CHAPTER 103: CHAPTER 103 AN HONEYMOON VACATION II

The villa had a grand floor at the top, and covering all the windows were transparent glass panes that looked elegant and expensive. First, they entered through the see-through door, which was also glass. Everything seemed normal at first.

"Good thing the villa hasn’t been burned down," Draven commented, already impressed that Alex’s cooking wasn’t showing any bad effects, and Daniel couldn’t agree more. For them not to perceive any burnt smell, it meant Alex was probably doing fine.

"This might actually be a nice surprise. Imagine Alexander rubbing it in our faces that he can cook—I’d just laugh out loud," Daniel exclaimed, still trying to locate the kitchen, which Xyle pointed out was to the left on the lower floor, not at the top.

Just as they were about to move in that direction, a smell hit them—something burning. More like roasted flesh, if Daniel wasn’t wrong.

"Is Alexander roasting meat?" Draven asked curiously. Xylander nudged his nose only to get attacked by the strong stench before it shifted from that to something crisp and burning.

Eyes widening like saucers, the three ran so fast and dashed to the kitchen with insane speed. When they arrived at the doorway, Daniel’s stunned eyes couldn’t even process what he saw.

All the pots and utensils were on the floor. Eggs—both shells and yolk—were broken into the pan, and he had actually fried them. He fucking fried them.

Milk was splattered all over the table and walls—how it got to the wall still remains a mystery. And if it was supposed to be scrambled eggs, what the heck was he even using milk for? To bake the bread? Because they already bought bread.

Alex himself was covered with oil, flour, and spices from the so-called food he was cooking. If they were already traumatized, what further amplified it was the grapes—squashed so much that if it were human, it’d be begging for mercy. The juice was all over his body and the floor. It was pure disaster.

Daniel didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. And the crisp smell? It was from a piece of paper Alex had been using to bring down the pot from the cooker to avoid burning his hands—but while doing that, he was still holding the paper cluelessly, unaware it had caught fire and was about to burn him.

Draven rushed in, snatched the burning paper, and threw it into a bin before it caused more damage. At that moment, Alexander’s head whipped up, and he saw the three guys gawking at him in horror.

"This is what happens when a man enters your kitchen," Xylander whispered softly to Daniel, who just gulped, visibly traumatized.

Okay, maybe it wasn’t all bad—just the eggs. The rest were just... there. But then Daniel saw the small containers at the edge of the table where Alex had been cooking and instantly froze. That was clearly a container of sugar and a jar of refined oil.

"Please tell me Alex didn’t replace salt with sugar, did he?" Daniel was on the verge of losing his mind. Even his hunger died on the spot.

"Bon appétit, sweetie..." Draven muttered, bringing a plate forward—and inside it were the eggs. Burnt to a crisp, like a hardened nutshell. The shell and yolk were mixed, making it look so disgustingly wrong.

Yuck!! Yuck!! Take it away from me! Daniel almost ran off but instead hid behind Xyle to avoid seeing more abominable things Alexander had made. Even at that, Alex didn’t pay attention to their reactions—too excited over his first "meal," which was a walking tragedy.

"How do you see the scrambled eggs?" Alex asked eagerly, his eyes lighting up with anticipation. Clearly, it was his first time doing this.

Was that supposed to be a question? It was a fucked-up situation and a mess. Daniel judged silently, swearing that even if the world was ending, that wasn’t entering his mouth. Never.

Draven sighed. He didn’t want to hurt the poor guy’s feelings, so he tried to eat. Believe him, he tried—he cut out a piece slowly and brought it to his mouth.

Daniel and Xylander both dropped their jaws, counting the seconds for Draven’s sake and praying he wouldn’t collapse right there. The "scrambled eggs" looked like a sacrificial offering to the ancestors.

Maybe the juice would be better?

Daniel sighed. He’d just have to deceive Alex into believing it tasted good; maybe the grape juice could save it. So he watched Draven closely as he dropped the content into his mouth.

For a long minute, Draven didn’t move or blink. He just stood there like a horror doll—unblinking, frozen like a mannequin. It was like watching Annabelle because that reaction right there was straight-up possessed.

Xylander started to panic.

"Could it be possible Alex’s cooking killed him?" he whispered, about to freak out, when Draven suddenly twitched his eyes and forced a smile—so stiff it looked like it might crack off his face.

"Alexander, what a stupendous chef you are—oh God, it’s so delicious, one of the best I’ve ever tasted in my life," Draven praised, lips still forming that cracked, eerie smile that could’ve fallen apart any second.

Alexander sighed in relief and beamed proudly, plating more of the gross eggs as if someone would actually eat them.

Daniel stood there, appalled that Draven even praised his cooking.

"Or is this that saying, ’Don’t judge a book by its cover?’" Daniel muttered, watching the overly excited Alex dish out more portions, hyped up thanks to Draven’s fake compliment.

When Alex got distracted, Draven ran to a corner, bent down at the sink, and started throwing up—heavily—pouring everything out until he felt empty.

Xylander rushed to help, but Draven couldn’t even stand as he kept vomiting until he was completely cleared out.

"Boys, that is a freaking disaster. Don’t eat that unless you want to purge all day. It’s beyond bad—terrible," Draven groaned, grimacing, irritated that he was the test subject for that torture.

Daniel giggled. He knew something that looked like that couldn’t be edible, and Draven’s expression while chewing it was priceless—like he’d just munched on garbage.

"But it’s unbelievable that you both can’t cook. What were you trained to do?" Daniel asked, disbelief written all over his face as he stared at Xylander, who just shrugged.

"Cooking was none of my business. That’s what maids are for, so I never cared," Xylander smirked, silently vowing never to taste that hellish meal. He wouldn’t die before his time or get sent to heaven early.

"Will any of you tell him, or should I?" Daniel was ready to crush Alex’s fleeting ego, which was already rising, thinking that the mess he made was somehow delicious.

"No, please, just let him..." Xylander pleaded, same with Draven, and they all sighed.

"Okay, have it your way. But I’m not entering that kitchen again. The sight of it reminds me of hell, and I’m here for vacation, not torture," Daniel declared. So much for craving a home-cooked meal. Guess they’d have to order online.

While Xylander and Draven were debating whether to join Daniel, who had already sneaked away, Alexander suddenly appeared with the plates.

"Back, bitches! Time to get a real taste of heaven!" Alex grinned wide, and the two men opposite him forced smiles in return.

"Wow, so excited, Alex, but my stomach’s full—I have to go!" Draven said quickly, and before Alex could reply, he bolted, running for his life.

That left poor Xylander alone with him.

"C’mon, Xyle, join me! Then we can bring some for Daniel in his room—poor guy must be tired from the journey," Alex reasoned, and Xylander just nodded, faking a smile.

God help him escape this trap. As kind as he was, he couldn’t just leave Alex alone, so he followed him into the kitchen—and the real nightmare began again as they started cleaning up the mess.

"Heavens, this is supposed to be a vacation, not a punishment," Xylander muttered, twisting his face in disgust as he began washing the dishes piled in the sink.