Falling For My Ruthless Stepbrother

Kitchen Magic

The first night at home without our parents went smoothly, although at first, my little sister Emily was afraid of being alone and sleeping in a new house, where we'd only been for two days, and without Mom. I convinced her to sleep with me, and that's what we did.

I think I heard Ethan arrive around 3 - 4 in the morning. I saw him leave, but I'm not sure if he came back or if I just dreamed it.

At eight in the morning, I went to the kitchen to make breakfast, but I found a woman who had practically prepared a buffet. I opened my eyes and mouth in surprise, looking at the kitchen island full of pancakes, scrambled eggs, bread, fruit, cookies, orange juice, coffee, and some cold cuts, and my stomach growled.

"Good morning!" exclaimed a woman entering the kitchen through the back door.

"Good morning," I replied shyly. At no point was I told that there would be someone else with us, which reassured me a bit.

"I'm Lucia, I'm a chef, and I work at home on some days," she says with a friendly smile.

I think Lucia is in her 30s or around there. She looks young and exudes a very lovely energy. Her cheeks are a bit chubby, and I find it adorable the way she wears the chef uniform. Instead of the chef hat, she wears a headband with very large and colorful flowers. It's great.

"I'm Hilary, nice to meet you."

"Sit down and serve whatever you want," she says, passing me a large plate. My mouth waters and I take the plate, not stopping looking at all the preparations.

"I didn't know you were coming. I just woke up thinking I was going to cook for my sister and me," I say.

She lets out a small, delicate, and tender laugh. "I've improved your day, then."

"You did."

"I'm glad to hear that. And what do you want for lunch?" she asks, and I let out a small moan as I taste a small muffin that I now know is filled with Nutella.

"Oh my god, this is delicious," I say under my breath, licking my lower lip. "For lunch? Whatever you want! Surprise me; you've already won heaven with this delight."

Lucia continues with a smile on her lips; she seems very happy to see me so excited about her recipes, and they are delicious. I take a small bite of a pancake, and a piece of bread, and sip some orange juice. I also see there is a kind of yellow dough that wraps something.

"That's a Tamal; I'm from Colombia, and there it's a typical dish. It's very tasty," she says with excitement. The smell is delicious; it's on very large banana leaves, and she explains that they are wrapped in them and cooked, and the result is delicious.

"A tamal, a good cup of hot chocolate, and you have a very complete breakfast," she comments while starting to chop some vegetables. I take a small taste of the tamal and realize that, yes, it's equally delicious and somewhat strange— a dough, but inside it has different types of meats and chicken, a piece of egg, carrot, potato, and I don't know how many more things because many don't seem suitable for breakfast, but the combination of everything is wonderful.

"Wow, I thought I wouldn't like it, but I do," I confess, "it's delicious."

"I know, I'm going to make typical dishes for you to learn more about our gastronomy."

She tells me several important facts about her country while I listen attentively and eat my breakfast. My sister comes down half an hour later, and I introduce them. She is also amazed by the chocolate muffin, and both of us are big fans of it.

Lucia is a 32-year-old Colombian woman, married to an American for six years. They have a two-and-a-half-year-old baby and are planning to open their restaurant. Currently, she works as a personal chef for some families, saying that they pay well and it's a good way to gather money to start her place. I immediately supported her with the idea, knowing she would become wealthy by having her own Colombian food business. Besides, I've confirmed that she has an incredible touch because everything I've tried has delighted me.

An hour and a half later, Ethan comes down the stairs from the second floor without a shirt and wearing shorts. I turn my face immediately to avoid seeing him, remembering what he did yesterday afternoon, and a shiver runs down my spine.

"Uff, someone had a good party last night," Lucia says when he reaches the kitchen and drops into the chair on the island, right next to me.

"My head hurts horribly," he says with a raspy voice, holding his temples as if it were even possible for them to detach from his body.

Lucia opens the fridge and takes out a glass with a suspicious-looking liquid that makes me grimace in disgust. When she brings it closer to him, the smell reaches me.

"Ew, that's disgusting!"

"And you haven't even tasted it. It's horrible, but this concoction can revive even the dead," she says, laughing. "Right, E?"

He nods, covers his nose with his fingers, and quickly drinks the liquid, placing the glass on the table. He then brings his mouth close to my face, blowing air on me. His breath is dreadful, and I gag.

"Is it that bad?" I cover my face with my hands to block the smell.

"Go brush your teeth!" I ask him, disgusted and speaking nasally.

Ethan laughs, ignoring me, takes a cup, fills it with steaming coffee, takes small sips, and sighs.

"I don't know what you do, but thank you. Always being my savior."

I look at Lucia, who winks at me, pointing to Ethan. I shrug, not understanding what she's talking about. I continue eating fruit because it's very fresh and sweet.

***

“Do you fancy a swim in the pool, or are you scared?” Ethan asks my sister.

We’re still in the kitchen, for several reasons:

1. Talking to Lucia is great.

2. The smell of the kitchen is delicious.

3. We’re eating anything Lucia makes in the process.

“I don’t know how to swim,” my little sister says, pouting.

“Well, I can teach you,” he says confidently.

I furrow my brow, totally disagreeing with the idea of her going to the pool with him. I think he senses my gaze because Emily’s eyes meet mine directly, pleading that she wants to go swimming. The day is perfect for a good splash.

“Can I go, Hil?” she asks, clasping her hands together.

I bite my lower lip, thinking about the possibility of leaving my sister in the hands of an i***t to take care of her and teach her.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea…”

“Then come with us,” he says, “that way, you can keep an eye on her and make sure she’s okay.”

Panic embraces me because when my sister said she couldn’t swim, she must have mentioned that I couldn’t either. Neither of us has been good at that, and we didn’t have a pool at home to practice.

Ethan realizes my fear and smiles arrogantly.

“I can teach you too,” he says, smiling, “see these muscles?” he asks, turning his arm in a way that emphasizes his muscles more. I roll my eyes.

“I can hold any weight.”

“In the water, nothing weighs so much,” I say.

“Whatever the nerd says,” he rolls his eyes too, “Go change into your swimsuits, I’ll wait for you at the pool.”

Emily runs up the stairs, and I let out a small groan.

“Don’t you like Ethan?” Lucia asks me.

“Is it that obvious?” My smile is tense. I don’t want to go swimming, but I have a little sister who is quite insistent with what she wants. I’ve never been able to say no to her.

“Yes, a bit,” she says, blending something, “why do you hate him? He’s a good guy.”

I close my eyes, a little disappointed. Why does everyone say that?

Ethan is bad and ruthless; he hurt me a lot when I was little, until just a few months ago when the school year hadn’t ended yet, he was still mocking me.

Where is the good person everyone seems to mention?

“Maybe only I know the real Ethan, and no, he’s not a good person,” I say with a sad grimace, standing up from the seat to go to my room to put on the damn swimsuit.