152 INFORMED

ARIEL'S POV I was standing in the spacious kitchen, preparing dinner for myself and Luke. The day had gotten dark, and the soft glow of the lights in the kitchen added a cozy feel to the room. I was lost in my own thoughts, planning the perfect menu for tonight's dinner, which I could consider to be lovely. But then I heard the door open. I turned around to see Tina walking in with a basket of freshly picked herbs. "Good evening, Miss Ariel." Tina greeted me with a smile. "Good evening, Tina. How was your day?" I asked politely, trying not to sound too interested. Tina, of course, as I had said before, was a blabbermouth, and I didn't want to get caught in one of her never-ending stories. "It was good, Miss Ariel. I spent the morning cleaning the guest rooms, and then I did a little bit of work at the garden before you and Mr. Reynold showed up," Tina replied, placing the basket on the kitchen counter. "That's good to hear. Now, if you don't mind, I need to finish preparing dinner