Warning: Mean Princess

Episode 10: Cooking with Mr. Sheperds

"Travis!" I yell his name when he just walks away from me leaving me at their door after I said Hi to him.

I fling my arms, pouting my lips and half run towards the direction he's walking.

"Wait!" I call again and almost decided to really run after him but with my heels and the marble floor, I better be wise and stop whatever I'm planning.

Crossing my arms on my chest, I slow down and look around the huge receiving area.  The silence is giving me goosebumps. Unlike our house that has a highly modern mediterranean feels, the Sheperd's mansion is an old rich architecture. Their long winding staircase screams antique and old money. The moment you step into their house, the one thing that will catch your attention is the floor to ceiling wall of bookshelves that are actually full of hardbound books. I look at the ones that are accessible to me as I trudge myself towards the direction where Travis went.

"Ancient China...Mandate of Heaven...Ancient Greece...History of the World Conqueror..." I read the titles of the books absentmindedly, fingertips grazing the rough canvass covers, "The Story of Mankind...The Outline of History..."

"Damn, this is a library!" I exclaim under my breath. I haven't really had a chance to check their house from the past for the few times my family visited the couple. It didn't interest me. The traditional heavily polished Bubinga woods, the almost haunting designs of intricate Bocote furnitures are not my cup of tea until I learned how much each piece costs. Looking around the Sheperds' living area, it'll value for a few million now. And it's just one room out of many. They're rich and it shows.

My eyes catch a very old but in pristine condition pendulum clock, 6:20.

Edward told me in the phone that he will be in the university until 9pm for a lecture and his wife has a surgery at 10. But he already talked to Travis about the favor I asked him. And he said it's settled.

I scoff. Settled? He just looked at me from head to toe and shook his head when he opened their main door for me. His expression was anything but accommodating.

I smirk, "Let's see who's gonna win, Travis Sheperds."

After a walk in a long hallway and reading a handful of book titles, I scrunch my nose when I catch a whiff of a tangy aroma. Following the scent, I am led to a kitchen. It is smaller than I expected considering the size of the historic mansion but like the living area, fully polished antique woods are dominant and are shining in grandeur.

Travis is standing between the kitchen island and the gas range. Glancing at the countertop, I start to recite in my head the ingredients spread all over it.

Rice noodle, chicken, peanuts, cilantro,tamarind, lime, fish sauceー

I click my tongue, "Chicken Pad Thai," By just looking at the messy pile of ingredients and the Thai markings on the small bottle of cayenne powder, I know he's trying to cook Thailand's famous dish.

He gapes at me, "Oh, you actually know something,"

I roll my eyes ignoring his mockery. Sliding on the chair in front of him, I pick up the cilantro and smell its aroma.

The citrusy scent of this Chinese parsley has somewhat given me a soothing effect since I was young, "I was once bored and all I did was stay in the kitchen and pester our chef." That's why I was obese, but I'm not going to give him that information. Not ever.