CEO's Precious Assistant

Pearl's POV:

It was New Year's Eve. I was thrilled because it aligned with my birthday. In addition, with the new year beginning, I will be the sole owner of the bakery. The problem is, the future is inevitable, and no one has a clear picture of what will happen in the next minute, or second, or hour. If only I knew what the future had in store for me, I would have stuffed my face with sweets.

Anyway, the meal preparation was going well as my mother had invited everyone around our hometown to celebrate with us. Unwelcoming wouldn't describe my personality, but I wished mama didn't invite them. I was unsure if she liked them here or if she was trying to show everyone she had everything under control. I just didn't know.

The kitchen was buzzing, I stood at a safe distance, watching everyone working. I was the lead chef and I loved it. with everyone busy doing their work. I was the lead chef, and I loved it. Yes, at least something came out of the situation.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of mama. When I turned and wished immediately I hadn't. Mama was glaring at me as if I killed her bee, I had gotten used to it so I waved at her, the smile on my face widening. She smiled back but it wasn't the same smile I knew. It was dangerous, dirty, and forced. I took longer stretches to her and asked mom, you are creeping me out."

Huffing, she waved her arms around. "Hurry up. We don't have much time."

"Of course, mom," I answered and practically ran away from her, her look gave me chills.

I took it all in, never caring why she did that. I felt for her, I surely did. My mom's life had taken a toll after she got pregnant with me, well, at least that was what she told me. She settled in this hometown and started her bakery.

Five years ago, karma slapped her so hard I never thought I would watch her even eating. She lost her taste bud. I was around sixteen then, and I watched my mother turning from full of life to an empty shell, and with no father, I had no other choice but to drop out of school.

When it came to baking, I was excellent, I provided the best services and even weddings from the next town came to make their orders. I had been happy, happier that I didn't have to do homework, study up late, and all that.

An empty shell turned into something intolerable, and I became a mother to my mother. An ear she yaps to. Instead of crying out, I got used to it because in this town it was normal for a child to be a parent and vice versa. In this town, you...

"Pearl, why are you so gloomy?" Catriona, my girlfriend, cut me off from my trail of thought. A smile appeared on my face so easily, she looked around the kitchen. With a proud look, she pecked me on the cheek and then whispered, "I am leaving you to it."

We finished cooking and we began the next part. Baking.

Yay me!

I had already made enough dough for cookies, cakes, and queen cakes, the only thing remaining was to put them in the oven. As I waited for them to get ready, everyone slid out of the kitchen, leaving me alone to stare at the three ovens my mama worshipped.

Around five beautiful hours later of me happily in my head, my mother and Catriona streamed into the kitchen. They took the meals to the sitting room and left me to arrange the cookies in the tray. The aroma filling in the kitchen was the reason I woke up in the morning, the reason I believed a new dawn meant good and new things.

I did a beautiful job arranging it, it looked amazing. I took a bite of one cookie and grinned as I chewed it. The smile disappeared from my face when I couldn't taste anything. Impossible!

I could never forget the measurement, I could do it in the middle of the night, hell, even in an ongoing attack. I was a baker born to bake. I designed new cake menus in my dreams. I took a different cookie and munched on it, but still, nothing. "Pearl, relax, brush your teeth, take a drink. Okay?" I advised myself.

Finishing, I carried the cakes, cookies, and queen cake to the sitting room. No one glanced at me and I didn't blame them. They were savoring the delicious heap of food as if their lives depended on it. Fearing they would hear how hard my heart was beating against my chest, I went hurriedly into my bedroom.

My walls were clear, with no paintings, no photos, no nothing. My mother had said no when I asked if I could decorate it. There was only a mirror, I looked at myself and slowly pulled my tongue out. It was unimaginable. I didn't want to think about what was happening.

I didn't want to think I was about to meet mama's fate. A woman with no dreams because she lost her only getaway. Her loyal taste bud has gone rogue! The idea of me ending up like my mother sent shivers all over my body.

The sudden scream from the sitting room made me jump, I went to see what was happening, and I found everyone looking at their watches. My mother screamed, "let us go outside."

"Countdown!" They shouted.

Someone stepped on my feet, and it hurt like hell but I said nothing, I rushed into the kitchen and took out my mother's favorite cake I made only for her. With adrenaline rushing through me, I didn't need a fork, I scooped some cake and ate it faster.

"Can it be I have lost my taste bud?" I wondered as I went from sugar to salt, to water, to juice, and to other food I knew I knew my body was finding it hard to accept what I was doing to it.

They were at number 3, and they were screaming at the top of their lungs. Life was cruel and I cursed for being bad to me. I got a pineapple from the fridge, I was sure I could feel its taste, and still nothing. By now my heart had left my body.

"One!" They yelled.

"No! Please, no!" I said breathlessly and stuffed a banana into my mouth.

"Happy New Year." "No!"

Heat rushed over my body, I knew my taste bud was gone, I knew because I saw what happened with mama. Suffocated, I rushed to my bedroom and stared at the mirror, the tongue was there, of course, it was, silly me.

"Here." Catriona said.

I grabbed the oreo from her hands and stuffed it into my mouth. The crunching sound was so annoying but I didn't care, I took another one and passed it around my mouth, was I too crazy to conclude this? Was my taste bud asleep or was it official that I lost my only ticket?

I am so dead!