☆*✿THIRTY-SEVEN (37)❀*★

74 11 22
                                    

♪♪And you've given me the best gift

That I've ever known

You give me purpose

Yeah, you've given me purpose. ♪♪

ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ [Purpose] - [Justin Bieber]

══════ ✿❁︾❁✿ ══════

"Is this what happens in my kitchen when I'm not around?" Persephone's voice, low and direct with precision, rang out in the kitchen.

Kian and Esmé froze momentarily and slowly swivelled to her.

Persephone stayed silent with her eyes, sharp as a sword, pierced through them briefly before flickering to the mess of flour on the floor, her posture rigid.

"Per ... Persephone!" Esmé shrieked.

It took a minute for things to dawn on her. She spun to the mess they created, a far-reaching difference to the spotless way it had been a couple of minutes before then.

She turned back to Persephone with urgency surging in her eyes. "It's not what it looks like," she said but cringed at her choice of words.

Without missing a beat, Persephone's brows arched upwards, tilting her head to the side. "Really?"

A minor snort escaped Kian's lips, and both females sent him stern gazes. He cleared his throat to hide his amusement, letting Esmé refocus on Persephone.

"Yes, a little miscalculated incident occurred, and that's why the kitchen looks like a mess. It was never our ... my intention to make a mess out of it," she explained.

Persephone gave her a narrowed look, though mischief flickered in her eyes for a moment. "I see, and when do you intend to clean up this minor incident?"

"Right this minute."

Kian's lips rose as laughter threatened to spill at her spontaneous reply, but it died instantly once Persephone's stern gaze fixated on him. "Mother." He stayed still, bent his head halfway, expecting a stern remark, but she just scoffed and turned around, leaving the duo to their cleaning business.

They held on unmoving ─ holding their breath ─ waiting for her to turn around, till they heard the click of Persephone's office door. Kian turned to Esmé and he couldn't help but laugh. "Priceless."

His laughter filled with warmth and life showed how much more relaxed and amiable he was. Though she didn't find the situation funny, her spirits lightened, tugging the corners of her lips up into a full smile.

"It's not funny, you know? She might fire me."

Kian scoffed. "Not a chance. She likes you a little too much to do that."

"Yeah? And you don't like that very much, do you?"

"I do. Like it. Very much."

The words were out before he could stop them, but for whatever reason, even though a stomach knot tightened far beyond what should have been possible at the silence that grazed the room, he wasn't about to take those words back.

Esmé couldn't help the silly grin plastered onto her lips. Her pulse skipped a tune, but she didn't care at that moment for a relaxed smile to match hers crossed his face.

Warmth swirled around them from outside to within.

"I'm glad you do," she said, "because if I lose my job, it's on you."

"Anytime."

Whatever control she had on her lips snapped as it curled further up, and she was certain she looked like a Cheshire cat.

Her Home, His Heart | ✓Where stories live. Discover now