Independence

Natalie smiled as they walked out of the mall “Mimi, you must be feeling tired. Thank you for spending so much time shopping with me.”

“It wasn’t any trouble, Mrs. Jefferson. I had a great time shopping with you,” Miranda said, having made quite a few gains herself.

Natalie turned to Miranda with a pleading expression that made her look really adorable “By the way. I have something that I might need your help with”

“What’s the matter?

“Well, I’m going to host a tea tasting party where everyone will come together to drink tea, chat and

discuss the art of making tea.

Natalie originally scheduled for an instructor, who was a tea master from Andelius, to give a talk. They had even signed the contract, but the elderly tea master suddenly fell ill last night and was rushed to the hospital. As of now, he was still in critical condition.

“The party is tomorrow. Given the tea master’s con…..on, he definitely won’t be able to attend. I haven’t been able to find a suitable replacement. I remembered that Winter mentioned you know a lot about tea

and brew it well, so…”

Natalie paused before continuing. “I hope you won’t mind if I ask you to step in for the tea master. You just need to talk to everyone about tea culture and maybe showcase your tea–brewing skills”

Since Natalie was the one hosting the event, she might be ridiculed if things were to go south.

Winter was the one who told her about Miranda being knowledgeable about tea as she hadn’t witnessed

her tea–brewing skills in person.

To Natalie, as long as Miranda could talk about tea culture and brew a good cup of tea was good enough, She wasn’t expecting Miranda to be on par with the standard of a tea master.

“I see

Miranda thought for a moment. She finally relented after seeing Natalie’s expectant look. “Alright,

send me the address”All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

“Thank you so much, Mimi! You’re my lifesaver!” Natalie exclaimed.

That evening, Miranda asked for leave from Paul. When he asked about the reason, she didn’t hold back and explained the situation regarding the tea tasting party.

Then, Paul asked about the address, and Miranda shared the location with him. Paul noticed that it was held at the Bulgari Hotel, around three miles away from the lab: He asked regarding the estimated end time, which Miranda replied around 5.00 pm.

“Evening rush hour will make it hard for you to find a cab. I have an academic seminar nearby tomorrow, and it should end around the same time, I can pick you up afterward”

“Okay. Thank you, Dr. Jefferson

The next day, the tea tasting party took place as planned.

Chapter (58)

All the prominent ladies of the elite society attended, mostly out of respect for Natalie. She had considerable influence as she was the second daughter–in–law of the Jefferson family and a leader within

the circle.

Although the event was billed as a tea tasting party, it was more of a social battlefield for these ladies.

Before the gathering officially started, the quests grouped together in threes and fours. They were gossiping about the latest scandals in the society, or discussing the new season’s releases for luxury brands and whether they managed to get their hands on any of the exclusive items.

As the host of the event, Natalie was kept busy attending to various quests.

“Oh, Mrs. Susan, you’re here too?” one of the ladies exclaimed in surprise

Instinctively, Natalie turned toward the entrance and smiled warmly as she stepped forward to greet the newcomer. “Susan, you’re here! Please, come in.

It was Susan Kane, the eldest daughter–in–law of the Jefferson family and Felix Jefferson’s wife. Susan could be considered the matriarch of the Jefferson household.

Natalie’s husband, Damian Jefferson, was Felix’s your However, their relationship was complicated

brother, making the two women sisters–in–law

When Susan entered, she glanced around critically and frowned. “Why did you choose this place?”

Natalie knew that Susan was quite picky and explained with a smile, “There’s a hot spring nearby at the back of the mountain, I thought we could relax there after the tea tasting party, so I chose this venue.

Susan snorted lightly. “You sure know how to be pretentious.”