Perfect Match: Irresistible Desire For You
Chapter 88

The thing that broke the thick tension between them, and rescued Joseph from his losing battle with restraint, was the sound of Ashley’s growling stomach. She hadn’t been able to have a decent meal since yesterday, and today she had been busy watching the sunrise. After that, she had travelled to this place and taken a shower. It was no surprise to anyone that she was hungry.

When he heard her stomach, the corners of Joseph’s lips curled up. “I’ll cook for us. Wait here for a minute.”

They had barely eaten these past two days, so she must be hungry. Joseph could understand her patterns by now. Ashley stood up and made a move to follow after him, but Joseph turned around and commanded in a gentle voice, “I’ll do it. Just watch TV and wait for me.”

She looked up at his handsome face for a moment before she said, “Alright. I want a hearty meal though, is that okay? I could eat a feast!” Rolling her beautiful eyes, she continued to tease, “I’ll be looking forward to tasting your cooking.”

“Okay, you little piggy. Wait for me,” Joseph replied in an amused tone.

He noticed the excitement and anticipation radiating off of her face. An indescribable sense of satisfaction rose from deep inside of him. As long as it brought her happiness, he was willing to do anything for her.

Joseph walked towards their makeshift kitchen to start prepping their meal. All of a sudden, a thought occurred to him. He turned around to look at his phone for a few moments. After that, he handed the phone to Ashley and said, “If you get bored, you can chat with Grandpa and let him know how we’re doing.” When she took the phone from his hands, he continued, “I’ll start cooking now. Take your time.”

Before Ashley had a chance to answer, he turned around and left. Not long after, his phone began to vibrate, and Ashley answered.

“You brat! How’s it going?” The moment Ashley answered the phone, she heard Leonard’s booming voice from the other end.

“Hello Leonard, this is Ashley,” she greeted.

There was a brief moment of silence from the other end of the phone. Then, Leonard came back to his senses and said in an enthusiastic voice, “Oh! Hi, Ashley! It’s so great to hear from you! How are you doing?”

From the other side of the continent, when Leonard heard that Ashley had called him using his grandson’s phone, he could only assume that they were having a great time together. The mere thought of that was enough to have him jumping for joy. He was in a cheerful mood, and his tone was light and full of happiness.

Joseph had done his best to woo her, and the thought of having them get together was almost too much for him. He struggled to contain his excitement since he didn’t want to frighten Ashley. All of a sudden, he didn’t know what to say.

“We’re both fine,” Ashley replied. She followed Joseph’s instructions and spared him the details.

‘That’s great! Perfect! That was what I hoped for!’ Leonard was ecstatic by her report.

“That’s good to hear. Take good care of yourself. If Joseph doesn’t treat you properly, you must let me know! I’ll beat him to death when he gets back!” Leonard beamed in a kind voice.

After hearing Leonard’s kind words, a warm feeling bloomed in Ashley’s chest. She quickly reassured, “Don’t worry, Joseph’s been a perfect gentleman.”

Leonard was proud of his grandson when he heard this news. It was a shock for him to hear that he was able to romance this woman so soon. ‘You’re doing great, my grandson!’ he thought to himself.

After that, Leonard asked what adventures the two had experienced. The two ended up chatting for quite a while.

As she narrated their adventures, Leonard made sure not to mention Joseph anymore. Poor Joseph, Leonard thought Ashley more important than him.

When she ended the call with Leonard, she then chatted with Mike and Yasmin on the phone to tell them about their trip and their next travel plans. After that, she finished making calls. She had just finished talking to three people, but she didn’t dare to mention anything about the danger she encountered last night to any of them. The last thing she wanted was to make people worry about her.

By the time she finished, Joseph began to serve the dishes. When she heard him, she rushed over to help.

The moment she walked into the kitchen, she noticed a small apron hanging off his tall frame. Although the sight was enough to make her giggle, she found it endearing instead. It showed the hidden side of Joseph; underneath his arrogant and reserved exterior.

“What did you talk about with Grandpa?” he asked when he saw how excited she looked.

“It was nothing. We just caught up and talked about our travels so far,” she answered as she studied the fancy dishes laid out on the table.

He snuck a glance at her beautiful face as she looked at the food before he opened the pot to check the soup and asked in a soft tone, “Did he mention anything to you?”

She strode over to his side and sniffed the steaming soup before she said, “It was nothing serious. He just asked me how our trip had been so far. All he kept saying was ‘good’.”

Joseph couldn’t help but feel proud when she told him this. That was what he needed to hear. Joseph deliberately asked Ashley to answer the phone because Joseph knew that his grandfather would believe her words more. Day and night, all his grandfather could think about was how badly he wanted them to get married. It wasn’t a surprise to him to hear this news of his grandfather.

In the future, he made a mental note to make sure Ashley answered all his calls. That way, he could avoid being bombarded by his grandfather’s questions and also make him happy. It would be a good thing for everyone. He decided happily.

Following Joseph with a plate of dishes in her hands, Ashley observed his tall and graceful figure and sighed, “It’s rare to replace a handsome man like you who also knows how to cook.”

Indeed, men in modern times tended to be chauvinistic. They often assumed that cooking was only meant for women, and that men who knew how to cook were disgraceful. However, here Joseph was, taking the initiative to cook without complaint. She was touched by his efforts to take care of her.

‘I appreciate the compliment, but I could sense the irony in her tone,’ he thought to himself.

“Don’t take it for granted,” he said in a low voice as he made his way towards the table.

Ashley was rendered speechless by his words. ‘What an arrogant man! Regardless, I will cherish him whatever he says,’ she thought to herself.