When they arrived at the main house, Marina followed Daron into the main hall, while Verena was still standing behind Leo.
Maybe it was because the Blanchard family wasn’t there, and Daron had just left.
So Verena was able to chime in a few times about the annual party arrangements.
But as soon as Daron returned, she fell silent, standing quietly and trying to blend into the background.
When Daron and Marina came back, Edmund asked quietly, “How’s Zara doing? How could she be so careless?”
Daron replied quietly, “She sprained her ankle. She needs to stay in the hospital for observation for a day before she can go home to rest.”
Edmund nodded. “So Hayley will have to stay there to look after her?”
Daron just said, “Yeah,” and went back to his seat.
Edmund glanced over at the coffee table and said quietly, “Every year before the annual party, when we gather here to discuss things, it was always Hayley who used to make coffee for us over there.”
“Now that she’s not here, it feels a bit strange not having her coffee this year.”
Leo smiled and said, “Since Hayley’s not here, why don’t we have Verena make the coffee for us? She’s been practicing for
years now…”
Before he could finish, Harris cut him off in a low voice. “Let’s have Ms. Finley do it then.”
Verena was already making her way over, but to everyone’s surprise, Harris turned to Marina instead.
“Your grandfather was an expert in the art of coffee. You grew up by his side, so you must have learned a lot from him,” Harris said.
Marina didn’t feel nervous at all when Harris singled her out.
Daron’s gaze landed on her.
Seeing that she didn’t turn to him for help, Daron couldn’t help but frown.
Matthew who never liked Marina, spoke up in a low, dismissive voice after hearing Harris,
“Harris, you said yourself that was back when her grandfather was still around.”
“This girl’s been off in North City for ten years. She must’ve forgotten all that stuff her grandpa taught her ages ago
Daron exhaled slowly, his eyes flashing with irritation. “Uncle Matthew…”
But before Daron could say anything, Marina turned to Harris, who was sitting at the head of the table.
“Let me do the honors, though I may not be as skilled. If the coffee isn’t to your liking, I hope you’ll forgive me,” she said.
With that, she walked over to the coffee table.
Daron watched her walk away, his brow furrowing slightly.
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พ
She really didn’t even think about asking me for help.
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Marina walked up to a table, washed her hands, and then started brewing coffee for everyone with practical ease.
Even though Harris shut him down and made him look bad, Leo didn’t make a fuss about it.
Verena’s place in the Zamora family had always been awkward, so it was no surprise that Harris refused to accept her as one of them.
As long as his son’s name was written into the Zamora family registry, Leo couldn’t care less about what happened to Verena.
Harris shifted his gaze away from Marina and picked up the previous conversation.
The servant waited nearby as Marina brewed the coffee, then served it to everyone one by one once it was ready.
When the servant was about to serve Matthew, Marina shook her head gently at the servant and said quietly, “I’ll prepare a different coffee for Uncle Matthew in a moment.”
The servant nodded and set the cup in front of Edmund instead of Matthew.
Edmund could already smell the fresh coffee aroma wafting through the room as Marina brewed.
The scent filled the living room, lingering for ages.
Only someone who really knew their way around coffee could bring out that kind of natural fragrance.
It looked like Marina still remembered everything her grandfather taught her, even after all those years away from Vrufield.
Edmund took a sip of the coffee and nodded in approval.
He was always pretty smooth in how he handled things and wasn’t nearly as hostile toward Marina as Matthew was.
“Smooth, mellow, and the color’s perfect. No wonder she’s Mr. Finley’s granddaughter. She’s got some real skill.” Edmund said.
Harris acknowledged with a quiet “mm,” not adding anything further.
Marina stayed focused on brewing the coffee, unfazed by Edmund’s compliment and showing no hint of delight.
Matthew glanced over at Marina.
Even though he was a bit miffed that Edmund got his coffee first, remembering how Marina said she’d make a special blend just for him made him secretly look forward to it.
Once Marina finished brewing the special coffee for Matthew, she signaled the servant to bring it over
The servant placed the cup in front of Matthew.
Unlike Edmund, who tasted his coffee right away, Matthew didn’t bother to try his at all.
With an air of indifference, he kept chatting with Harris about the Zamora Group’s annual party, acting like the coffee meant nothing to him
She really thinks a cup of coffee will win me over? Dream on Matthew thought to himself, scoffing.
Matthew shot a sidelong glance at Marina, noticing she didn’t even spare him a look. He couldn’t help but furrow his brows.
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After a long moment, he finally picked up the cup, pretending it was nothing, and took a casual sip.
Bitterness instantly flooded his mouth.
His face twisted in a frown.
Damn, this coffee is way too bitter, Matthew thought.
Caught off guard, Matthew felt the bitterness linger all the way down to his stomach.
He slammed his cup down and glared at Marina, who was still focused on her coffee–making.
Matthew snapped, glaring at her, “Did you do this on purpose?”
Marina shot Matthew a calm, unbothered look, clearly unfazed by his accusation.
‘Uncle Matthew, what do you mean by that?”
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Matthew’s face darkened as he snapped, “The coffee you made for everyone else leaves a sweet aftertaste, but the one you gave me is so bitter I can barely swallow it!”
‘Did you make this bitter coffee for me on purpose?”
‘Not only am I your grandfather’s peer, but now that you’ve married Daron, I’m your elder too. Are you really holding a grudge and treating me like this? Is it me you don’t respect, or the whole Zamora family?”
Matthew really laid into her, his words cutting deep.
If it had been anyone else, they would’ve been scared stiff by now.
But there wasn’t even a flicker of fear in Marina’s eyes.
She stayed cool and collected, meeting Matthew’s glare without backing down for a second.
After Matthew finished his accusations, Marina finally spoke up, her voice gentle yet unwavering.
“Uncle Matthew, is the aftertaste still so bitter now?” she asked calmly.
Matthew was caught off guard by her question, his face freezing for a moment.
The bitterness in his mouth had already faded away, and now he could taste a lingering sweetness rising up.
Marina smiled and explained, “The coffee I brewed for you is herbal coffee. It’s good for cooling liver heat, lowering blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. It even helps with bad breath.”
She deliberately paused when she mentioned “helps with bad breath,” then went on to describe the flavor of herbal coffee in detail, her tone gentle and unhurried.
What Marina was really hinting at was that Matthew had let his coffee sit for too long, so once it cooled, the bitterness came out first, and the sweetness takes a little time to show up.
Her voice was so calm and refined that it was hard to believe she’d done it on purpose.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
