The Imposter Bride (Natalia and Magnus) novel Chapter 376

Magnus finally caught up with the realization and was kicking himself for being outsmarted by his own green-behind-the-ears whippersnapper of a son.

"Honey, let me handle this, before you end up with grease burns," Magnus said, swooping in with his broad hands to take the frying pan from Natalia's grip.

Natalia, worried that Magnus might hurt himself, dodged away quickly, but there stood Magnus, alone by the stove, facing a conundrum. Despite his vast financial empire, he had never mastered the art of cooking.

Determined not to let Natalia think any less of him, or to be outdone by Hector, Magnus furrowed his brow, rolled up his suit sleeves, and dived into the fray.

How hard could frying an egg be, anyway?

Magnus turned on the stove, placing the already cleaned frying pan on the burner. Staring at the bottle of cooking oil and the eggs, he was at a loss; which one should go in first?

The flames rose eagerly, heating the pan until it sizzled and began to smoke. No time for hesitation! Without thinking, Magnus cracked the egg directly into the pan, then poured in half a bottle of oil in one smooth motion.

"Boom!"

"Splat!"

Two explosive sounds rang out as the cold egg met the hot pan, shattering upon impact and sending cooking oil splattering in all directions.

Magnus couldn't dodge in time, and his pricey suit was splashed with a generous helping of oil stains, but that wasn't the worst of it. Jonas was slapping the table, bent double with laughter. "Ha-ha, Daddy, you're such a klutz! You can't even fry an egg!"

Natalia rushed over, and her quick reflexes saved the day as she turned off the stove, averting a potential kitchen blaze.

Seeing Magnus in such a disheveled state, she felt a laugh bubbling up inside her, but then remembered she was about to kick him out. She hid the smile in her eyes and held her breath as she returned to Jonas' side.

Magnus, who had wanted to show off, was utterly deflated by the simple task of frying an egg that had instead led to his humiliation. He glanced helplessly at his grease-splattered suit and dejectedly took his seat, giving Natalia a pitiful look. "Honey, I'm really starving."

Natalia continued feeding Jonas, completely indifferent. She knew Magnus well enough to adopt a policy of total nonchalance.

Jonas sneakily gave Magnus a thumbs-down gesture and then gently tugged on Natalia's sleeve. "Mommy, Daddy's really hungry. I'm full; give him my share."

Natalia looked at the barely nibbled egg, knowing Jonas wanted to save it for Magnus. She glared at Magnus, then sighed in resignation. "Fine, I'll make some more."

Standing up, Natalia cleaned up the mess by the stove and quickly whipped up another batch of eggs. Usually, it was Hector who cooked, and Natalia's culinary skills were basic at best—her creations were edible but lacked presentation.

Placing the eggs on the table, she fetched two milkshakes from the fridge and grudgingly said to Magnus, "Eat up."

At that moment, however, she missed Jonas spitting the egg into the trash can. As she turned back, Jonas patted his belly with a contented look. "Mommy, it was so good, I'm really full!"

"That's great. If you like it, Mommy will make it for you again," Natalia said, kissing Jonas' forehead with a smile.

Watching the tender moment between Natalia and Jonas, Magnus felt a pang of jealousy. He cursed his own foolishness for not discreetly disposing of the inedible eggs as his smart little boy had done. Now, he had eaten the salty eggs, but the sweet kiss was not his to claim!

Jonas was well-fed, so Natalia gathered the dishes. Her gaze was softening on her considerate son. "Jonas, I have to swing by the office. Do you want to come along?"

"The office?" Jonas shot a conspiratorial glance at Magnus, silently pleading for him to stop Natalia.

Magnus understood the unspoken plea in his eyes and reached out to gently grasp Natalia's slender wrist. "Honey, why don't you stay home with us today? It's not often we all get to be together, and little Jonas has been missing you so much."

Jonas immediately clung to Natalia's leg, and his young face was streaked with tears. "Mommy, please don't go, okay? All the other kids have their mommies with them, and I want my mommy, too. Mommy, please don't leave me behind!"

"Sweetheart, don't cry," Natalia soothed as she disentangled her wrist from Magnus' grip and bent down to scoop Jonas into her arms. "I am not leaving you, darling. I just have to take care of some things at the office. You're my little treasure. How could I ever abandon you?"

As she spoke, a wave of emotion surged through her, and tears began to fall, splashing silently onto the floor.