Hearing the girl's voice from outside, Hunter was slightly stunned for a moment.
"Mia, Dominic's sister?"
"Why is she here?"
His vigilance was extremely high; in his previous life, he had seen too many gunfight videos from 'Free America.'
Before his cheat could really show its power, Hunter was very cautious.
So, although the voice sounded like the Mia in his predecessor's memory,
Hunter did not open the door directly, but instead opened a crack in the door slightly.
There was still a deadbolt inside the door; although for a strong man, it was actually just a matter of one kick,
at least it provided some psychological comfort.
Through the crack in the door, Hunter immediately saw that standing outside was a sexy, young, and beautiful mixed-race beauty.
The beauty looked to be in her twenties, a mix of white and brown races, which is the so-called Latina mix.
The visitor was indeed Mia, Dominic's younger sister.
"Mia, why are you here?"
After Hunter made sure who the visitor was, he opened the door and invited her in.
Mia looked very mature, but in reality she was only seventeen or eighteen, a little younger than him.
However, Europeans and Americans develop earlier, so they naturally look more mature.
Hunter had to admit Vince had good taste.
Although Mia was still young, she already radiated the charm of a sexy siren.
Still, judging from the original owner's memories,
Mia and the original owner weren't close. He'd only worked at Dominic's garage for a short while.
He'd met Mia only because she'd recently brought her beloved car
to the garage for maintenance and the original owner happened to be assigned to the job.
So they'd merely exchanged a few words.
Let alone Vince's hostility—Hunter found it baffling.
Even Mia showing up at his door felt strange.
Mia stepped inside, glanced around the small but fairly tidy room.
Raised by rough men, the outwardly sexy siren was actually a bit of a tomboy at heart, and her eyes lit up.
"Hey, Hunter, nice place."
Mia wasn't as shy as she looked. She'd dropped out of high school like him and, with her brother's help, opened a small family restaurant.
So she was outgoing and determined.
Hunter smiled, nodded, led her in, then headed for the fridge.
"Have a seat."
"I've only got beer and canned coffee—what'll it be?"
Mia: "Beer."
He gave her a surprised look, but opened the fridge, took out an ordinary supermarket beer and handed it over.
"Thanks."
Mia cracked it open and took a long swig.
Instead of sitting on the sofa she sniffed the air.
Her big, captivating amber eyes were drawn to the simple tomato-and-beef stew bubbling on the stove.
"Are you cooking?"
"Smells great!"
Realization struck; Hunter paled and hurried to turn off the burner.
Then he moved the pot of simple tomato beef to a cold burner.
He lifted the lid to check whether the sauce had dried up.
The moment the lid came off, a rich beef aroma mingled with faint milky sweetness and tomato tang filled the room.
To his surprise,
the mechanical prompt he expected didn't sound.
Puzzled, he watched Mia, drawn by the scent, lean in and inhale deeply, eyes sparkling.
"So fragrant!"
Only then did Hunter remember he had a guest.
Seeing Mia approach so naturally, he glanced at the wall clock.
It was nearly noon—lunchtime.
Though the original owner had suffered because of Mia, here was a girl he barely knew taking the initiative to visit.
Hunter felt rather pleased with this pretty mixed-race girl.
"It's lunchtime—let's taste my cooking."
"I learned this Chinese dish from a chef in Chinatown."
Mia's amber eyes blinked; she didn't blush at all.
When Hunter looked over and invited her,
her gaze settled on his young, gentle yet handsome face.
People's aesthetics are much the same the world over.
Having grown up around rough guys because of her brother,
Mia had little interest in hot-tempered, crude men like Vince.
Originally she'd simply taken her car for routine maintenance and shown no special interest in Hunter.
But after learning that, because of her,
Vince had picked on the Chinese guy who serviced her car and even knocked him out,
the kind-hearted girl asked Sister Letty for Hunter's address and came to apologize.
She never expected to discover an unknown side of this guy only a little older than herself.
Hearing his invitation, Mia smiled.
She didn't refuse and readily agreed.
"Sure!"
Hunter had never dealt much with foreigners, but judging from the original owner's memories,
These foreigners don't seem to share the reserved temperament of Xia people.
Still, they're not annoying.
Hunter rummaged through the cupboard, found two plates, dished up some tomato beef, and carried them to the small dining table.
This kind of Xia dish is usually best with rice.
Unfortunately, his predecessor's palate had long since Westernized.
Hunter had already checked the fridge—nothing but sliced bread.
So he took a few slices, toasted them in butter until lightly golden, and brought them over.
'It's a tight squeeze—hope you don't mind!'
Hunter set the toast in front of Mia and handed her a spoon and fork.
Mia watched as he sat down beside her.
She didn't scold; she simply smiled, nodded, and speared a cube of beef.
Then she popped it eagerly into her mouth, and a blissful smile blossomed across her face.
'Delicious—really delicious!'
Almost the instant those words of praise left her lips,
Hunter had been wondering why the cold mechanical voice hadn't sounded—until now.
'Ding. Total cooking time: 57 minutes. Evaluation: exceptional.'
'41 Culinary Skill experience gained. Keep up the good work and raise your Culinary Skill level.'