely different.
Feeling the warmth of Aiden's palm, that unrealistic idea she once had back on the Raccoon City underground train floated back into her mind, "Should I just quit everything, change my name and identity, meet his parents, get a ring that's only mine, buy a house by the sea, and live a peaceful, ordinary life…'
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y