Chapter 48 - Piece of Nirvana (1/2)
One by one, the four-course lunch rolled out and was served tableside by the head royal chef and his team making the entire meal service feel like an afternoon affair.
It started with a hot and sour soup made with bean curd, black mushrooms, bamboo shoots and of course chili and vinegar, warming up the ladies' stomach for the smorgasbord that awaits.
After taking a sip of their soup, the ladies were served with a wide array of bite-size appetizers and a small portion of entrée before they got to the main star of the meal: the Peking duck.
The royal chef gave the ladies a courteous nod before he started carving the Peking duck expertly. The Peking duck had a shining mahogony color which glistened under the light, making the ladies' mouth water as they imagined how juicy and tender the meat would be in their mouths.
Crunchy and crackling sound reverberated in the restaurant as the royal chef looked like a maestro in a concerto every time he sliced the duck's skin.
He handed out thinly sliced strips of meat to the rest of his staff and the meal concerto went about as the royal kitchen staff plated the food on a white round plate in sync and coordinated movements.
The four ladies watched as the royal chef dabbed the slice of duck meat with sauce before rolling it on a pancake together with a stalk of scallion and julienned cuc.u.mber.
Once it was rolled up, the chef sliced it into half and made it stand on the plate, looking like a tower. Then he garnished it with colorful edible flowers before serving the first plate to Olivia.
All the ladies were impressed at how the plate looked like an exquisite work of art that one would do a double take on what to do first: eat it because it looks enticing or take a photo of the food because it looked divine.
The roasted smell of the duck tickled their noses, giving them a hint of what they were about to taste. And true to its beauty, the rolled piece of nirvana didn't disappoint.
All went well as the meal culminated with square slices of flourless dark chocolate cake dusted with edible gold and fresh fruits.
Emily blurted a giggle when she couldn't contain the tickle in her tummy after she saw Olivia's dessert plate. ”He's going all out, isn't heee?” she commented. Her teasing smile made Olivia's cheeks blush pink.
”Bao… qian?” Olivia asked. The shimmering twenty-four karat edible gold characters were printed on each of the two squares of heaven in her dessert plate.
She listened as Ava explained the words right away saying, ”Baoqian means harboring regret or deeply sorry. Has Maxen done something to upset you?”
”Hmmm,” Olivia trailed, picking up her teacup. ”If he says he's sorry then he must have done something, didn't he?” Olivia cryptically replied to Ava, her eyes subconsciously wandered to the doll-like beauty in front of her.
Across the table, Fiona froze in her seat. Her flirting episode that morning replayed in her mind. She tried her best to keep her eyes straight and away from Olivia but her curiosity won over and saw for herself Olivia's scathing glare.
But wait? Where was Olivia looking?
Fiona carefully shifted her eyes and followed Olivia's line of sight where it landed on her bangle. She dropped her utensils like a hot potato and hid her hand under the table, removing the cursed bangle on her wrist. Her tensed grip almost broke the bangle into smithereens before she hid it right away in her purse.
Her heart pounded in her c.h.e.s.t and her pore-free forehead cried beads of sweat as she felt like a mistress that was caught red-handed by the legal wife.
The one hundred eighty degree turn in Fiona's disposition didn't go unnoticed by the s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e and empathetic receptors of Ava. Her motherly instincts kicked in that she found herself rubbing the back of Fiona's hand in consolation.
”Any plans after lunch, ladies?” Ava asked as soon as the royal kitchen staff left their tableside.
”I have to buy something,” Olivia said, digging for her phone in her bag. She at least needed to say thank you for the delayed and scrumptious lunch they had, right? So she sent a brief message to Maxen.
[Olivia: Thank you for the meal.]
[Maxen: Apology accepted?]
Olivia rolled her eyes the instant she read his reply. The nerve of this spoiled little prince. Furiously tapping on her phone she replied:
[Olivia: Nope. But nice try. Grandma said, an apology without a change in behavior is just manipulation.]
Olivia dropped her phone inside her handbag and forced a fake smile to her companions. Her phone beeped again but she chose to ignore it. ”What are we talking about again?” she asked.
”You said you wanted to buy something. I know this building by heart. I could show you around,” Emily offered. The truth was, she needed Olivia's opinion on her dresscode for tonight so she's hitting two birds with one stone too.
Olivia leaned a bit closer so only she and Emily could hear her words that made the latter beam like a fool, infecting the clueless Ava and Fiona across them. Emily didn't tease her anymore afraid that Olivia would not make that purchase.