The mansion was peaceful that afternoon, sunlight pooling softly across the marble floors. Ariana tied her apron, humming under her breath as she pulled ingredients from the fridge. She wanted to do something simple, something meaningful:
Make lunch for Damian… by herself.
Mrs. Rowan had already tried to protest.
"Mrs. Steel, please, we can prepare anything you need"
"It's okay," Ariana had said with a small smile. "I… want to do this."
The staff exchanged looks ones that said the master will never allow this but Ariana had already rolled up her sleeves.
She worked quietly, focused. Chopping vegetables. Stirring sauce. Checking a recipe on her phone. A small frown of concentration appeared on her face every time something didn't look perfect.
Halfway through slicing chicken, she felt eyes watching her.
From the doorway, Mrs. Rowan and two maids whispered like it was the most shocking event of the year.
"She's cooking again"
"For the master
"She really loves him…"
Ariana's ears burned, but she kept going.
Upstairs, Damian stepped out of his study after hours of intense calls. His eyes softened the moment he didn't find Ariana waiting in their room. He looked toward the hallway and spotted James, the butler.
"Where is she?" Damian asked.
James bowed deeply.
"Sir… Mrs. Steel is… in the kitchen."
Damian blinked.
"…What."
The butler swallowed nervously. "She insisted on preparing your lunch personally."
Something unexplainable warmed Damian's chest. Without another word, he walked toward the kitchen, long strides silent but purposeful.
The moment he stepped inside, every servant froze.
The CEO of Steel Corporation.
In their kitchen.
Damian saw Ariana standing by the counter, sleeves rolled up, hair tied, focused completely on the cutting board. Charcoal smudges were still faint on her fingers from earlier drawings.
He softened instantly.
"Ariana."
She jumped slightly, turning. "Damian! You're done with work?"
He walked closer, eyes lingering on her apron. "What are you making?"
"Lunch," she said shyly. "I wanted to surprise you."
He glanced at the knife in her hand then at her careful concentration then at the staff staring at him like they might faint.
Slowly, he reached out his hand.
"What can I help with?"
The room went silent.
Mrs. Rowan almost dropped the bowl she was holding.
One maid gasped out loud.
James, the butler, blinked like he had just witnessed an alien invasion.
The Almighty CEO…
The untouchable man who struck fear into boardrooms…
Asking how to help.
In the kitchen.
Ariana laughed softly at their expressions. "Um… you can chop these?"
Damian rolled his sleeves higher and reached for the knife.
Another collective gasp.
Mrs. Rowan whispered, "He… he's holding a knife
A maid squeaked, "But he never even enters the kitchen!"
Ariana hid her smile. "Ignore them. Just slice like this."
She guided his hands gently, their fingers brushing. Damian focused intensely not on the vegetables, but on her touch.
"You're enjoying this," she whispered.
"No," he said… too quickly. "I'm learning."
She giggled, and something in him melted.
The fearsome CEO was cutting vegetables under his wife's instructions.
And the entire staff stood frozen like statues, witnessing the impossible.
When Damian finished chopping slightly uneven pieces and all he turned to her.
"Is that acceptable?"
Ariana glanced down at the crooked cuts.
"Yes," she lied.
He raised a brow.
She grinned. "It's perfect… because you helped."
Damian looked at her for a long moment, something warm and unguarded flickering in his eyes. Then he leaned in and brushed a light kiss against her forehead.
Around them, three maids nearly screamed, but held it in.
Mrs. Rowan wiped a tear.
James murmured, "The master… has changed."
Damian's expression warmed in a way that was private meant only for her.
He walked to her, lifting a hand to brush a strand of hair behind her ear.
"You're spoiling me," he murmured.
"And you look like you need it," she teased.
A rare, quiet laugh slipped from him. Mrs. Rowan excused herself quickly, pretending not to hear.
They settled at the table, but Ariana noticed Damian wasn't touching his food yet. He kept watching her gentle, thoughtful, almost hesitant.
"Damian… what is it?"
He reached for her hand under the table.
"There's something I want to ask you," he said, voice low.
Her breath caught.
"When you came to my office he continued, "and when we cooked together… I realized something."
A pause.
Something fragile, something he didn't easily admit.
"You make me want to live outside the walls I built."
Ariana's heart tightened.
Damian never spoke like this not to anyone.
But right now, he wasn't the feared CEO.
He wasn't the man the world whispered about.
He was just… Damian. Her husband.
He squeezed her hand gently.
"You don't have to change for me," she whispered.
"I'm not changing," he said quietly. "I'm choosing."
Her throat tightened. "Choosing what?"
"You."
It was simple.
Soft.
Dangerous in its sincerity.
Ariana felt her cheeks warm as she stared at him. "Damian…"
He lifted her hand and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles something he had never done before.
Then
A sudden clang echoed behind them.
A servant had dropped a spoon.
Mrs. Rowan, the butler, and the two maids were frozen by the doorway, eyes wide.
Because they had just witnessed something rarer than snow in summer:
Damian Steel showing affection.
Real affection.
Damian didn't even look their way. He only kept his eyes on Ariana, calm and unbothered, as though kissing his wife's hand in front of his entire staff was the most natural thing he'd ever done.
Ariana stifled a laugh. "They're staring."
"Let them," Damian murmured. "You're my wife."
He finally began to eat, and Ariana joined him, heart full, cheeks still warm.
As they ate together quiet, comfortable, close every servant in the room exchanged glances.
Their terrifying, impossible, untouchable master…
Was in love.
And he wasn't hiding it anymore.
Ariana finished the food, Damian stayed beside her the whole time, occasionally stealing glances at her the kind of soft, helpless glances he never showed anyone but her.
When she plated the lunch, he took the tray from her hands.
"I'll carry it," he said simply.
Ariana's heart fluttered.
And as they left the kitchen together, every servant whispered at once:
"She's the only one he bends for."
"She's truly the master's heart."
"He would burn the world for her."
Ariana didn't hear them.
But Damian did.
And for once…
He didn't deny it.