Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed



Roseanne couldn't help but notice, next to the coat rack, a suit meticulously hung on its own hanger.

Pitch black, so formal it bordered on stuffy.

Owen Reynolds usually wore suits, but none seemed as dated as this one.

Yes, dated.

She walked further in, stopping beside the dining table.

There, a meal for two was still steaming hot: two meat dishes, one vegetable, and a soup.noveldrama

Owen Reynolds declared, "The BBQ ribs and bell pepper steak are recipes I picked up from you, the sautéed cabbage I learned from a cooking show, and the tomato basil soup, well, that's been in my repertoire."

He was clear about the origin of each dish.

Roseanne chuckled, "Did I actually teach you? I don't recall."

"No. But I've been learning on the sly."

As they talked, Owen Reynolds had already dished out two plates, "Please, have a seat."

He then handed her a fork.

"Thank you."

Roseanne first tried a rib, under his eager yet pretending-to-be-casual gaze, and chewed thoughtfully.

"This taste... how do I put it?"

She noticed his posture stiffen slightly, a sign of his growing apprehension.

Roseanne smiled, "It's delicious, even better than when I make it!"

He visibly relaxed, his smile returning, "Oh, come on. It couldn't possibly beat yours."

"Don't be too modest, Professor!"

Her compliment was genuine, not just polite flattery. The food was truly good.

"So, you learned just by looking and doing odd jobs around?"

Owen Reynolds nodded, "And memorizing the steps."

Truly, a fast learner excels at anything they attempt.

The bell pepper steak and sautéed cabbage were also successes, not a misstep in sight.

"Really?" It was rare to see Mr. Reynolds doubt himself.

Roseanne couldn't help but laugh: "Not really."

"?"

"Just kidding."

""

After dinner, Roseanne got up to clear the table, but Owen firmly insisted against it.

"Go relax on the couch, scroll through your phone, watch some TV. I've got the kitchen."

Roseanne blinked, "Back at my place, didn't we used to do these things together?"

Owen Reynolds countered, "But you said it yourself, that was your place. Here, we do it my way."

"What kind of logic is that?"

"Next time we're at your place, I insist on not letting you do anything."

Hearing her almost petulant

response Owen couldn't help but smile, not rushing to clean up anymore. Instead, he sat down, "Ever

wondered why a project team needs a leader?"

Roseanne was puzzled, "What does that have to do with our current discussion?"

Owen Reynolds elaborated, "Even if

everyone is working on the same project, doing the same tasks, and even getting paid the same, why is there still a need for someone to be the leader? Sometimes, this leader might not even do as much as the others."

"Why?"

"Because

team needs a backbone,

a project needs someone to steer

the ship. This person doesn't need to do the same as everyone else, just needs to guide the direction at

crucial moments. It's like on

a ship,

where the crew handles the chores, but the captain steers."

Roseanne raised an eyebrow, "So... I'm the captain?"

Owen Reynolds nodded, "Alright then, crewmate, off to work I go!"

With that, he headed for the kitchen.

Roseanne paused, then burst into laughter, calling out, "Professor-you're too modest! How could I possibly be the captain? You're the one giving orders, more like!"

"Fine, then as captain, I order you to relax. And when we eat at your place, you can't stop me from helping," his voice carried from the kitchen. Roseanne was left wondering, how did it end up with him being right again?