Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
Tiffany froze. Y-Yeah. That’s my line. So, what should I say now?
“I don’t need your apology. If you like Frank, you can woo him. But I’d advise you not to mess with me, or else you’d be sorry. I can tell you that my ways of getting revenge are much crueler than Frank’s.”
Elspeth smiled and turned to Frank.
“Let’s go. We have a wine tasting to attend.”Frank nodded and left with Elspeth, leaving Tiffany feeling humiliated and furious.The wine tasting was held in a villa’s backyard belonging to a mysterious wealthy man, and only the city’s finest were invited. Frank was very famous in Blaydal, and everyone thought highly of him. This was their first time seeing him with a woman. And more importantly, the woman was a beautiful one, and she resembled Frank.Those who knew of Elspeth pointed at her, whispering,
“I know her. She’s the Jonesons’ granddaughter. She was lost when born. Grew up in a small town, so she’s not of prestige.””I see. I thought she was a rich lady. Though, she seems noble enough.””Probably just a pretense.”The conversation failed to escape Elspeth, and she shot the two of them a warning look. The guests felt a shudder run down their spines, and they clamped their mouths shut immediately.The wine tasting began a moment later, and glasses of wine were laid out on the table, glimmering beautifully. The host walked onto the stage and announced,
“Anyone who can name these drinks correctly wins the prize.”The guests exchanged a look, but none moved. There were about a dozen glasses of wine on the table, and no mouthwash was provided. It seemed simple enough to taste and identify the wines, but it was a challenge in reality. Unless the taster had a great tongue, their taste buds would be fooled by the mixture of all the drinks they had.Ten minutes went by, but there were still no volunteers. They didn’t want that antique glass anyway, and none of the guests wanted to embarrass themselves, so they only watched quietly. Frank eventually took the challenge, but he made a wrong guess for the last glass of wine.He came back looking dejected, and Elspeth smiled.
“You really want that glass, huh?”He nodded.
“Yeah. I’ve been collecting them, and that’s the last one of its series. It’d be a pity if I couldn’t get all of them.”Spencer was raising a toast with the other guests nearby, but he came over upon noticing Frank’s dour mood and patted his shoulder.
“It’s alright. Not like anyone can guess it anyway. We can just buy it off later.”Elspeth looked at him like he was an idiot.
“Why would you want to pay for it when you can get it for free?”Spencer wasn’t mad at her remark. He was used to her way of speaking, so he only smiled as he replied,
“It’s not a simple challenge. Not everyone can guess the drinks correctly.”She mused over that.
“What if I can?”Frank’s eyes lit up at that.
“Really?””Yep, but I have a condition.”I knew it.
“Name it.””I’ll tell you about my terms when the time comes. But for now, I’ll hold on to that favor first.”
With that, she approached the table.”Here for the challenge, lady?”Elspeth nodded in affirmative.
“Let’s begin.”
She went through the drinks and guessed everything correctly. When she got to the final drink, she had a taste and answered without a moment of hesitation,
“Billionaire Vodka.””Ah, a pity, but that’s the wrong answer, lady.”She got it wrong too? The light in Frank’s eyes dimmed slightly.However, Elspeth shook her head, smiling.
“No. That was the correct answer.””Are you questioning my professionalism?”
The sommelier sounded upset.
“I am an internationally famous sommelier hired by Mr. Zekeley for this event. My word is authority.”The guests couldn’t believe Elspeth was challenging the sommelier, and they burst into laughter.”Look at her! That bumpkin is challenging the sommelier!””I can’t believe it! She’s already lucky enough she was invited!””Bah, just chase her off. She’s a party pooper.”Did he just say he was internationally famous? Elspeth eyed the sommelier up and down before commenting,
“Really? But I’ve never heard of you.”The sommelier’s face was black as thunder.
“I know you’re upset, but please do not insult me, lady.””If you don’t trust me, just have a taste of the Billionaire Vodka.”
She looked at the sommelier calmly.The sommelier had a taste, and he looked shocked.”Billionaire Vodka is a product of Leos Verres, a brand-name company. Every bottle of this vodka contains five liters of pure vodka. With the use of the best grain, the vodka is made with the traditional Rotlia brewing method, going through five distillations before it can move on to the next procedure. And then, it would be filtered through the ice, followed by Scandian birch, then gauze made of crushed diamonds and gemstones. The bottle this vodka is stored in boasts a premium feel as it is covered in heaps of white feathers and decorated with three thousand white diamonds. They’re made entirely by hand, making every bottle of Billionaire Vodka a work of art.”Elspeth looked at the sommelier as she smiled.
“You’re a sommelier. You should know that much.”The sommelier turned red in the face, and he stammered,
“O-Of course I do.”However, Elspeth wouldn’t let him off the hook just yet. She pressed on,
“In that case, why did you say this wasn’t Billionaire Vodka?”The sommelier paused for a moment before answering with great reluctance,
“B-Because Mr. Zekeley said this was tequila when he gave it to me.””And you believed him before you even had a taste. Honestly, I wonder how you even got your certification.”Elspeth was very direct with her words. The sommelier only felt awkward a while ago, but now, he felt insulted.
“Well, this is just a lucky guess of yours. If I’m not a sommelier, neither are you. You don’t even have a certificate. What makes you think you can insult me?”She cocked her eyebrow.
“But I am a sommelier.””Is that supposed to be a joke?”
The sommelier laughed.
“Just because you know a bit about alcohol doesn’t mean you’re a sommelier. Where’s your certificate, then? Show me.”Elspeth shot him a look of disdain and shook her head.
“I don’t have it with me, but you should have heard of Rarity, right?”Is she talking about that Rarity? The renowned sommelier?”That’s me. I’m Rarity.”
“Of course. She’s the youngest sommelier to make a name for herself. She’s better than me.”
The sommelier couldn’t believe Elspeth would lie through her teeth, and he guffawed.
“And you claim to be her? Is that a joke?”
“Why can’t I be her?”
Elspeth looked at the sommelier with a smile.
“Three years ago, Rarity made a name for herself at an international wine-tasting event and was dubbed the Tongue of God. Haven’t you seen the video? I looked different back then, but you should be able to recognize me immediately.”The sommelier looked awkward while the guests quickly searched for the video. Every sommelier was shown clearly on the screen, including Rarity, the winner of that event.”Whoa, it is her!””I can’t believe a world-famous sommelier is right here at this event. This is incredible!””I can’t believe someone said she was a bumpkin. She’s Rarity herself. How could someone be so stupid?””Rarity is old Mr. Joneson’s granddaughter? Whoa, she’s the family pride.”The crowd burst into a discussion, and Elspeth stared at the sommelier, standing straight up so he could have a better look at her face.
“That was me. It was a famous event, but not everyone cared about it. It isn’t something related to their everyday life, just like how most people have no idea that Willem-Alexander is the king of Hollish.”
She looked at him mischievously.
“So, world-famous sommelier, don’t tell me you have no idea this video exists.”The sommelier felt embarrassed. He did bluff a little. At most, he was a slightly famous sommelier, and everything he knew about Rarity was merely from stories he had heard from others. He had heard about her, but he had no idea what she looked like.
“I am sorry, Miss Rarity. I shouldn’t have suspected your judgment.”
The sommelier was proud, but he was willing to admit his faults and acknowledge his betters.Elspeth shrugged it off.
“Next time, have a taste of the drinks at a wine-tasting event. You are a sommelier, so use your tongue.”The sommelier was nearly forty years old. Elspeth was about half his age, and he was a little fidgety about being lectured by her, but he wasn’t complaining.”Sorry, everyone. The champion for this event is Miss Rarity herself!”
He took the glass from the podium and handed it to Elspeth.
“Here, this is yours. You deserve it.”She took it with a smile.
“Thank you.”
After that, she noticed everyone was treating her differently, especially the men who previously thought she was a bumpkin. Now, they were trying to be her sycophant. She shot them a look and approached Frank.
“Here. The glass you want.”
She tossed the glass to him.
“Don’t forget. You owe me one.”Frank was still flabbergasted, and Spencer looked surprised as well and teased with a smile,
“So, you’re Rarity. Couldn’t have guessed that.”She looked into his eyes and smiled beautifully.
“Just because I’m pretty doesn’t mean I can’t be a sommelier.”At the sight of her lovely smile, he could feel his heart skip a beat.
“You are indeed pretty.”
I can’t believe that Winthrop guy is dating her. How lucky of him! Just when Elspeth was about to call him a pervert, someone shouted,
“Look! There’s something up there!”She looked into the sky and saw a big barrel of lard hanging from a drone. On the very next second, the barrel of lard was dropped into the backyard. Alarmed, Elspeth grabbed Frank and dodged the attack. Spencer easily evaded the incoming barrel as well, thanks to his agile feet. However, everyone else wasn’t as lucky. They were drenched in lard and couldn’t even walk. Everyone slipped and groaned in pain.Elspeth turned to Frank and asked,
“Are you alright?””Yeah, but-“
The sentence was never finished. A shocked Frank quickly pulled her into his embrace.An agonizing, burning sensation washed over his body, and before long, the pain knocked him out. Wait, that’s acid! Elspeth felt a wave of pain coming from her arm. Her skin was burned, but she held back her pain and raised her head. Right then, she saw someone hurrying away with a bottle of acid in their hand. Not the time to chase after them. She held Frank up, but what met her eyes was the injuries he had sustained for her sake.
“Call 911, Spencer!”Realizing the severity of the situation, Spencer frowned.
“No time. I’ll take him to the hospital.”Elspeth nodded and let him take Frank to his car. Then, they went to the hospital. Frank was taken into the operating room, and Spencer looked at Elspeth’s bleeding arm.
“I’ll get a doctor for you,”
he said quickly.”Sure.”
She nodded. She scrolled through the news while the nurse was dealing with her wound. As she expected, the attack was reported, and everyone’s eyes were on it. It even showed up on Google Trending three times in a single day.’Jonesons’ granddaughter is renowned sommelier, Rarity. Embarrassed a Blaydal sommelier.”Attack on the event. Lard causes injuries!”Acid attack on Frank Joneson! The Jonesons are furious!’Elspeth felt waves of pain coming up her arm, and the nurse was trembling even though she was just supposed to rub some salve over the wound. Probably a newbie.Eventually, Spencer couldn’t take it anymore and took the salve.
“I’ll handle it.”
He smiled.Elspeth thought he would handle it poorly, but to her surprise, he was better than the nurse. The pain was gone, and only a cool sensation was left. She stared at the serious Spencer, and she had conflicting emotions about him. He seems different from what I thought.Just then, someone flung the door open. Callum stood beyond the door, watching Spencer rubbing the salve on Elspeth’s arm. He seemed worried at first, but then he looked angry.Elspeth pulled her arm back in a hurry.
