From that day onward...
The atmosphere inside the Moretti kitchen changed completely.
It was no longer just a cooking show.
It had become something warmer.
Something alive.
Every morning, before the cameras even started rolling, the crew found themselves searching for only one person.
"Where's our Little Prince?"
The question became part of the daily routine.
And almost always...
The answer came in the form of tiny giggles echoing through the enormous kitchen.
Raghuveer quickly became everyone's favorite.
The makeup artists fought over who got to carry him first.
The camera operators competed to make him laugh.
The lighting assistants secretly kept colorful toys beside their equipment just to steal one more smile from him.
Even Lara, who usually remained strict during filming, found herself abandoning schedules whenever the little boy crawled toward her.
She would immediately scoop him into her arms.
"My goodness..."
she laughed one morning.
"This production has a new director."
The crew nodded seriously.
"And we're all working for him."
Everyone burst into laughter.
But no one adored his presence more than Damiano.
Every shooting day...
The little boy waited patiently on the wide marble counter, surrounded by wooden spoons, measuring cups, tiny bowls, and harmless kitchen tools that fascinated him endlessly.
While the cameras focused on recipes...
Damiano's attention often wandered toward his smallest companion.
He couldn't help it.
Whenever Raghuveer laughed...
He smiled.
Whenever Raghuveer frowned...
He instinctively looked to see what was wrong.
Whenever the little boy became sleepy...
His own voice softened without realizing it.
The entire crew noticed.
No one said anything.
But everyone noticed.
One afternoon...
They were filming an episode featuring homemade pasta with roasted vegetables and fresh basil cream.
The aroma filled every corner of the kitchen.
As always...
Damiano finished preparing the sauce before turning toward the marble counter.
"Our critic..."
he smiled.
"I need your opinion."
The crew immediately laughed.
Alankrita folded her arms, pretending to be serious.
"I hope our critic remains impartial."
Damiano raised an eyebrow.
"He has far better standards than professional food reviewers."
Raghuveer blinked.
As though he understood every word.
The cameras zoomed closer.
Damiano dipped the tip of his little finger into the warm sauce.
He blew gently to cool it.
Then offered it carefully to Raghuveer.
The little boy tasted it thoughtfully.
For several seconds...
His tiny face became unusually serious.
The entire crew leaned forward dramatically.
"What will the verdict be?"
someone whispered.
Raghuveer smacked his lips once.
Then...
Without hesitation...
He reached forward and dipped his own tiny finger back into the sauce.
The kitchen erupted into laughter.
Damiano laughed hardest of all.
"Approved."
he declared proudly.
"Our critic has excellent taste."
From then on...
It became tradition.
Every new recipe ended the same way.
First...
Chef Damiano tasted it.
Second...
Host Alankrita described it.
Finally...
Little Raghuveer gave the only opinion that truly mattered.
If he happily reached for another bite...
The recipe was declared successful.
If he turned away...
Damiano immediately frowned in exaggerated disappointment.
"Oh?"
"Our prince refuses?"
He would taste the dish again.
"Hmm..."
"Needs more butter."
The crew laughed.
He adjusted the seasoning.
Then returned to Raghuveer.
"What about now?"
Sometimes...
The little boy happily accepted.
Sometimes...
He stubbornly refused again.
Whenever that happened...
Damiano dramatically sighed toward the camera.
"Our youngest judge remains impossible to please."
The audience loved it.
Messages flooded social media after every episode.
"Baby Pumpkin is adorable!"
"Raghuveer should become a permanent cast member!"
"The Little Prince deserves his own cooking show."
Even Lara admitted...
Ratings had climbed higher than ever before.
Alankrita watched all of this quietly.
Every day...
She saw the bond between them deepen.
It wasn't forced.
It wasn't performed for cameras.
The moment filming ended...
The cameras switched off.
Yet nothing changed.
Raghuveer still crawled toward Damiano.
Still laughed whenever he saw him.
Still stretched out his tiny arms, asking silently to be carried.
And every single time...
Damiano picked him up.
Without hesitation.
Without complaint.
As though it had become the most natural thing in the world.
One afternoon...
While filming a special dessert episode...
The atmosphere inside the kitchen was unusually cheerful.
Today's recipe was Damiano's signature honey and vanilla semifreddo topped with fresh berries and pistachios.
The dessert was elegant.
Simple.
Beautiful.
Just like the chef who created it.
As the final garnish settled into place...
The director smiled.
"And..."
"That's a wrap."
Before anyone could move...
Damiano stopped them.
"One moment."
He picked up a small silver spoon.
Scooping a perfect bite of the dessert.
Alankrita looked toward him, expecting him to present it to the camera.
Instead...
He turned toward her.
She was busy reading the next cue card.
Completely distracted.
Without saying a word...
He gently held the spoon before her lips.
Instinct took over.
Thinking only that it was part of the presentation...
She leaned forward.
And tasted it.
The creamy sweetness melted across her tongue.
Her eyes closed for the briefest second.
"Mmm..."
She smiled unconsciously.
"It's wonderful."
Only then...
Did she realize.
Silence.
The kitchen had become completely silent.
Very slowly...
She lifted her eyes.
Damiano was still holding the spoon.
Looking directly at her.
The realization struck like lightning.
He had fed her.
With his own hand.
And...
She had accepted it without thinking.
Her cheeks instantly flushed crimson.
"Oh..."
she whispered under her breath.
The cameras were still rolling.
The entire crew stared in stunned silence.
Damiano himself seemed equally surprised by what had just happened.
A faint blush crept across his own face.
He cleared his throat awkwardly.
Then...
As though trying to recover his composure...
He smiled at Raghuveer.
"Now..."
"Our critic."
He scooped another spoonful from the same dessert.
Blew gently to cool it.
Then offered it to the little boy.
Raghuveer opened his mouth immediately.
"Aaa..."
Everyone laughed again.
The tension dissolved.
But not completely.
Because Alankrita still stood frozen.
The sweetness of the dessert lingered on her tongue.
Along with something far more dangerous.
The memory of the quiet intimacy they had unknowingly shared.
Neither of them spoke.
Neither dared mention it.
Yet both knew...
One innocent spoonful...
Had crossed a line neither of them had intended to cross.