Chapter 154 Never Live for Anyone Else
Olivia pointed at the stir-fried tomato with scrambled eggs. “Mr. Nolan, please try this one. This one tasted fine. I know because I’ve tried some.” Instead of saying delicious, she used the word ‘fine’ because she didn’t expect the food to be tasty to them. In the meantime, Eugene only kept a straight face and ate some of the scrambled eggs while Olivia watched. “How does it taste?” she asked.
“Not bad.” Eugene nodded. “It’s pretty good, actually. How come you said you’re bad at cooking? Your dishes are fine.” Nevertheless, North meanly disclosed his mother’s secret and said, “Egg fried rice and stir-fried tomato with scrambled eggs are my mom’s specialty. If we don’t order takeout, Mom will usually prepare either pasta, stir-fried tomato with scrambled eggs, or egg fried rice.” Upon hearing her son, Olivia looked askance at him and replied, “Well, these three dishes are what keeps you fed most of the time. Aren’t you tall and handsome now anyway?”
“Let’s just say I have better genes than you do,” North blurted out, rendering Olivia speechless. However, Eugene was amused upon hearing that. That’s right! Olivia and her son both share the perfect gene.
“Come to my place next time, North. All you have to do is just tell me what your craving is, and your Uncle Eugene will make it for you.” Nonetheless, Olivia replied in a defensive manner, “No thanks, we’ll be fine with the stores around here. It’s pretty convenient actually.”
At the same time, Eugene seemingly also noticed that Olivia was afraid of staying in touch with him, thus he comforted the lady and said, “It’s alright. I just want to thank North for doing me such a huge favor. You both could visit me anytime, and I’ll promise to make anything you crave for.”
While Olivia only treated those words as pleasantry, North shifted his eyes to his mother with excitement and happiness.
“In that case, let me thank you with a toast, Mr. Nolan. You’ve helped me so much, like the time we were in the hotel and the accident I was caught in. Honestly, I don’t know how I can thank you. So, please let me know if there is anything I can help with in the future.”
Eugene raised his glass and said, “Don’t worry about that. It’s the least I could do. If you’re keeping scores, I’m going to have to thank you for saving my grandpa. Moreover, considering the huge favor North just did me, we can go on and on forever.” In response, Olivia smiled embarrassedly and replied, “Alright then, maybe we should cut the pleasantries and be ourselves then. Come, let’s drink!” While gazing at her, Eugene chugged the wine in his glass whereupon he suddenly recalled Olivia’s glacial look in the hotel that day. Feeling sentimental, he said, “That’s right! That’s how you do it. Smile more, and never live your life for anyone else.”
Eugene’s words put a smile on Olivia’s face. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m feeling a lot better now as I no longer value people’s opinions before mine.”
“Exactly. If you can’t get along with anyone, it’s not necessarily your problem. In fact, you’re outstanding and exceptional to me, so you don’t have to give two hoots about what people think of you,” Eugene answered.
Olivia responded with a chuckle. “Yeah. By the way, would you like to try this fish, Mr. Nolan? I haven’t tried it, but it looks pretty good.” Eugene replied, “Sure.” Since the first dish he tried was acceptable, he didn’t think much before taking a bite of the meat. However, as soon as he put the flesh into his mouth, he sensed a weird taste that he wasn’t able to describe. Concerned with Olivia’s feelings, Eugene swallowed it anyway and gritted his teeth while saying, “I-It’s not bad!”
Olivia asked in surprise, “Really? Let me try some.” Then, she scooped some of the fish and put it into her mouth. “Why does it taste so funny?” However, Eugene chuckled embarrassedly and said, “It’s fine. It’s just that every cook prepares it in a different way, so I guess I’ll get used to it soon.” Meanwhile, Olivia stared at the fish doubtfully, wondering why the recipe that Kate gave her didn’t work.
