Chapter 6
After a quick wash, Jasmine went downstairs and saw Zachary crouched on the floor, tying Nicole’s shoelaces.
Catching sight of her, Nicole curved her lips into a smile. “Zachary and I are going to sample dishes for the wedding banquet today. You can come along.”
Jasmine said nothing, lowered her gaze, and got into the car.
The banquet hall stretched wide, with rows of tables set like a royal feast.
A bodyguard carried in a large case of cash and poured it out in front of her. “Mr. Hudson said for every dish you taste and review, you can take a stack of money.
Jasmine picked up the fork and stepped toward the first table. She froze.
It was piled with crabs–steamed, fried, sautéed, cooked every way imaginable.
She hesitated a moment, then moved to the following table.
The entire table was covered with shrimp–steamed, boiled, sautéed- prepared in every flavor imaginable.
The third table was filled with fish dishes, the fourth with oysters, and the fifth with octopus…
Out of the hundred tables, all piled high with seafood, Jasmine hadn’t touched a single bite. She walked over to Zachary, hesitating before she finally spoke. “I’m allergic to seafood. I can’t eat any of this. Maybe you should find someone else to test it.”
Chapter 6
Zachary’s tone was flat. “These are Nic’s favorites. We’re not inviting you to the wedding anyway. Whether you’re allergic or not doesn’t matter. All you need to do is taste, take the money, pay me back, and disappear from our world.”
Her hand trembled. Still, she dragged herself back to the table.
Nicole bit into a pear, clinging to Zachary’s hand, her voice coy. “These pears are so sweet today. Try some.”
He took the half she had already bitten and put it straight into his mouth.
Nicole’s eyes widened in surprise. “You’re eating my leftovers? Don’t you have germaphobia?”
Zachary lowered his head, his voice slow and deliberate. “After all those kisses we’ve shared—tongue and all–you’re really asking me that?”
Satisfied, she leaned into his arms, then shot Jasmine a smug, sidelong glance.
Jasmine kept her eyes forward, expression still.
She scooped up a spoonful and swallowed, but all she could taste was bitterness. The crab turned sour in her mouth, and the shrimp tasted salty. Nothing matched the flavors it should have.
By the time she forced down the dishes, angry red welts broke out across her skin, burning and itching like ants tearing at her flesh.
The bodyguard handed her notes on the food to Zachary. Seeing the rows of words–sour, bitter, salty, spicy–he nearly burst out laughing.
“Jasmine, what? You’re so used to charming men for money that you thought mine would be easy too? A thousand per dish, and this is what you write? Start over!”
280 Wouchers
Chapter 6
Jasmine wanted to explain, but her throat was so swollen that even breathing felt like a struggle, and not a sound came out.
So, she picked the spoon back up and forced more of that food she couldn’t even swallow properly into her mouth.
Two hours later, she finished again. The paper still read the same.
His temper snapped. “Are you deliberately defying me? With that attitude, you won’t get a cent!”
The thick menu slammed into her, knocking her off balance. Her weakened body hit the ground hard.
It felt like she was being plunged into boiling oil, her nerves and skin burning away.
Her head swam, her consciousness slipping.
Just before she blacked out, she heard his cold voice. “Still playing the martyr, huh?”
Then came a voice, edged with panic. “Jasmine, get up!”
She didn’t know how long she was under. When her eyes opened again, Zachary was staring down at her, his gaze heavy, dark, restrained.
“The doctor says you’ve lost your sense of taste because of illness. What the hell is wrong with you?”
Lateefa Khanam is a spirited writer who finds freedom in horse riding. She cherishes her mare and the newborn foal, calling them her little happy family.
