Chapterio Gregory had most likely gone to see Natalie last night . Anathea remained calm as ever . It was just as well that she would also wouldn't need to hear his mean and hurtful words . Her mood Giving Natalie a slight nod , she replied , " Good morning . " have to think about how to deal with Gregory anymore . She proved significantly at the thought . Natalie was taken aback and shot her a strange , puzzled look . Anathen , however , simply went downstairs . Since she'd declared the night before that she wouldn't be cooling a new chef , Thomas Morgenstein , had been brought in to prepare breakfast for them . However , since he was new , he didn't know their preferences and could only make them a standard breakfast . " I don't want these ! " Xander kicked up a fuss . " I want the shrimpd zucchini oatmeal pancakes that Morn makes ! " " Uh " Thomas was somewhat at a loss . " W - What pancakes ? " Those pancakes were something Anathea had specially whipped up to coax Xander into having a balanced diet . Just a few days ago , he'd complained about getting tired of them and asked her to make something different . Yet now , he was throwing a fit , demanding them again . " Pl learn how to make them and prepare them for you tomorrow . How about that ? " Thomas coaxed patiently . " I don't care ! I want them now ! " Xander went as far as shedding a few tears . " Xander . " Gregory set down his tablet and glanced at him . Xander cowered slightly in fear under the pressure of Gregory's gaze . He sniffled his reddened nose pitifully and trudged up to Anathea . " Mom , can you make some for me ? " Anathea paused with her spoon in midair . Gregory shot her a sidelong glance . She'd never turned down Xander's requests before . No matter how difficult they were , she'd always done her best to fulfill them , all out of fear that he would get upset and cry . But now , she took another spoonful of oatmeal and ate it unhurriedly . Thomas had decent skills - the oatmeal was exceptionally thick and creamy . " Mom " Xander blinked as he whined . Anathea always gave in easily , especially when he wanted something from her . All it took was a few words from him , and she'd give the world to him . But this time, Anathea only told him gently , " Xander , you need to go to school today . You'll be late if we wait for the pancakes to be made . " Then , she brought the bowl of oatmeal Thomas had made and placed it in front of Xander . " Here . The oatmeal tastes good too . Have some . " At that , Xander began to pout . All of a sudden , he shouted angrily , " I don't want this ! " He flung out his hand , knocking the entire bowl over . The steaming contents of the bowl spilled onto Anathea's hand . She instantly drew in a sharp breath at the sudden pain and stared at him in shock Xander burst into tears as he'd also scalded himself after touching the bowl . " Xander ! " Natalie quickly stood up to check on Xander . " How is it ? Does it hurt ? " " Ow ! It hurts a lot ! " Xander wailed even louder and pointed at Anathea as he protested amidst sobs , " Mom is mean ! I don't want her to be my mom ! Can you get rid of her , Dad ? " Anathea felt a pang of pain deep down as she held her scalded ha +25 BONUS Noticing Xander's Incessant crying , Gregory's gate tumed frosty Try making another scene and are what happens " Xander quickly held back his tears and refrained from walling loudly . However , he still kept sobbing , looking utterly wronged . " Don't be so harsh on him , Greg . You're scaring him , " Natalle salil Gregory fell silent for a moment when he heard that . Then , he stepped forward and picked Xander up. He took on a gentler tone , but still , his words left no room for negotiation . " I'll send you to school first . Then , we can get the chef to make you whatever you want and send it over later . " Xander had always been afraid of Gregory , so he could only nod . " Okay , " Burying his head into Gregory's shoulder , he muttered , " Dad , let ' hurry up and go . I don't want to see Mom " Gregory said nothing and simply looked at Anathea . His gaze darked with dissatisfaction , as though she'd done something unforgivable by refusing Xander's request Anathea stood there wordlessly . The air grew tense . " Greg , I'm going to the company too . Let's go together . " Natalie spoke up , breaking up the tension in the air . It was only then that Gregory looked away from Anathea . He strode away with Xander in his arms , Natalie following close behind them . From a distance , they looked like a family of three heading out together . Only after their figures had disappeared did Anathea frown and quickly walk to the sink , running cold water over her scalded hand . " Mrs. Sinclair … " Thomas approached her respectfully . He looked quite young and somewhat familiar . Anathea suddenly recalled where she'd seen him before . " You're the chef from the Sinclair residence ? " She'd seen him before at a Sinclair family banquet . He'd stood out from among the group of older chef's due to his youth . " Yes " Thomas nodded before he continued , " Mr. Sinclair said that he needed a chef here , so Mrs. Sinclair Senior arranged for me to come . My name is Thomas Morgenstein . You can just call me Tom . " As he spoke , he pulled out a tube of salve and handed it to Anathea " You should apply some of this to the burn , or it might leave Anathea hesitated momentarily . Then , seeing the cautious look on his face , she gave him an amiable smile and took the salve from him . " Thank you . " The cooling sensation from the salve indeed soothed the burning pain . While Anathea applied the salve , Thomas silently cleaned up the mess on the table with a dejected look in his eyes . After all , every chef hoped that their food was enjoyed . Anathea , too , used to have such hopes in the past . She'd tried every possible way to whip up new dishes for Gregory and Xander , all in hopes that they'd give her some praise . he'd never Unfortunately , Xander was the only o yone who would occasionally give her some positive feedback . As for Gregory , given her any form of feedback at all . It was as though eating her food was just a routine - there was no value to it . When Anathea returned the tube of salve to Thomas , she said objectively , " The oatmeal you made was actually very good . " It was just that Xander was fussy with his food . " Really ? " Thomas ' eyes lit up at the affirmation . Chapter 10 +25 BONUS Anathea nodded . " It's just that you probably went a bit over the to with the cinnamon . It would be better if you cut down on it a Uttle Thank you for the advice , Mrs. Sinclair . I'll remember that . " Thomas nodded in all seriousness before he asked , " I need to make the shrimp and zucchini oatmeal pancakes and send them der for Mr. Xander later . Could you please teach me how to make them ? " Anathea hesitated briefly . But after a moment's thought , she thought that if she taught Thomas everything she knew , Xander wouldn't cling to her or throw tantrums anymore . " Sure . " She agreed readily and listed all of Gregory's and Xander's food preferences for Thomas . By the time he was done properly going through the Information and preparing lunch , it was almost 11:30 am . " Oh no , I need to send Mr. Xander the pancakes , but I haven't sentir . Sinclair his lunch either ! " Thomas appeared flustered . What made things worse was that Gregory's company and Xander's school weren't close . He wouldn't be able to make it in time to deliver both . Gregory hath a strong sense of punctuality , and Xander would throw a fit if he had to wait . Feeling stumped , Thomas looked to Anathea for help . " I'll send one of them for you ' She was partially to blame for the delay , after all . Besides , it just so happened that she had some errands to run . " Thank you , Mrs. Sinclair ! " Thomas thanked her profusely , " You're welcome . " Anathea had originally planned to deliver the pancakes to Xander , but then she recalled his earlier words about not wanting to see her . After giving things some thought , she drove to Sinclair Group Today's Bonus Offer