The Unwanted Perfect Husband

Chapter 3

Thaddeus sat in the empty corner seat, trying his best to bond with them so they would finally accept him as part of the family.

When Gerald started talking about a new property investment, Thaddeus leaned forward slightly and said quietly, “I read that interest rates might drop next quarter. Maybe this would be a good time to...”

“Thad,” Gerald interrupted with a polite but clearly condescending smile. “You’re a chef. What do you know about property investments? Leave business matters to the men who actually work in offices.”

Several relatives nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, exactly,” another man added with a small laugh. “You work in a kitchen, not a boardroom. There’s a big difference.”

Thaddeus fell silent.

He worked as a chef at a mid-range restaurant in the city center. His salary was modest, his hours were long, and he often came home with the smell of spices clinging to his clothes. Outside this house, his colleagues respected his skills. But here, in front of his wife’s family, his profession was always looked down upon.

To them, a chef was nothing more than a man who stood behind a stove, not someone worthy of talking about money or business.

Eden, who was sitting near Yilna, gave a faint smile while holding his glass of wine. His expensive black suit was still perfectly pressed. Several relatives immediately turned their attention to him and began showering him with praise.

“Look at Eden,” one of the aunts said admiringly. “He works in an office, wears expensive suits, and talks about business. Now that’s what I call a successful man.”

“Exactly,” Noura said with a firm nod. “If my son-in-law were like Eden, I would be very proud.”

Soft laughter echoed around the table again.

Thaddeus lowered his head. He didn't respond. He was used to it.

Every time he tried to join a conversation about work or money, he received the same response.

‘You're just a chef.’

‘You work in a kitchen.’

‘You don't understand these things.’

“Well, I guess my attempt to bond with my wife's family has failed again,” he thought bitterly.

Yilna smiled at her relatives, accepting their praise about her position as CEO. Not once did she turn toward her husband sitting silently at the end of the table.

Across from him, Eden laughed with the other men, looking as though he belonged to the family far more naturally than Yilna's own husband.

Gerald was still laughing when his expression suddenly changed. His eyes widened. He tried to cough, but only a strangled, raspy sound came out. Both hands immediately flew to his throat. The piece of meat he had been chewing was stuck in his airway.

“Gerald?!” Noura shot to her feet in panic.

“Gerald?!” Shein screamed.

Everyone immediately erupted into chaos.

Several people stood up, while others began roughly patting Gerald on the back. Eden panicked as well, repeatedly hitting Gerald's shoulder, but nothing worked.

Gerald's face became increasingly red, then started turning blue. A few seconds later, his eyes rolled back, and his body collapsed sideways against the chair.

He passed out!

The entire room descended into chaos.

“Call an ambulance!”

“Quick! He isn't breathing!”

“Gerald! Gerald!”

Thaddeus, who had been sitting quietly moments earlier, immediately stood up and rushed to Gerald's side.

Thaddeus pushed away the hands that were still hitting Gerald's back without any clear purpose. Then he carefully tilted Gerald's head into the proper position. His fingers pressed against specific points along Gerald's jaw and neck as he checked his pulse. He then opened Gerald's mouth to examine the obstruction.

“The meat is lodged near his epiglottis,” Thaddeus said calmly. “If you keep hitting his back like that, you could push it deeper.”

Noura glared at him. “Don't act like you know everything! Are you a doctor now?!”

“I'm only telling you what I can see,” he replied calmly. “He choked because he was chewing too quickly while talking. The meat wasn't fully broken down.”

“Damn it!” another man snapped angrily. “Yilna's husband is always pretending to be smart. Just wait for the ambulance!”

Thaddeus ignored the insult. He continued supporting Gerald's jaw to keep his airway from closing completely.

Then Thaddeus lifted his head and said, “I can make something that might help him regain consciousness faster before the ambulance arrives.”

Everyone immediately stared at him as if he had lost his mind.

“What can you do about it, Thad?” Yilna asked, confused.

“Cook,” Thad replied. “I’m going to prepare a dish for him—"

“What?” Noura’s eyes widened. Thaddeus had not even finished his sentence before she cut him off. “Gerald is unconscious, practically dying, and you want to feed him your cooking?!”

“Are you crazy?!” Shein shouted. “This isn’t about being hungry! He needs medical attention, not food!”

“Thad, don’t joke around at a time like this!” one of the aunts added angrily. “You’re a chef, not a witch doctor! Don’t make a trouble!”

Eden shook his head as well, his expression concerned but clearly condescending. “Bro, this is serious. Don’t pretend you know what you’re doing. Just wait for the ambulance.”

“I’m not joking,” Thaddeus said. “I know what I’m doing.”

“You don’t know anything!” Yilna snapped. “All you’ve ever been good at is cooking in the kitchen, and now you suddenly claim you can wake an unconscious man with food? Don’t embarrass my family even more!”

“My wife, I... I just want to help." Thaddeus said. He felt hurt because, once again, his wife had snapped at him in front of all her relatives, just like she had during their previous family gatherings.

“Don’t you know that whenever you, Xalia, or Raxy get sick, my cooking always helps you recover?” he added, looking at Yilna.

Yilna fell silent.

Deep down, she knew he was right. But in front of her entire family, she didn't want to admit that her husband's cooking actually worked.