The Spoilt Beauty And Her Beasts-Chapter 680: Making dumplings 2

Ophelia pouted. "I am focusing."

Shelia glanced over and said, "You were staring into the meat like it owed you a confession."

That made Ophelia laugh in embarrassment, then she leaned a little into Valen and went back to washing.

Luca, on the other hand, had been ordered to knead part of the dough, and the sight of him trying to do it with a deeply resentful face was so funny that Isabella almost forgot her own work.

"You look like the dough offended your bloodline," she said.

Luca looked up. "It did. I was born for better things."

"Like what?"

"Standing elegantly and giving reports."

Zyran let out a lazy laugh from the side. "Your reports are boring too."

Luca gave him a look full of hatred.

Nearby, Shelia was reaching for another bowl, and because Luca was looking in her direction at that exact moment, he immediately got up and moved the heavier bowl before she could. The action was quick, almost too quick, like his body had moved first before his pride could stop it.

Shelia blinked at him. "Thank you."

Luca instantly cleared his throat. "It was in my way."

Isabella saw everything.

Naturally, she said nothing.

But inside her heart, she had already made a note.

"Oh?" she thought. "So that is how it is."

Before she could think further, the dough in front of her became troublesome.

Isabella frowned and pressed her hands into it again. The flour had mixed well enough, but the more she kneaded, the more obvious it became that her stomach was making everything harder. She could still do it, but she had to adjust her body more carefully, and after a while, even she became annoyed.

"This is irritating," she muttered.

That was the exact moment Zyran decided to become shameless again.

He walked up behind her with an innocent face that nobody in the room trusted, then bent slightly and wrapped his arms around her from behind as if he were the most helpful male in the world.

"Here," he said smoothly. "Let me help."

Before Isabella could even fully react, his hands had already covered hers, guiding the dough with exaggerated seriousness.

For one second, the whole room went quiet.

Then Isabella’s face twisted.

"You shameless bastard," she said at once. "Let go of me."

Zyran frowned in fake innocence. "Why are you scolding me? I am helping you knead."

"You are doing nonsense."

"No," he said very calmly. "I am doing dough."

Cyrus turned his head away because he was already smiling.

Ophelia nearly dropped the vegetable in her hand because she had started laughing too hard.

Even Osiris looked delighted by the trouble.

Isabella was still glaring when Zyran suddenly leaned closer and kissed her cheek.

Then, before she could even gasp properly, he dipped his fingers into the flour and rubbed some lightly across the tip of her nose.

The whole room exploded.

Luca burst out laughing.

Shelia covered her mouth.

Valen looked away with great effort, though even he failed to hide his smile.

Ophelia laughed so hard she had to hold onto the table.

Isabella stared in disbelief.

Then she looked absolutely betrayed.

"He bullied me," she said immediately.

That line made everyone laugh harder.

Kian, who had been standing with his arms folded nearby, finally lifted his eyes and gave Zyran one cold glare.

Only one.

That was enough.

Zyran’s shamelessness immediately shrank by half.

He straightened and lifted both hands. "Oh. I am so sorry."

He did not sound sorry at all.

In fact, the satisfaction on his face made it clear that he had enjoyed every second of being shameless.

Isabella pointed at him with flour still on her nose. "You enjoyed this too much."

Zyran coughed lightly. "Only a little."

Kian’s eyes narrowed.

Zyran corrected himself immediately. "I mean, I deeply regret it."

That finally made even Kian’s mouth twitch slightly.

Because Isabella was heavily pregnant, getting up quickly to chase Zyran was not even worth the effort. That only made her more annoyed. So she sat there looking wronged while Cyrus came over with a cloth and gently wiped the flour off her nose as if he were soothing a bullied child.

"There," he said softly. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Isabella huffed. "He is evil."

Zyran put a hand to his chest. "This is slander."

Glimora suddenly chose that exact moment to help.

The little white beast had apparently decided that everyone around her was too busy and too foolish, so she had proudly taken it upon herself to carry a small bundle Isabella had asked for earlier. At first she was doing quite well too, her little steps careful and her face extremely serious.

Then she jumped over one of the low stools.

Her paw slipped.

The bundle tumbled.

And Glimora herself rolled in the most embarrassing little way possible before landing on her side.

For one stunned second, the room went quiet.

Then laughter came from three directions at once.

Osiris laughed first because he had no self-control.

Then Zyran did.

Then even Ophelia covered her mouth because the whole thing had been so sudden and so dramatic that nobody was prepared.

Glimora immediately got up and looked around with the face of a proud little creature who had just realized she had humiliated herself in public.

She looked devastated.

Actually devastated.

Isabella’s heart softened at once.

"Aiya," she said, reaching for her. "Come here."

Glimora hurried over, and because she could no longer jump on Isabella’s lap the way she used to because of the pregnancy, she only rested her paws against Isabella’s leg and looked up with the saddest face in the world.

That only made Isabella laugh more softly.

She bent down as much as she could, petted her little head, and kissed between her ears.

"It is fine," she said. "You were still helping."

Glimora’s eyes instantly brightened.

Then she looked around at the others as if to say, "See? I am still favored."

Zyran noticed and clicked his tongue. "That beast has become too proud."

"Unlike you, she deserves it," Isabella replied.

After that, the whole room settled into a warm rhythm.

Kian came over once Isabella had kneaded enough and said in that usual calm tone of his, "Rest for a while."

Isabella was about to argue, but Cyrus was already beside her.

"You take care," he said gently. "We can handle this part."

Because both of them were looking at her with that same stubborn expression, Isabella knew resisting would only waste energy. So she let Cyrus guide her to sit for a little while, and from there she watched them all move around the kitchen area with warmth slowly filling her chest.