Chapter 27: Unexpected Visit

Upon hearing the doorbell, Maverick turned to Venom, who smirked mysteriously and said, "Heh heh, don't worry, it's not an enemy. Go ahead and open the door."

Seeing Venom's demeanor, Maverick had a hunch about the visitor. He didn't have many people around him to begin with.

As he turned the doorknob and opened the door, as expected, the beautiful face of Felicia greeted him.

She was wearing a simple yet elegant black dress and carrying a small, delicate basket containing a potted plant and a card.

From Felicia's attire, it was clear she had put thought into her appearance. She didn't want to be too formal to avoid stirring up unpleasant memories for Maverick, yet she appropriately showed her respect and etiquette.

After expressing surprise and extending polite invitations, Maverick accepted the small basket from Felicia and ushered her inside.

Felicia smoothed her dress and settled onto the couch, her eyes taking in the changes in the house.

She had visited a few times before, and it didn't seem like much had changed, except for the addition of many boxes of chocolates.

"Why do you have so much chocolate? Are you planning to make desserts, Maverick?" Felicia wondered aloud. With so much chocolate, she couldn't think of any other use for it.

"Coffee? Or tea?" Maverick asked Felicia as he headed towards the kitchen.

Upon hearing Maverick's question, Felicia snapped out of her wandering thoughts and smiled gently. "Coffee will be fine."

Maverick operated the coffee machine while also preparing a cup of tea for himself.

"Were you preparing a meal just now?" Felicia asked as she entered the kitchen, curious about the vegetables Maverick had just placed on the cutting board.

Seeing the curious Felicia, Maverick handed her the coffee and casually replied, "Yes, I was. I stayed up late last night preparing some food, so I just woke up not long ago. Have you eaten? Would you like to join me?"

"Really?" Felicia blinked in surprise. She was quite interested in his skills, having tasted Maverick's cooking during her previous visits.

Watching Felicia's somewhat embarrassed probing, Maverick smiled and said, "Of course, I remember you prefer chicken. How about making spicy chicken, just like the pork one you had before? It has the same flavor."

"Mm-hmm!" Felicia nodded in agreement, her eyes lighting up at the thought of the flavor she had enjoyed last time.

Watching Maverick start chopping vegetables and cooking, Felicia suddenly felt a little embarrassed. She had originally planned to visit Maverick just to chat and catch up, but it seemed to have turned into a dinner invitation.

"I hope he doesn't think I'm a big eater," Felicia suddenly felt a bit self-conscious. Eating wasn't part of her original plan for the visit, especially since it was already past lunchtime. But Maverick had stayed up late last night and was only eating now.

She hadn't eaten much for lunch either, as school was about to start, and she needed to manage her figure. Thinking about this, she awkwardly blurted out, "Actually, I didn't eat much for lunch."

Upon hearing Felicia's sudden remark, Maverick was momentarily taken aback. But quickly, he understood and chuckled, "Then I'll make a little extra. I'm quite hungry myself."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Felicia regretted them. Oh no, what did she just say? Did she leave her brain at home when she went out? Realizing this, she quickly waved her hand and explained, "No, I meant to say I'm not a big eater."

Wait, that doesn't sound right either. Why does this keep getting weirder? Felicia felt like her mouth might be broken; she was just babbling nonsense.

Seeing Felicia's demeanor, Maverick couldn't help but find it amusing. He didn't know what was going on with Felicia today; she kept blurting out things that didn't make sense.

As he chuckled and changed the subject with Felicia, Maverick couldn't help but think, 'What's up with this girl? Why is she talking nonsense? Or is it because I've slept for a whole day that I didn't understand what she was saying.'

Venom also chuckled mischievously in Maverick's consciousness, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.

Felicia felt extremely embarrassed inside, but she maintained a calm demeanor on her face and chatted with Maverick as if nothing had happened, pretending that those words hadn't come from her.

With the cheerful laughter and conversation, the earlier awkwardness gradually faded away, and Felicia finally felt that her main purpose for this visit had achieved some effect.

'I hope Maverick can come out of his grief sooner,' Felicia thought as she looked at Maverick. 'Although I know it's difficult, Maverick seems to be doing a bit better than last time. I can sense that his heart doesn't feel as heavy.'

If Maverick knew what Felicia was thinking, he would definitely find her perception spot on. Indeed, his heart felt a bit lighter these days, especially after dealing with a few nuisances and uncovering clues about the others.

Once he dealt with the Hammond brothers, he could finally give solace to the soul of Old York and let him rest peacefully in whatever place he is in.

With Felicia's presence, the atmosphere at the dinner table became livelier and more cheerful. However, Venom was a bit unhappy because it couldn't indulge in the feast.

It had to wait until Felicia left before it could come out to eat. If an ordinary person saw its reaction, they would be terrified.

But there were pros and cons to this situation. While Venom couldn't eat, it also didn't have to do the dishes, enjoying a rare day of leisure.

"It's okay, just take the dishes back to the kitchen for me, I'll wash them later," Maverick suddenly said to Felicia, who was contemplating.

Upon hearing Maverick's words, Venom's expression changed, and it shouted loudly in Maverick's consciousness, "You can't do this! You're definitely waiting for her to leave and then making me wash them. You cunning human, I see through your deceit, I refuse to be treated like this!"

Ignoring Venom's noisy protests, Maverick continued to tidy up the dishes as usual and headed to the kitchen.

Of course, Felicia wouldn't really do that. After helping with the dishes, she volunteered to clean up the rest.

Maverick felt a bit embarrassed to let her do it alone, so they both ended up busy in the kitchen.

As Maverick washed the dishes, he couldn't help but feel nostalgic. It had been a long time since he washed dishes regularly, especially since Venom took over.

Although his scheme didn't succeed, Venom kept grumbling in his consciousness until Maverick pulled out the ace card of reducing its chocolate share, finally shutting Venom up.

°°°

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