Snow was embarrassed but could only hold out her hand to Jared.
“Hello Mr. Johnston, I am Snow, Nicole’s cousin. Nice to meet you.”
She smiled and fiddled with her hair, trying to impress Jared. No boy at school could resist her
suggestive teasing, and she thought Jared was no exception. But Jared just nodded casually.
“Nice to meet you.” Snow and Raine tried their entire bag of tricks to impress Jared but hit a wall when
Jared snubbed them.
Norah immediately snapped back and wanted to smash down Nicole.
“We are sorry for the blunder. We were just discussing the coffee beans, and Nicole was just
spitballing. Hope you don’t mind if she is wrong.” Norah looked graceful. The way she pretended to
speak for Nicole could not be b*tchier.
Nicole’s stomach churned, and she almost threw up.
Just then, Jared suddenly said, “Miss Riddle is right, this coffee bean is indeed a product of my Floezen
manor, and she is spot on about the roasting method.”
Everyone gasped in surprise. The owner of this café was here, and he could not be lying. They never
expected that what Nicole said was correct. Everyone looked at Snow and Raine with disgust, as it
turned out that the two girls were just smart alecs.
Jared’s confirmation was a slap in the face for both Snow and Raine. They blushed in humiliation and
wished the ground would swallow them up.
At this point, Jared did not want to entertain the others anymore.
“Excuse me. I would like to talk to Miss Riddle in private.”
The invitation from such a charming man immediately aroused everyone’s envy. But it surprised Nicole
because Jared was cold to her when they met last time. So why did he suddenly want to talk to her
alone? It was at this time that she realized she had a problem.
The reason she knew this coffee bean so well was that someone gifted the coffee beans to her foster
father, who, in turn, gave it to her because she liked coffee. So, could it be that Jared knew about her
foster father? Her heart skipped a beat. Did this mean that she was likely to expose her identity?
Before she knew it, Jared had brought her into a private lounge as everyone looked on with envy.
After taking a seat, Jared stared at her with a thoughtful look and asked in curiosity.
“Strange to say, I have never sold the coffee beans produced in my estate in the market, and I have
only given it to some relatives and friends. I wonder how you know so much about it?” He had not
carefully checked Nicole’s background last time because she was only brought
from the countryside, and he thought her background could not be simpler. He had given the coffee
beans and red wine from his estaté to some bigwigs. How could she, a little girl from the countryside,
know about it? Nicole’s mind was racing, and she finally said, “Do you know Mr. Ellison?”
Jared did not know why she was asking this. After thinking for a while, he nodded.
“Mr. Ellison and my grandfather are old acquaintances, and we have known each other for many
years.”
Nicole was relieved and became bold when she heard this.
“Mr. Ellison and I are also kind of acquaintances, and I once had the privilege of drinking coffee brewed
from the coffee beans produced in your estate.” Nicole thought she had been very low-key.
After all, her relationship with Mr. Ellison was not a secret. Jared’s gaze deepened as he asked, “Are
you and Mr. Ellison close?”
If it were not for the genuine look in her eyes that told him she was not lying, he would have doubted
and thought that this little girl was bluffing.
Who is Mr. Ellison? He was a previous-generation giant figure of San Joto’s social circle.
Although Ellison had retired and was now working in the education industry, his network and stature
were still unmatched by many. He could be said to be a giant in the San Joto business community.
Those who could rub shoulders with him were all people of importance in San Joto.
Jared’s grandfather and Mr. Ellison were lifelong friends, and it was Jared’s grandfather who introduced
Mr. Riddle Sr. to Mr. Ellison. But this little girl claimed she was close to Mr. Ellison.
“Sort of. It was Mr. Ellison who helped me with the school enrollment and my problem with the Woods
family,” Nicole did not bat an eye, sounding as if it was something normal.
This shocked Jared even more, and the doubt in his eyes turned into inquisition.
Who was this girl, really? How could Nicole make Mr. Ellison so concerned about her and help her
settle the conflict between her and the Woods family? But the friendship between Mr. Ellison and Mr.
Riddle Sr. was not as deep as to warrant Ellison to care so much about Nicole. So, could what Nicole
said to be true?
Nicole took another sip of coffee when suddenly her phone rang. She answered it. Her driver informed
her that he had arrived.
She got up immediately and did not forget to take out a hundred-dollar bill and put it next to the coffee
cup.
“My driver has arrived. I have got to go now. Thank you for your hospitality.” Jared saw this and pushed
the banknote back to her.
“As long as our engagement is still intact, you are still my fiancée, and the coffee here is always free for
you.” Nicole was slightly stunned, not expecting to receive such privileged treatment. The production of
coffee beans in his estate was limited every year, yet she could drink as much as she wanted for free?
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