Filed to story: Dumped by Scumbag Adored by Billionaire
Although Jacqueline took away the soup, there was still quite a feast on the table. This was the royal palace and meals here were served up to six courses.
“You don’t want to eat?”Jacqueline asked when no one made a move,” If that’s the case, I wouldn’t mind moving into the next lesson of the day,” the delight on her face told them all she enjoyed their dilemma.
“Hey, ” Anabelle whispered, drawing their attention, “I got this, just watch me,” She told them.
Suddenly, Anabelle who had never been “significant” in their group became the center of attention as she showed them how to use the cutlery in the proper order.
“There are three sets of cutlery around your plate,” Anabelle made a demonstration using hers, “Forks will be positioned to the left of your plate (with salad forks furthest to the left and dinner forks closest to your plate), knives will be to the right of your plate, and spoons will be above your plate or to the right of the knives. Always work your way inwards with each dish. This means that the cutlery positioned farthest from your plate should be used for the first course,” she explained animatedly to them.
Meanwhile, a smile made its way across Julie’s features as he watched his girlfriend demonstrate. He always knew Anabelle was special and would find her place one day and she sure did.
“Good work,” Isabella said – that was as far as her thank you went.
“Thank you, Anabelle,”
“Me too,”
The twins picked up her actions very quickly as usual except Neon.
Since Anabelle was seated beside the young boy, she leaned towards him and said, “If you are still unsure of which utensils to use first, watch me or what others are doing and follow their lead,”
“Thank you, Anabelle,” Neon said, the smile beginning in his eyes, then touched his lips, and the little dimple that played at the corner of his mouth appeared, even dazzling Ailee who had been watching them.
At that moment, Ailee was utterly frozen in time. Neon’s eyes twinkled with humor and he was so cute – and so utterly unaware of his charm. It was as if the sun rays danced upon her face. Ailee was almost jealous that the smile was reserved for Anabelle – she wanted Neon to smile for her too.
Ailee hoped that Neon never leaves her, so she could stare at his smile forever. She had this sudden feeling to keep him hidden permanently, she didn’t want anyone else to see his smile – not even her brother, Allen, nor Isabella nor Anabelle. She only wanted that smile for herself.
At once the little girl shook the thought out of her head. What was she thinking? She didn’t even understand what she was thinking.
The smile on Neon’s face made Anabelle’s heart swell with joy. For the first time in her life, she had this feeling of satisfaction, like she had achieved something big. For the first time in her life, she was good at something Isabella couldn’t do. It was safe to say she found her niche.
Jacqueline smirked, maybe the children weren’t so hopeless after all. But then, the challenge has been issued and she would not go easy on them. At once, she clapped her hands and the maids from before walked in again, and took away the food they were about to dig into.
“What now? Didn’t we get it right?” Anabelle was frustrated. She was sure she had done it right and the others carefully followed her lead.
“Of course, you did right but a punishment for one is a punishment for all,” Jacqueline said, walking over to Julie’s side and they understood at once.
It was Julie who caused them to fail.
———
Bless this shameless author with your golden ticket ????
The third point of view:
“Huh?” Julie asked when he sensed everyone’s gaze on him, “Why are you all staring at me like that?” he, of course, didn’t know what he did wrong because he was busy staring at his impressive girlfriend.
Jacqueline placed her hand on his shoulder, squeezing the muscle there to make her point, “Hold your cutlery properly…” her gaze rested on his cutlery held in the wrong hands.
“Sorry,” Julie winced, embarrassed.
“Your fork should be in your left hand, with the tines facing down. Hold your knife with your right hand. Always use your fork to spear your food and lift it to your mouth, instead of your knife. When using a spoon, dip your spoon into the center of the bowl, then scoop the liquid by moving the spoon away from you toward the farthest side of the bowl. Bring the spoon to your mouth and sip from the spoon. How’s that for etiquette?” Jacqueline said confidently, almost posing amid her injured ankle.
“Wow,” Pedro couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration – he was almost close to clapping. He was so carried away by her composure that he leaned to his right, whispering?into Isabella’s ears, “Jacqueline might be a witch but I have to admit she’s pretty cool, right?”
At once, Isabella’s grip around the knife tightened while her eyes darkened, “Really?” her voice dripped with the venom he had failed to notice.
Pedro had turned around to look at the stunning Jacqueline when Isabella didn’t give him a quick reply. Suddenly he felt goosebumps on his back. It was almost as if a beast was breathing down on his neck and if he turned around, he would be swallowed alive immediately.
But then, Pedro couldn’t remain ignorant as well, so the poor boy turned to meet Isabella’s burning amber eyes. He gulped, a lump stuck in his throat. What has his mouth led him into?
“But no matter how cool she is, she can’t be cooler than you,” Pedro found himself saying immediately. He had started a fire and had to douse it became an inferno.
“You’re my best, Isabella,” Pedro gave her a thumb up and it wasn’t until a smile cross her face that he could finally relax.
Phew, that was close.
“Resume,” Jacqueline commanded them to continue eating once again.
However, this time, the kids were much smarter and careful (including Neon) making sure not to repeat their past mistakes. They lasted for about a minute and Fifty-six seconds before Jacqueline clapped her hands and a set of food vanished from the table.
Simultaneously, they all turned to her, waiting for her great judgment.
“Don’t reach across the table. If you can’t reach the bread basket or table seasoning, do not reach across the table to fetch it yourself. Instead, you should politely ask someone to pass it to you,”
They all turned to Pedro at once.
“Oops,” Pedro breathed. He was the one who failed them this time.
“Always pass items to the right, rather than the left, if you’re not passing a dish to a specific person,” Jacqueline rubbed his failure all over his face and tried to squeeze his shoulder as she had done to Julie but Isabella growled a warning to her at once.
Jacqueline’s hand hung awkwardly in the air while Isabella’s body was taut and ready for a fight. The girl was almost like a possessive alpha she-wolf and Jacqueline knew better than to piss one off.
“Resume,” the woman simply said to save her face. The kids had been looking at her, waiting antipatedly for something to happen. Unfortunately, she wasn’t that kind of person, she was well-groomed, elegant, and dignified. A bunch of wild kids would not make her lose calm. It was a promise.
As expected, the kids dug into their meal once again. They already knew this was a game to Jacqueline, survival of the fittest. However, instead of them getting eliminated, their food suffered the terrible fate. It was torture.
Unfortunately for them, they didn’t last this round. In fact, their spoon barely touched the omelet when miss devil aka Jacqueline clapped her hands and their food was snatched away as usual.
Jacqueline turned to Isabella, “Always taste the food before seasoning. Most chefs pride themselves on perfectly seasoning their dishes. As a result, it can be seen as a rude gesture to season your food before tasting it,”