“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. “What brings you here, Callum?” She wasn’t worried about him seeing anything, but he might do something stupid if he found out she couldn’t go back.
“I saw the news. You’re hurt, so I came as fast as I could.”
“I’m fine. Look.” She stood up and gave herself a twirl while hiding her arm behind her back.
She tried to show him she was fine, but Callum was not convinced. His eyes were fixed on the arm she was hiding, and there was fury gleaming in his gaze.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me