C88 Cooking Lessons And Competition

Just as Alicia was about to explain the day's activities, Mary gently raised her hand. "Before you say anything else," Mary said with a warm smile, "there's something I want to do first."

Everyone turned their attention toward her. Mary stood up from her chair and walked over to a nearby cabinet. A moment later, she returned holding an elegant velvet jewelry box. She carefully opened it.

Inside rested a delicate pair of earrings and a beautifully crafted bracelet. The necklace and ring were missing because she and Quinton had agreed to save those gifts for another special occasion. Even so, the two pieces of jewelry inside the box were breathtaking. The silver shimmered brilliantly under the dining room lights, with tiny gemstones carefully embedded into each piece.

Alicia blinked twice in surprise. She pointed at herself. "Is... is this for me?" Mary smiled lovingly. "Yes, my child." "This is our way of saying thank you for the wonderful dinner you prepared for us."

The moment Mary mentioned the dinner, Quinton immediately nodded in agreement. "I've been wanting to ask you something for a while." He looked at Alicia curiously. "Were you ever a professional chef?" Alicia laughed softly. "No, Uncle Quinton." "Then how is your cooking so incredible?" He shook his head in amazement. "I've tasted food from many restaurants over the years, but your cooking was honestly among the best I've ever had." Mary smiled in agreement. "I couldn't stop thinking about that meal."

Across the table, David and Valeria exchanged surprised glances. David laughed. "So that's why Chris couldn't stop praising your cooking." Valeria nodded. "I thought he was simply exaggerating because he likes you." Mary quickly shook her head. "Oh no." "He wasn't exaggerating at all." "It's genuinely that delicious."

Hearing everyone praise her made Alicia feel a little embarrassed. She accepted the jewelry box with both hands. "Thank you very much." She was about to close the box when Mary gently stopped her. "Wait." "Let me help you wear them." Alicia smiled. "I'd love that."

She slowly removed the simple earrings she had been wearing that morning and placed them inside the box. As for bracelets, she rarely wore any, so her wrist was bare. Mary carefully fastened the elegant bracelet around Alicia's wrist before helping her put on the sparkling earrings. The jewelry suited her perfectly. Combined with her natural beauty and graceful smile, she looked even more elegant than before. Valeria couldn't help admiring her. No wonder everyone speaks so highly of this girl.

Alicia looked down at the bracelet before smiling brightly. "Thank you, Aunt Mary." Mary gently held her hand. "You deserve it." The atmosphere inside the dining room became even warmer. After everyone settled down again.

Alicia clapped her hands lightly. "Alright." "Time is moving quickly." "We have quite a few things planned for today." She reached for the shopping bags she had brought from the market and began taking out fresh vegetables, cream, berries and other ingredients.

She placed everything neatly on the dining table before looking toward Mary and Valeria. "I heard from Mike that both of you really enjoyed my cooking." Mary immediately nodded. "I certainly did." Alicia smiled. "So today..." "I've decided to share one of my recipes with both of you."

Mary's eyes lit up. "Really?" Alicia nodded. "I'll teach both of you how to prepare a delicious Cranachan Mille-Feuille." Valeria looked genuinely surprised. "My child..." "That isn't an easy recipe." She folded her arms thoughtfully. "The balance of sweetness is difficult to control. Some people like it sweeter, while others prefer a lighter flavor." Alicia simply smiled.

Before she could answer, Mary spoke excitedly. "She made it last Monday." "It was absolutely wonderful." She grabbed Alicia's hand. "Come on." "You have to teach me." Valeria looked between the two of them. Seeing Mary's excitement convinced her that the recipe was worth learning. She smiled. "Then I'll gladly become your student today." The three women laughed together before carrying the ingredients toward the kitchen.

Meanwhile, the two men remained seated in complete confusion. David quietly leaned toward Quinton. "I still don't understand why we were invited." Quinton nodded. "I was wondering the same thing."

As if hearing them, Alicia suddenly peeked out from the kitchen doorway. "Oh!" "I almost forgot about the two of you." Both men looked up immediately. "We're included too?" David asked with a laugh. "Of course." "I couldn't possibly let both of you spend the entire day doing nothing."

She walked back into the dining room, the two women followed her. She knelt beside her small suitcase. After opening it, she carefully removed two beautifully handcrafted wooden chess sets. The polished boards gleamed under the light, while every chess piece had been carved with incredible precision. Even before touching them, it was obvious they were expensive.

Mary and Valeria paused to admire them as well. Quinton's eyes widened. "Those are beautiful." David nodded in agreement. "I've never seen a handcrafted chess set like that." Alicia smiled mischievously. "I know both of you enjoy chess." "So while we're cooking, I thought we could organize a small competition."

The two men exchanged interested glances. "A competition?" Alicia nodded. "You'll play five matches." "I'll keep score." She pointed toward the chess sets. "The winner gets to choose whichever chess set he wants." "The runner-up will receive the remaining one." Quinton blinked. "Wait..." "You're giving these to us?"

Alicia nodded casually. "They're gifts." Quinton quickly shook his head. "No." "They're far too expensive." David agreed. "We can't simply accept something like this." Alicia smiled patiently. "They're not exactly free." Both men looked confused. She continued, "You'll earn them." "The winner wins through skill." "The loser still receives a runner-up prize."

She laughed softly. "Besides..." "My grandfather gave these to me because I enjoyed playing chess." "I've treasured them ever since." "I think it's finally time they belong to people who'll actually use them." The two men looked at one another before smiling gratefully. "Thank you." Alicia simply nodded. "You're welcome."

She then looked around the living room until she spotted a small whiteboard that Mike normally used for studying. She carried it over and placed it beside the coffee table. Taking a marker, she neatly wrote: Scoreboard Uncle Quinton vs Uncle David Below it, she drew five empty boxes to record the results of each game.

Finally, she carefully arranged the chess pieces in their proper starting positions. Every pawn, bishop, rook, knight, queen and king stood perfectly aligned. David smiled with admiration. "You really know chess." Alicia grinned. "I used to play quite often." She stepped back and dusted off her hands. "Everything is ready." "The first match begins now."

Quinton rolled up his sleeves dramatically. "I've been waiting for this." David laughed as he sat opposite him. "Don't celebrate too early." "I have no intention of losing." The two men shook hands before the first game officially began. Watching them become so focused almost instantly, Alicia couldn't help smiling.

Satisfied that everyone was occupied exactly as she had planned, they quietly returned to the kitchen. Behind them, the sound of chess pieces moving across the wooden board mixed with the cheerful laughter coming from the kitchen. Everything was unfolding exactly according to her mysterious plan.