124 This Is That Same Taste

"Hey hey, we've heard you left your company."

That night, Mathew Hughes gave Brian Cooper a call.

"The news travels fast," Brian commented.

'Deja vu?' he thought.

"Come on man, of course we all need to be updated. The gang is planning to visit you, we need to hear about it," Mathew replied.

Brian thought for a bit before replying, "No, I know of a much better place for us to go to."

*****

When the doorbell suddenly rang, Amber instantly looked at Ashton.

Both of them are watching at the living room.

"Are we having some visitors?" she asked him with furrowed brows.

"No, I don't think someone told me they'll come."

Amber puffed her cheeks before she run up to her room to put on a stringed mask.

Whenever she knew that no one would come she wouldn't wear her mask, but she also prepared some stringed masks for easy access.

Putting on the glue for the mask was also too much of a hassle but wearing only stringed masks would cause more danger of her identity being revealed.

After coming out, she saw Ashton still standing by the door with one eye brow raised.

"Brian said that the best place to talk about his new work was here, so here we are," Mathew smiled before walking in without waiting for Ashton's invitation.

Amber remained standing at the top of the stairs, watching all of them come in.

All, which means they were complete.

Brian, Mathew, Harvey, Blake, Devon, Aldger, Timothy and Xander.

"Wow, you guys seemed to really have quite a lot of free time," she commented as they sat down, feeling like this was their home.

"Amber, long time no see," Blake stood up once again and waved at her energetically.

"I see, that you have recovered quite well," Amber greeted back as she started descending.

"Yup, good as new. I owe everything to you, so thank you," he approached her and gave her a hug.

Amber patted him before they returned to their sitting position.

"Since you all came here unannounced, one of you must cook," Ashton who was already seated as well, soon spoke.

It was around dinner time already.

Each men looked at each other, before seven of them pointed at one person.

Timothy Price.

Amber tilted her head to one side, "Isn't it that Harvey was the one under Carter Empire?"

"Well, he was indeed but this man was the only one among his family who only knows how to eat but does not know how to cook," Mathew replied pointing at Harvey with a shrug.

Despite only meeting her for the second time, each of them already accepted her as Ashton's other half.

So they were able to speak with much ease as compared to the first time.

Amber nodded in understanding before her head snapped to Timothy who was already walking towards the kitchen.

'He is cooking now?'

"What is it? Why do you look at him with such shock expression?" Xander asked her.

'Are you stupid or what? What was with that reaction? It's as if you knew him. Stupid.'

Amber snapped from her shock and silently reprimanded herself before she looked at Xander and smiled.

"No, it's nothing, just didn't thought he was actually cooking. He doesn't look like one who wants to cook."

"Ah, there's that story, remember the reason why he started really focusing on cooking?" Brian suddenly butted in.

"Oh, could you be talking about when their younger sister was sick and he tried cooking for her but the outcome made her condition worse?" Mathew said.

"Yes, that one. That is why he secretly started learning diligently. But since his sister was traumatized, he just secretly cooked for her. And he was only seven when he started back then."

Amber bit her lower lip upon hearing this.

She was already a sickly person even before she became sick with that rare disease. And there was one time when their parents are out and there was only one maid present that she fell sick.

Timothy wants to cook for her even if it was just a simple dish such as porridge, so the maid helped him out but somehow despite that help, the outcome was the worst food the young her have eaten back then.

The flavors were clashing with each other that her stomach was unable to take in that one spoonful she ate, ending up with bringing out everything she ate that morning.

Ashton, Blake and Devon all have the look of remembrance, indeed this was what Timothy and Xander told them one time, the reason why Timothy became so good at cooking.

Plus they only talked once about her brothers back then so this topic was not brought to light.

"Let's stop talking about that now shall we? We are here to know what happened with Brian," Xander stopped them from talking more about that story.

For about seventeen years now, both he and his brother barely spoke about their parents and younger sister. They treat their lives as solely just the two of them.

"That's right, why did you suddenly decide to come here because of your work? You have your own place," Amber commented.

As she too didn't want to listen further, the pang in her heart was too painful.

Her guilt grew even more.

Her brothers loved her dearly and she knew of it but hearing more efforts that they made just for her, she just feel heavier for they were left behind because of her.

"We can talk about that once were complete and I swear all of you will be shock," Brian smiled mysteriously at the others.

While Ashton and Amber just wanted to slap him in the head.

Are you a kid?

Amber felt Ashton looking at her and seeing the look in his eyes, she knew what he wants to ask.

'Is it fine for them to know? About you being a shareholder? Or about you being the brain behind SNN?'

She slightly nodded at him with a little smile, 'Sooner or later they will know as well, plus they are your friends, it won't be bad to have more companions.'

Ashton raised both brows and his eyes were inquiring, 'Are you really sure?'

She once again nodded, 'I am definitely sure.'

"Ah!"

Both almost jumped when Brian suddenly yelped. When they looked at him...

"So Leslie was right, you two are talking aren't you?" he accused pointing at them with his finger.

Xander, Harvey and Mathew looked at each other, confusion visible in their faces.

While Blake, Devon and Aldger all have the look of shock.

"Miss Lane has come?" Blake asked.

Of course he and Devon were not stranger to her for they were there when Amber recruited her.

Aldger was also not a stranger because he would sometimes see the two ladies in Ashton's office while having a video meeting with him.

"Leslie? I see that you two have become close within just a day," Amber commented upon hearing the way she was called.

"And yes, she finally decided to come," she then looked at Blake giving him an answer.

"Well, we decided that since we will be working with each other from now on. Being too formal is a bit too much. But you haven't answered my question yet, were the two of you communicating through your eyes?" he replied before returning to his first question.

Both Amber and Ashton just looked at him.

"See that, see that. Did you know that I've learned today that these two could communicate with only their eyes?" he said as he looked at Xander, Mathew and Harvey.

"Are we going to eat or not?"

Just then Timothy called out for all of them and somehow without them realizing it he was already done preparing even the table.

"We can talk about that later, food is more important," Mathew instantly stood up and made way to the table.

Despite their number the table was actually big enough to accommodate them and Amber knew that Ashton have this table because of these group in the first place.

As everyone started eating, Amber could only stare at the foods in front of her.

They were the simplest dish that could be cooked the fastest but they all look appetizing for her.

"This may be your first time but you can ask them, my cooking is not bad," Timothy, seeing as she was still not moving, commented.

Amber shook her head, "No, I can see from all their faces that they do enjoy what you cook, I was just moved to actually taste something you yourself cooked."

It was an honest remark, she was moved by the reason behind his desire to cook well and was moved that after all these years she would be able to eat it once again.

She first picked up the vegetable dish and gave it a try.

'Ah, indeed you really did cook secretly for me back then. This is that same taste,' she bowed her head as she did her best not to cry.

"Since you can already use the coffee maker why not make one right now?" she heard Ashton speak.

"Hey we are already eating why make her leave when she just started, go make coffee yourself," Xander complained.

"It's fine, I too wanted one with this delicious food, coffee and these? I think they are the best combination," Amber stood up with a smile and said.