Chapter 18

Henrick. “I‘ll meet you guys at the airport.”

With that, Arielle held her head high like royalty and disregarded Shandie
completely. She followed closely behind the man as they exited the airplane.

Shandie‘s and Cindy‘s faces twisted with jealousy at the luxurious private jet that parked beside them

Shortly after, Arielle boarded the jet. The first
thing she saw was Vinson, whose head was lowered to focus on reading a contract.

The assistant spoke up, “Mr. Nightshire. I‘ve brought Ms. Moore over.”

Vinson hummed a simple Mm–hmm in reply without even looking up.

Arielle felt uneasy. Not knowing how to respond or what to do, she tensed with her feet planted on the g
round

Thankfully, the assistant came to her rescue. He advised, “Mr. Nightshire is currently busy. You may ma
ke yourself comfortable in the cabin that‘s inside.”

“Okay.” Arielle nodded. She then cautiously walked past Vinson and entered the cabin.

Once inside, Arielle‘s jaw dropped in shock. She exclaimed, “Rain?”

The blonde man lifted his gaze and gawked, equally as surprised.
“San? I never thought I‘d see you here. Have you returned to this country?‘

“Mm–hmm, I just got back some time ago.”



Rain cheerily patted at the seat beside his, beckoning her over. “Come sit with me.”

Arielle obliged. Once she sat down, questions about her current life came out of Rain‘s mouth with burg
eoning excitement. He also invited, “I’m heading to Norham for the academy‘s award ceremony. If there
‘s nothing on your schedule, would you like to attend as well since you are one of our academy‘s found
ers?”

Rain was the principal of the Crown Coffee Academy and a world–renowned coffee sommelier.

Back then, Arielle and Rain were the ones who came up with as well as established the Crown Coffee
Academy

They wanted to create a place where coffee enthusiasts could expand their knowledge on coffee–
making

What they never expected was for the academy to develop into a well–
known spot for socialites Hence, Rain created a restriction whereby
only ten students may receive the expert level barista certificate. This way, only the elite, talented, and
worthy coffee connoisseurs could receive these certificates.

Arielle‘s lips curled into a devious smile when she
heard that Rain was on his way to Shandie‘s award ceremony. She
stated, “What a coincidence. I‘m heading there myself...”

Rain beamed at once. “That‘s wonderful! The students will be ecstatic to meet the academy‘s founders.
They‘ll be over the moon!”



“No.” Arielle shook her head and requested, “T was hoping that you‘ll keep my identity confidential.”



Rain‘s vibrant smile fell glum in an instant. He then inquired, “Why?”

“I have some personal reasons.”

“Alright then, I‘ll be more than pleased as long as you attend the event.”

Arielle flashed a faint smile but didn‘t say anymore

Two hours of flight later, the jet gradually made its descent into Norham airport.

Vinson had already left by the time Arielle disembarked from the jet.

Unbothered, she exchanged goodbyes with Rain and went to look for the other three

Southalls

That‘s strange. Didn‘t we agree to meet
up after getting off our flights? So why aren‘t Henrick and the others here at the arrival hall as promised
?

Airelle held her
ground in silence. She knew that Henrick wouldn‘t abandon her because she was still of value to him. S
o she waited.

Right then and there, a bodyguard dressed in a coal–
black suit strode towards Arielle‘s direction. Beside him was a man that she would recognize anywhere–
Vinson.

Despite standing next to a tall bodyguard, Vinson still towered with his superior stature.



Some passersby curiously paid attention to Vinson. Their
faces either turned a bashful shade of red or gawked as they vividly babbled about Vinson‘s appearance

“That guy‘s incredibly handsome! Do you think he‘s a celebrity?”

“No way. If he is, then he should have blown up all over the internet by now. Even those influencers can

Compared to the eagerly buzzing crowd, Arielle‘s skewed frown was an underwhelming reaction

She glanced briefly at him before focusing on her phone and dialing Henrick‘s number.

The call went through, yet Henrick had instantly rejected. Arielle knew that this must have been Shandie

Although Cindy is a wicked woman, she wouldn‘t be so stupid to use such sloppy tactics against me.

It seems like Shandie is trying to get on my nerves by keeping me in the dark about their whereabouts. G
on, then. I‘ll patientlywait here for them.

Noticing a lounge nearby, Arielle headed over for some refreshments.

What she hadn‘t realized was that she walked right into the lion‘s den; just as she entered, the lounge do

Arielle instinctively turned around but was shoved to the wall by a towering man. His powerfully built bod


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