“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.”
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