Preacher's Paradox: The Tale Of Lust

" Since the lunch is not ready yet, how about we all go in the kitchen and talk while I cook something delicious for you? " Hazel suggest.

Simba was mischievous but most of all he was the laziest kid ever, other than making troubles he hates doing anything else so hearing that they will be going to the kitchen his face didn't look good even though he won't be doing anything.

Seeing his bad complexion Hazel frowned. ' This lazy mutt!' She cussed in her heart , but that's all is there to it, she can't raise her hand to him, after all he was still a kid, and he wasn't hers if words get out, it wouldn't look good for her.

" Do whatever you want but If you don't settle this before dinner I'll just let your father decide for me "

Simba trembled. His father wasn't the one to mess with, he still remember how he use to beat up his mother until she was half dead , In his heart Jeremy was shadow that haunts him.

" Alright, I'll go !" Simba spoke reluctantly.

" But brother , didn't you say we should make things difficult for her? Why are you letting her go easily " Bob who was still naive spoke and didn't not notice that the said person could hear them , Simba looked at his brother and wanted to smack his head but he held back and clenched his little fist.

Hazel observe the two and smirk, they were still too young and yet they use all their time to plot against her, however, something didn't sit right with her, when she married Jeremy about a year ago things weren't as bad as today.

Jeremy and her work in a same building, It was a large establishment in the city center owned by her uncle , on the upper floor there was a collage. The middle floors are for the family businesses and the lower are frames for renting. There is also an outer building owned by her cousin.

Her uncle has an office at the end to the middle floor, it os a small branch for his company that's head quarter's are in business areas, after her uncle's office there is also her aunts law firm which she used to do part-time after college and lastly was a tel communication company owned by one of her distant nephew and it was were the two met.

Jeremy has a permanent job with a little bit of money, so although his family wasn't that well off he had worked hard on his image, he has a demeanor of a young master and the looks of an actor, when Hazel first saw him she was captured by his beauty but later she found out that he was married so she gave up after all, there was plenty of fish in the sea.

It wasn't until two years later when Jeremy's wife passed away did the two become close, at that time Jeremy received a lot of insurance and he was lucky to be promoted to the marketing director, he was ideal man for many women and Hazel was no option,

Every time she recalled how foolishly she was , her heart aches, if she didn't go for the look, if only she didn't go to work for her auntie, if his wife didn't die. She has so many regrets but they were all consequences of her past choices, even if she wanted to go back, there is no way to turn back time.

" Bob!, making things difficult for mother will make you a bad boy, but you are mama's good boy, do you want to be a bad boy?" Hazel patted the boy's head , he is only five this year and Simba is seven, they are still growing, she believes that although it's impossible to change Jeremy, it was different with the boys , they are still young and naive , with education they will grow up to be better men.

" I don't want to be a bad boy! " Bob replied cutely.

" Good , good ! Now let's go to the kitchen. ".

Hazel was leading the ways followed by Bob, seeing that he was alone Simba didn't have a choice but to follow them though in his heart he was cussing Hazel to death. His hatred for her won't be erased by a mere words of mouth, but he had to compromise for now.

" We are grilling meat today"

" I love meat, but can I ask what are these big brown things, is this dirty " Bob asked curiously.

" They are called potatoes, you have eaten chips before, No? " Hazel calmly explained and Bob nodded, agreeing that he had eaten chips however he seems more puzzled than before.

" But chips are white and clean and so delicious "

" That's because you never observe when I cook, why do you think I cook in the kitchen? "

" I don't know! "

" Food comes raw, take this potatoes for example, they grow in the soil that's why they have dirty so before anything you grab them and wash them until they are clean like this then you start with the peeling"

Bob looked curiously, even Simba who was fuming at the far away conner was listening with some interest. Hazel was watching her step children with admiration and smiled, this is the first time these two didn't throw a tantrum since the last few weeks so she kept explaining in excitement.

" Then you cut them into chips cubes, you pour ices and let it cool for fifteen minutes to burn starch "

" Ice burns ? " Bob didn't seem to understand.

" It's literal meaning, you will understand when you grow up ". Bob chuckled.

These two kids weren't rebellious when she got married into the house, they use to like her and depend on her but things changed about a month ago, Simba started to throw tantrum and influence his young brother to hate Hazel.

Knowing that they weren't evil, she suspected maybe it's about growth or there is external influence but all in all, she can't go around finding trouble with children , this is why she just let them be.

" Okay, now that all the hard work is done who about we started to talk? "

" Simba! Why did you do that earlier? " Hazel asked calmly.

" Aren't you the evil stepmother? Why should I answer to you?"

Hazel gasped, this is not something that a child will figure out on his own , now she was sure that someone was feeding him some bad words.

" Do you even know what evil means? "

" I..I..." Simba didn't know what to say after all he was but a seven years old.

" Do you remember the story of Cinderella and stepmother, right? She was making her do all shores , starve her and beat her up , have I done anything of such? "

Simba thought about it and figured out that his stepmother was not like Cinderella's at all, not only she feed them and wash their clothes, she also bathe them. If this is evil then no one is saint in this world.

" Not every stepmother is bad, adopted mother is mother and a stepmother is mother, I'm not asking you to like me but don't hurt yourselves in a process of hating me ".

Bob has a fragile heart and he doesn't even remember his mother's face , all he know ever since he started to remember things is that this mother has been there for him , he cried and run to Hazel's arms , he was warm and sweet so Hazel couldn't help but hugged him back .

However Simba was still sulking on the conner, he couldn't except it, that woman said that this stepmother of his caused their mother's death so that she could replace her, seeing how she is trying so hard to be their mother that woman must be right.