Married with the Broken Hearted CEO novel Chapter 76

Wearing aprons, the two handsome men began to cook for breakfast. 
As the invisible timer began ticking, Chadwick grabbed the blender from the side. He placed egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice, salt, and hot sauce all in the blender. Then, he pulsed it for 5 seconds. He streamed in it the melted butter until it completely blended. Next, he put the Hollandaise sauce in a pan of hot water to keep it warm. 
As he opened the fire, Chadwick looked at his opponent. 
Not bothering to watch Chadwick, Geoffrey places the vegetables on the cutting board. He cut off a third of the sweet red pepper and the whole jalapeno and cleaned out the seeds. Then, he diced both into tiny pieces. He cut half the onion into tiny pieces before he grabbed two pans he would use. 
When Geoffrey picked out the tortillas, Chadwick can guess what he will cook. He shook his head and tried to focus on his dish. 
Chadwick placed a pan on the other stove. He heated up the Canadian bacon slices until it went brown. Then, he toasted the English muffins. Using a pin, he carefully pricked a single hold in an egg. He filled a medium pan about 2/3 full of water and placed the eggs in the boiling water for only 10 seconds. After reducing the heat to gentle simmer, he carefully cracked the eggs into the simmering water.
Chadwick allowed the eggs to poach for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes and then he removed it with a slotted spoon. He transferred it to a paper towel to remove excess water and any hanging strands of the egg white. 
On the other side, Geoffrey placed the cup of refried beans and the tortillas in separate pans over medium heat. He turned the tortillas frequently to allow them to heat up without burning.
Sweat formed in Geoffrey’s forehead. He wiped that sweat with a clean towel before he put another pan over medium heat. He added the butter and the vegetable mix. Next, he sauté the mix until the onions start to turn clear, not brown. After that, he added eggs and scrambled it with vegetables. 
When the eggs were done, he then took off the stove. Using a tong, he removed the tortillas and placed them on a plate. Geoffrey glimpsed Chadwick. 
Chadwick is assembling the eggs by layering Canadian bacon and poached egg over each half of English muffin. Sensing the stare from his side, Chadwick met Geoffrey’s gaze. 
They stared at each other with sweat on their foreheads and serious gazes. 
The audience, Adira, watched the two plays like they were in some kind of cooking battle. She really wanted to laugh at them, because they looked so serious, but she suppressed the laughs and stayed quiet. 
Chadwick poured a generous amount of Hollandaise sauce over each poached egg. Geoffrey spooned a strip of refried beans and the egg and the vegetable mixture onto the tortilla. When Chadwick garnished freshly chopped chives and sprinkled cayenne pepper, Geoffrey also sprinkled little cheese on his dish and folded the tortilla over. 
At the same time, the two finished their dishes. 
Adira looked at two plates in front of her. As far as she can remember, only Geoffrey offered her a breakfast. Puzzled, Adira lifted her head to the two guys who were catching their breaths. 
“I made a breakfast Burrito for you, ma’am,” Geoffrey said, pointing the dish on the right side. 
“I accidentally made many Egg benedict sandwiches, so I am giving you the excess,” Chadwick said while pointing the dish on the left side. 
Adira looked alternately at the dishes and at the two faces. She felt like the judge who would choose which dish suits her palette. 
Is it because they really wanted to compete over who’s more talented at cooking? Or they only wanted to impress the woman in front of them?
‘It’s not that bad to get this kind of attention,’ Adira laughed inwardly. 
“Okay,” Adira agreed with a sly smile. “Since the two of you tried your best to pretend chefs, I will try the dishes and choose which one is better.” 
When Adira picked up a fork, Chadwick and Geoffrey gulped. With their hands behind their backs, they watched Adira eat a piece of Chadwick’s Eggs benedict.
‘My Eggs Benedict is the best. Even the famous chef in London praised my dish. There’s no way it will lose against that cheap Burrito,’ Chadwick told himself while watching. 
Adira went silent. She nodded her head, took a sip of water and then next, she tried having one bite of Geoffrey’s Burrito’s. 
‘That is the famous Burrito’s recipe that I learned when I was working as part timer in a famous restaurant. All the people lined up just to eat that. I am sure Adira will like it. She likes Burritos back in college,’ Geoffrey reassured himself. 
During the nerve wrecking tasting, Geoffrey and Chadwick looked at each other. It might look like a childish fight for Adira, but for the two, whoever Adira chooses will be a big deal. No one can dare to lose. 
Adira took a deep breath. Hearing her sighs, the two turned their heads back to her. They waited for the words that would come from her mouth with nervous hearts and cold hands. 
“I tasted the two dishes,” Adira said. “But before I can choose, let me ask some question first.” 
Chadwick and Geoffrey wondered what will be her question. Is it about the dishes? What inspired them to cook? Or what? 
Adira is an unpredictable lady so they had a hard time guessing what the question would be. Until Adira detached her mouth. 
“Did you fight last night because of me?” she inquired, pointing to her lips. 
Both Geoffrey and Chadwick have cracked lips as they punched each other last night. 
The answer is yes. They did fight because of Adira, but somehow, they cannot bring themselves to say it with their own mouths. 
What rights does Geoffrey have to say that he came to fight for her when he’s just a bystander just like what Chadwick said? 
And what rights Chadwick has to say that he got so mad at the man who saved his wife, when he did nothing but to stay at Isa’s side? 
“Since you cannot answer my question, then I won’t say my answer too,” Adira added. 
“What?/ Huh?” the two complained in unison, added with, “Why?/ Why you can’t?” 
“You think that saying that reason why you two fought is unnecessary. Therefore, in my case too, choosing which dish is good is unnecessary too. What is necessary is that I got my breakfast,” Adira answered, waving her fork in front of them.
Chadwick sighed while Geoffrey forged a smile on her lips. 
“That’s not fair. You should choose which one is better. I put a lot of effort making that d-dish, unlike this man’s simple Burrito.” 
“Simple burrito?” annoyed, Geoffrey tilted his head to Chadwick and refuted, “Why don’t you go try my dish and realize that it is way better than your EGGS.” 
“My eggs? It is not just EGGS. It is Eggs BENEDICT.” 
“Eggs are eggs.” 
“You…” 
Chadwick and Geoffrey stopped their quarrels when some employees stepped inside the cottage to look for breakfast. When the employees saw the three in the kitchen, they halted their feet and gave awkward smiles. 
Seeing them, Adira got an idea. 
“Then, why don’t we ask other people their opinions about the dishes?” Adira asked.
Without hearing the men’s suggestion, Adira waved her hands to the employees and asked them to come over. 
A simple cooking competition became a big deal; LITERALLY.