Overbearing CEO's Contract Love
Chapter 168: Parallel Lines

Chapter 168: Parallel Lines

The British chef’s hand paused mid-air, enveloped by Damien Sterling’s icy tone that seemed to sweep over every cell of his being.

The presence of the man before him exuded an intimidating aura, and as the chef met Damien’s lethal gaze, he stiffly extended his hands, "Alright, alright, I won’t taste it."

Only then did Damien retract his piercing look, proceeding to sample Emma Hart’s debut of an English breakfast with the utensils.

Damien carefully scrutinized a sandwich before him, pondering over it.

To Emma, his expression appeared disdainful—as if belittling the effort she put into preparing the meal. He neither allowed others a taste nor did he hide his annoying expression.

As Emma reached out to snatch the food from Damien’s grasp, he deftly avoided her, lifting the sandwich high, "What are you doing?"

"If you won’t eat, I’ll taste it myself."

"Why taste it? It was made for me," he dismissed Emma, slowly biting into the sandwich to savor it thoughtfully.

Emma couldn’t help but think how vain the man was, insisting the meal was made for him. Wasn’t it Damien who had coerced her into cooking, despite her reluctance?

Watching his lips move, Emma eagerly anticipated Damien’s verdict on her culinary creation, "Well?"

Immediately regretting her question, Emma knew well that compliments were not his forte.

"It’s passably edible," he replied tersely, before taking another bite.

Despite Emma observing a not-so-distressed look on his face, his lukewarm response irritated her. What did he mean by ’passably edible’? If he didn’t like it, he might as well spit it out!

Observing Damien, then looking at the remaining sandwiches, Emma reached for a piece to taste for herself. "Hmm, this is delicious."

As she savored another bite, Emma found his pickiness baffling.

She was proud of how tasty her first attempt turned out—how could such delightfulness be merely described as ’passably edible’? It was absolutely scrumptious!

Watching Emma relish in her own culinary creation, even Damien found himself captivated by her blissful demeanor.

How could she find such satisfaction in something so simple? Was it really that delicious?

Damien Sterling eyed Emma Hart’s expression as he took another bite of the sandwich, tasting it again.

Was there something off with his taste buds?

"Is it really that delicious?" he wondered aloud, perplexed.

Emma cast a glance at Damien before reaching out to snatch the sandwich from his hands, exclaiming, "If you’re not going to eat it, give it to me!"

Damien skillfully dodged backward, looking at the sandwich in his hands with a puzzled expression.

He took another bite, carefully savoring the taste.

Indeed, the flavor was just mediocre.

"You, come here," Damien called out to the British chef standing nearby.

The chef approached respectfully, "Have a taste," Damien insisted.

The chef looked at Damien, completely baffled and unsure of what to do next.

It seemed like it was this very man who had just told him not to taste it, wasn’t it?

Was it a language barrier, or had he misunderstood?

The chef, still confused, spread his hands in a gesture of uncertainty.

"Are you asking me to taste it?" the chef inquired.

Damien nodded in confirmation.

Emma Hart saw this as an opportunity to closely observe the British chef and carefully presented the plate.

After a cold remark from Damien about blindly admiring foreign cultures, he took the plate and slammed it onto the table with a thud.

The chef recoiled, once again looking at Damien with a lost expression.

"Eat!" Damien commanded sharply.

"Oh, Mr. Sterling, there’s no need to be so rude to our foreign friend," Emma chided gently.

She picked up a piece of the sandwich and offered it to the chef with a soft voice, "Please, could you give us your opinion on this?"

Damien watched Emma’s smiling face with annoyance. It seemed that apart from how she treated him, she was always gentle with everyone else.

Emma, catching a glimpse of Damien’s irritated look, knew all too well what he looked like when he was angry.

She couldn’t pinpoint when it started, but she had begun to find amusement in watching Damien in a state of vexation.

However, this was a risky game, given his unpredictable nature.

Savoring Emma Hart’s culinary creations, the British chef watched as Emma stood by, her face alight with anticipation.

Moments later, the chef extended a thumb in approval, "This tastes quite good!"

"Really?" Emma Hart asked, her excitement palpable.

The chef nodded affirmatively.

Emma turned, a triumphant look aimed at Damien Sterling, boasting, "See, even the professionals say I did a great job."

Damien Sterling was not about to concede defeat.

He critiqued Emma Hart’s sandwich with a discerning eye, "Firstly, the presentation leaves much to be desired—your edges are far from neat, verging on unsightly. Furthermore, you’ve overcooked the bacon, the onions are too pungent, and the tomato sauce lacks richness..."

Damien’s relentless and professional deconstruction made Emma’s sandwich seem worthless.

Even the British chef had to admire Damien Sterling’s exacting standards.

While he judged Emma’s English breakfast against a basic and beginner’s standard, Damien offered his critique from a pinnacle of culinary excellence.

The chef applauded beside them, "Mr. Sterling’s critique is indeed good!"

Emma glanced at the chef, irked by his quick change of opinion, likening him to a fickle fence-sitter.

Damien approached Emma, "So, you still need to strive for better."

"Why should I strive for anything if it’s edible? Why such high standards?" she retorted.

"Because I’ve always had high standards," Damien declared, standing tall and proud behind Emma, his presence seemingly overshadowing her.

"No!" Emma turned, nearly stumbling into Damien—why must he always stand so close?

She instinctively stepped back, "Mr. Sterling, you’ve chosen something not so high-standard."

"What?" he inquired.

Emma pointed at herself, "Me!"

Clearly, Emma was about to outmaneuver Damien again.

But Emma’s main point followed, "So Mr. Sterling, my presence only serves to lower your status. I’m truly not worthy of you."

Before she could continue, Damien interjected, "Then hold yourself to higher standards!"

"Mr. Sterling..."

"Silence!" Damien wasn’t interested in Emma’s argument that they were from different worlds, as she lamented they were like two parallel lines, never meant to intersect.

Damien, undeterred by Emma’s reasoning, simply declared, "Then starting tomorrow, I’ll step into your line," turning to gaze at Emma with an indescribable seriousness.