Chapter 208: Watch Out

Kaleb arrived at the villa not too long after with the files Tristan had asked him to bring.

He was repeatedly grumbling under his breath. He wasn’t just bombarded with too much to do at the office, meetings to attend, and deadlines to meet, yet he was still made to run errands. He parked his car and got out, climbing the porch to ring the bell, but he immediately received a text that told him the door was open. So he pushed it open and entered.

The moment he stepped inside, he froze. A sharp, burning smell filled the air.

His brows furrowed slightly as he closed the door behind him, his gaze sweeping across the living room.

Toys were scattered everywhere, on the floor, on the couch, even near the hallway. He carefully stepped over a small toy car, then a stuffed animal, making his way further inside.

The smell grew stronger.

“What in the world?” he muttered under his breath.

Following the source, he walked into the kitchen and stopped short in his tracks looking completely stunned.

The little girl sat comfortably on the kitchen island, swinging her legs back and forth, while Tristan stood by the stove wearing an apron doing what Kaleb thought looked like cooking but smelled more like a smoke fest.

Kaleb blinked twice, surely… he was hallucinating.

Meanwhile, Leo stood beside Tristan, his small figure upright, his expression serious as ever.

“But if the Havenport deal goes through, wouldn’t the expansion affect your current shares?” Leo asked his father curiously, his tone calm and analytical.

Tristan flipped something in the pan badly, some pieces splattered to the floor before he replied,

“It depends on how the restructuring is handled. If we secure majority control first, the risk becomes manageable.”

Leo nodded thoughtfully. “Then the timing of acquisition is more important than the negotiation itself.”

“Exactly. That’s very smart buddy.” Tristan sounded extremely proud of his son.

Kaleb’s mouth slowly fell open, he was no longer astonished about his boss making a disaster in the kitchen but the little interaction he just witnessed between father and son.

What… was this? He stared at them, utterly baffled.

The little boy standing next to his father looked like a miniature version of his boss, even in the way he phrased his words.

Was he born business oriented from the womb? Was such a thing even possible? How was he discussing their important business matters as if he already knew the field well enough to discuss it.

The resemblance wasn’t just in their faces, it was in the way they spoke. The way they thought. The words that came out of the kid seemed like something that would come out of his boss himself.

The way they carried themselves…It was really fascinating for Kaleb to watch.

“Hi, Uncle Kaleb!” Leah’s cheerful voice broke through his shock.

Kaleb snapped out of it, turning to her. “Oh, uh… hi,” he replied, still trying to process everything.

Tristan glanced over his shoulder. “You’re here.”

“Yes, president,” Kaleb said, stepping forward slowly, his eyes still darting around the kitchen.

Tristan gestured slightly. “Come in.”

Kaleb took another step forward and finally got a clear look at the stove.

His expression shifted immediately.

“Boss,” he said carefully, “What exactly are you doing?”

Tristan didn’t look up as he replied naturally. “Making lunch.”

Kaleb stared at the pan, the slightly charred contents in the pan moved as he pushed them around with a spatula faint smoke rising into the air but the person cooking didn’t even seem to know he was doing a terrible job.

“Are you sure that’s lunch boss?” Kaleb asked awkwardly.

“Daddy doesn’t know how to cook at all,” Leah chimed in innocently. She had requested that he make them lunch, but he never mentioned he was a terrible cook.

Kaleb pressed his lips together, holding back a laugh at Leah’s statement. Actually, he couldn’t agree more. The sound of his suppressed laughter must have slipped out as Tristan shot him a sharp glare.

“It’s not that bad,” Tristan muttered, picking up a spoon to taste it. Perhaps it just looked a bit bad, but surely it must at least taste…

He stiffened immediately he had a taste, his expression changed and his face scrunched up slightly.

“I’ll order takeout,” he suddenly said decisively.

Leah giggled.

Kaleb finally let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. “And I’ll pretend I didn’t see any of this,” he said.

Tristan ignored him, wiping his hands as he walked over to take the files from him.

Just then, his phone buzzed and he glanced at the screen, his expression softened immediately and Kaleb could already guess who it was that sent him a text.

The president wouldn’t show such a warm expression on his face if it wasn’t his woman, but what confused Kaleb was why the president’s newfound affection was making him feel single. He wasn’t even single okay?

Celine: We’re about to start filming. Wish me luck. I miss you and the kids, this will only take a few hours so I’ll see you soon.

A faint smile appeared on his lips. Such small action of reaching out to the one you love randomly during the day truly felt heavenly.

Without hesitation, he typed a reply.

_You don’t need luck. You’ll be perfect. We miss you too! I’ll pick you up when you’re done._

He hit send, his thumb lingering briefly on the screen before he put the phone away then just as quickly, his expression shifted back to business when his gaze lifted towards Kaleb.

’President, we’ve been working together for years. Reserve some of that warmth for me too.’ Kaleb complained internally, but he didn’t dare voice out those words.

“Let’s go through the Havenport files,” Tristan said, taking on a professional air, opening the folder.

Kaleb nodded, placing the documents on the counter and they got to work. Leo immediately leaned closer, his attention fully captured.

And just like that, the strange domestic scene blended seamlessly back into business.

—

“Positions, everyone!” Director Thomas called, the lights were set, cameras ready.

The earlier buzz had dissipated, everyone forced into focused silence. There were no more gossips drifting through the air as everyone looked through their scripts one last time.

Celine stood in position, her expression calm, as she prepared mentally for the scene.

“Ready?” Director Thomas asked her. He had high hopes for her performance judging by her audition.

Celine gave him a slight nod, there was a strangely nagging feeling in her chest, she couldn’t tell exactly why she was suddenly feeling this way. She looked around at the crew, and spotted Elise who sent her a thumbs up from afar. But still, something felt off in a way she couldn’t describe. For a fleeting moment, her gaze met Lilian’s, the latter sent her a strange smirk but before Celine could ponder over the cause of that look in Lilian’s eyes, the director called…

“Action!”

The moment the word was called, Celine cleared all thoughts from her mind and focused, instantly getting into character.

“You shouldn’t be here…” She said into the darkness, the lights dimmed to create an ominous atmosphere.

“Some secrets are best left undiscovered Astrid…” A voice that could bring chills into one’s bones replied.

Celine was fully immersed in her role, her voice steady, her movements precise.

Around her, the crew worked in perfect coordination. No one noticed the giant overhead lights swaying in it’s position…no one noticed a man whose face was half covered by a facial mask coming down a ladder backstage.

A sudden metallic creak echoed faintly above. No one seemed to hear it until a sharp snap rang out.

Someone yelled, “Watch out!!”

Before anyone could react, a massive piece of equipment came crashing down from above and chaos erupted instantly as crew members shouted a warning, it was too late for anyone to react to stop the impending disaster.

The sound of metal tearing through the air filled the set and in the center of it all Celine stood frozen as the shadow of the falling equipment loomed over her.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep