Ch. 26..30: My Wife Is A Hacker Chapter 26-30

Chapter 26

Snow was cooperative.

“Indeed, I can also tell that this should be Hablese coffee beans, and was probably produced last year. That’s why it is so fragrant and has a very strong coffee aroma.” Raine quickly nodded.

“The roasting of this coffee bean goes through ten complex processes.” Everyone listened to them and nodded their heads in praise of their erudition.

Seeing that they had gotten all the attention they wanted, Snow and Raine played humble, pretending that they were not seeking compliments, yet the smile on their faces had never stopped.

Norah felt triumphant, too, after Nicole was ridiculed. Just as they were at it, sudden laughter came. Snow and Raine turned around abruptly, not realizing that Nicole was leaning back in her chair and looking at them with unbridled sarcasm.

Raine was the first to lose her cool.

“What are you laughing at?”

“I laugh at you all, smart aleck.” Nicole did not want to intervene at first, but these people had jabbed at her. She was not going to take the insult lying down.

“Smart aleck? How dare you call us that, hillbilly!” Raine was pissed as no one at school dared to talk to them like this. She thought Nicole was too arrogant.

Norah remained silent, eager to see how the twins were going to fix Nicole.

But Nicole just swirled her coffee cup and took a sip gracefully.

“This isn’t Hablese coffee bean at all, but a new variety cultivated by a certain private estate in Floeze. It is a specialty, which is basically not sold to the public.”

“Stop pretending already. We can even tell the roasting process.” Celia was diffident after hearing what Nicole had said.

Nicole looked at the time and walked over to their table. She pressed her hands on the table and continued with a faint smile.

“What roasting process are you talking about?”

Nicole looked at them with disdain and scorn in her eyes, her powerful persona irrefutable.

“This coffee bean is roasted using the internationally famous Floeze Roast extremely deep roasting method so that the roasted coffee beans have a strong aroma, smooth taste but not sour. It brews a unique café au lait. I don’t know if you have heard of the principle that less is more. Often, the simpler the roasting method, the better the coffee, and coffee beans that have gone through over a dozen processes are probably just a pile of charcoal.”

“Charcoal?” Everyone was stunned. Looking at the three girls who spoke just now, they thought about it carefully. It seemed that what Nicole had said made sense.

The colors on Snow and Raine’s faces changed. They knew nothing about coffee and what they said just now was mere hearsay.

Raine felt humiliated, but she was not going to admit it.

“Stop lying. This is clearly Hablese coffee. Don’t be a smart alec.”

“Yeah. When you say it is Floezen coffee beans, and it is Floezen? I might as well say it is Esperian!” Celia came to her senses. Just then, Norah got up, pretending to worry about Nicole.

“Stop talking if you know nothing, Nicole. They often drink coffee.”

Norah was convinced that Nicole was lying. Those who knew nothing would think that what Norah said was more believable. After all, how many times did a country girl drink coffee?

Right then, a magnetic voice came.

“Miss Riddle is spot on. My coffee beans are indeed from Floezen Manor, and the roasting method used is indeed deep roasting. I really did not expect that Miss Riddle was so knowledgeable.” The voice was elegant and sonorous, so everyone could not help but look at the person. It was a man looking dignified in a silver-gray suit. He came up to Nicole.

“What a coincidence, Miss Riddle.” Nicole raised an eyebrow, not expecting to see Jared here. “What are you doing here?” Seeing that Nicole was so curious, Max quickly stepped forward.

“I guess you haven’t known – this new café belongs to Mr. Johnston.”

“This is his café?” While Nicole furrowed his brows, those people sitting behind her were stunned.

Even Snow and Raine froze to see such a charming guy. Snow knew this name well.

“Jared? Aren’t you the junior owner of Johnston Group?” She had heard about it lately that Mr. Johnston Sr.’s grandson had returned from studying abroad. Could it be him?

“I can’t believe it! He is Nicole’s fiancé?” Raine’s eyes were full of envy. She had spent much time and effort to court Gary, but a hillbilly like Nicole could easily have such an outstanding fiancé.

The jealousy in Norah’s eyes almost overflowed when Norah heard the word ‘fiancé.’ These envied eyes should have been on her.

“Nicole, you should quickly introduce him to us.” Snow looked eagerly at Jared. Nicole glanced at her and could not believe that Snow had changed her attitude so quickly. Snow had just given her the cold shoulder a while ago and now pretended to be close to her and wanted her to introduce Jared to her

“Didn’t you just know his identity?” Why bother her with such an introduction?

Chapter 27

Snow was embarrassed but could only hold out her hand to Jared.

“Hello Mr. Johnston, I am Snow, Nicole’s cousin. Nice to meet you.”

She smiled and fiddled with her hair, trying to impress Jared. No boy at school could resist her suggestive teasing, and she thought Jared was no exception. But Jared just nodded casually.

“Nice to meet you.” Snow and Raine tried their entire bag of tricks to impress Jared but hit a wall when Jared snubbed them.

Norah immediately snapped back and wanted to smash down Nicole.

“We are sorry for the blunder. We were just discussing the coffee beans, and Nicole was just spitballing. Hope you don’t mind if she is wrong.” Norah looked graceful. The way she pretended to speak for Nicole could not be b*tchier.

Nicole’s stomach churned, and she almost threw up.

Just then, Jared suddenly said, “Miss Riddle is right, this coffee bean is indeed a product of my Floezen manor, and she is spot on about the roasting method.”

Everyone gasped in surprise. The owner of this café was here, and he could not be lying. They never expected that what Nicole said was correct. Everyone looked at Snow and Raine with disgust, as it turned out that the two girls were just smart alecs.

Jared’s confirmation was a slap in the face for both Snow and Raine. They blushed in humiliation and wished the ground would swallow them up.

At this point, Jared did not want to entertain the others anymore.

“Excuse me. I would like to talk to Miss Riddle in private.”

The invitation from such a charming man immediately aroused everyone’s envy. But it surprised Nicole because Jared was cold to her when they met last time. So why did he suddenly want to talk to her alone? It was at this time that she realized she had a problem.

The reason she knew this coffee bean so well was that someone gifted the coffee beans to her foster father, who, in turn, gave it to her because she liked coffee. So, could it be that Jared knew about her foster father? Her heart skipped a beat. Did this mean that she was likely to expose her identity? Before she knew it, Jared had brought her into a private lounge as everyone looked on with envy.

After taking a seat, Jared stared at her with a thoughtful look and asked in curiosity.

“Strange to say, I have never sold the coffee beans produced in my estate in the market, and I have only given it to some relatives and friends. I wonder how you know so much about it?” He had not carefully checked Nicole’s background last time because she was only brought

from the countryside, and he thought her background could not be simpler. He had given the coffee beans and red wine from his estaté to some bigwigs. How could she, a little girl from the countryside, know about it? Nicole’s mind was racing, and she finally said, “Do you know Mr. Ellison?”

Jared did not know why she was asking this. After thinking for a while, he nodded.

“Mr. Ellison and my grandfather are old acquaintances, and we have known each other for many years.”

Nicole was relieved and became bold when she heard this.

“Mr. Ellison and I are also kind of acquaintances, and I once had the privilege of drinking coffee brewed from the coffee beans produced in your estate.” Nicole thought she had been very low-key.

After all, her relationship with Mr. Ellison was not a secret. Jared’s gaze deepened as he asked, “Are you and Mr. Ellison close?”

If it were not for the genuine look in her eyes that told him she was not lying, he would have doubted and thought that this little girl was bluffing.

Who is Mr. Ellison? He was a previous-generation giant figure of San Joto’s social circle.

Although Ellison had retired and was now working in the education industry, his network and stature were still unmatched by many. He could be said to be a giant in the San Joto business community. Those who could rub shoulders with him were all people of importance in San Joto.

Jared’s grandfather and Mr. Ellison were lifelong friends, and it was Jared’s grandfather who introduced Mr. Riddle Sr. to Mr. Ellison. But this little girl claimed she was close to Mr. Ellison.

“Sort of. It was Mr. Ellison who helped me with the school enrollment and my problem with the Woods family,” Nicole did not bat an eye, sounding as if it was something normal.

This shocked Jared even more, and the doubt in his eyes turned into inquisition.

Who was this girl, really? How could Nicole make Mr. Ellison so concerned about her and help her settle the conflict between her and the Woods family? But the friendship between Mr. Ellison and Mr. Riddle Sr. was not as deep as to warrant Ellison to care so much about Nicole. So, could what Nicole said to be true?

Nicole took another sip of coffee when suddenly her phone rang. She answered it. Her driver informed her that he had arrived.

She got up immediately and did not forget to take out a hundred-dollar bill and put it next to the coffee cup.

“My driver has arrived. I have got to go now. Thank you for your hospitality.” Jared saw this and pushed the banknote back to her.

“As long as our engagement is still intact, you are still my fiancée, and the coffee here is always free for you.” Nicole was slightly stunned, not expecting to receive such privileged treatment. The production of coffee beans in his estate was limited every year, yet she could drink as much as she wanted for free?

Chapter 28

In that case, it was not too bad to be his fiancée. Wait a minute; what the hell was she thinking? How could she compromise just for the coffee? She coughed with embarrassment but still kept her modesty.

“Thank you, Mr. Johnston. I will come again when I have time.”

She loved coffee, so why not since it was free?

“Okay.” He stared at her pretentious look and could not help but smile. This girl seemed to like his coffee beans.

“I will go now. See you around.” Nicole waved goodbye. She smirked when she turned around. She would come for the coffee often.

Max came into the private lounge after Nicole left. Jared immediately instructed Max, “Check Nicole’s background and don’t alarm the Riddle family.”

He wanted to figure out the relationship between this girl and Mr. Ellison, and how she knew the existence of his estate.

Max bowed his head, turned around, and left to find out Nicole’s background.

Turning his gaze to the floor-to-ceiling window, Jared looked at Nicole’s slender body from behind and smirked unconsciously. This girl had aroused his interest.

Nicole got into the car, looked back at Jared, sitting by the window, and could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. Thankfully, she was smart enough to use Mr. Ellison as a straw man. When she thought about it again, she felt obliged to visit Mr. Ellison, as he was really her benefactor

Back at home, Nicole did not expect to see the twin brothers there, either. Sitting across from them was a tall guy in a school uniform with a refined persona.

His school uniform was like that of the high school, but the color of the collar was darker, looking like that of the college.

“Stanley, Nicole is back.” Spencer immediately introduced when his keen eyes spotted Nicole.

Stanley looked over at Nicole, his eyes twinkling with surprise.

At first, he thought her sister from the countryside would have that rustic look. But Nicole did not have that at all. Instead, she was incredibly beautiful and shared the same facial features as her brothers.

“Hello, Stanley,” Nicole spoke first, her face breaking out in a gentle smile. Stanley looked a little shy and nodded unnaturally.

“Hello, Nicole.” Spencer quickly said to Nicole.

“Stanley is a nerd and not good at talking to beautiful girls. His face is blushed again.”

“Shut up.” Stanley glanced at Spencer, his pale face even redder than before. Nicole did not expect that the top student whom Spencer and Samuel mentioned had such a shy personality.

“Stop messing around. Come over for dinner.” Gloria saw the three brothers pick at each other when she came out of the kitchen with a bowl of tomato soup. But when she saw Nicole, a smile spread across her face.

“You are back, Nicole. I have made grilled salmon, your favorite dish. You have got to try it.” Nicole had started to warm up to Gloria for the past few days. She let out a gentle smile and sat down beside Gloria.

“Thank you, Mom.”

She never mentioned her favorite dishes, but Gloria had been paying attention to her preferences. Knowing that Nicole loved salmon, she had been cooking salmon for the past two days. Samuel quickly sat down, looked at a tableful of delicious food, and smiled happily.

“I love these dishes. I have come back at the right time today.”

“All you know is eat.” Spencer groused as he sat down.

Daniel did not come back today as he had got something on. Gloria was sitting in the main seat, and Nicole was left to sit beside Stanley. As soon as Nicole sat down, she felt it funny when Stanley tensed up. How did he become the student union president when he was so shy?

“Stanley, toast to you,” Nicole said, raising a glass of water. Everyone looked at Stanley in silence.

“Nicole…” Samuel wanted to speak

Stanley had a shy personality and was most afraid of girls taking the initiative. Norah once poured him a bowl of soup, and he did not drink it at all. After that, Norah felt a sense of alienation toward him.

But this time, Nicole was toasting to him. Samuel and Spencer felt something was not right, afraid that Stanley might lose his temper.

The air was still for a few seconds. Nicole had no idea what was going on and why the twin brothers looked at her nervously. Suddenly, Stanley held up his glass and clinked glasses with Nicole.

“Huh?” Samuel and Spencer were stunned. Even Gloria was wide-eyed.

“Stanley, are you okay?” Stanley shook his head.

“I am alright.”

He felt strange, too, as he usually was afraid of interacting with the opposite sex, and even when Norah approached him, he felt uncomfortable. But he was not resenting Nicole at all.

Gloria could not help but wonder if this was the beauty of blood relations.

While everyone was stunned, someone called out at the door.

“Mom, everyone, I am back.” Norah’s voice sounded sullen. She had come in and saw Nicole toasting to Stanley before she called out.

Just that no one had not noticed her, she felt terrible because of jealousy. Stanley had always resented her, and no matter how good she was to him for the past years, he still resented her. But he changed into another person as soon as Nicole returned.

Chapter 29

Chapter 29 Why?

She had been in this family for over ten years. Was everything she had done in vain?

Why was everyone so nice to Nicole as soon as she returned? The hatred inside her surged like the billowing sea, but she could only try to keep a smile on her face.

“Why did you come back so late, Norah?” Samuel asked with concern. It made Norah feel better, as she knew that Samuel genuinely cared for her.

Thinking of this, she raised her chin and said, “I went shopping and had a drink with Snow and Raine after school. That’s why I am late. Had I known that you guys would be back today, I would have come back earlier.”

Nicole scoffed. Norah did not look like she wanted to return home when she ingratiated herself with Snow and Raine.

“Come have dinner together.” Gloria smiled and beckoned Norah to sit down.

But what Gloria said made Norah feel as if she was just a guest. She glanced at the long table again. There were two people on the left and two on the right, and she was superfluous. Biting her lip, she sat down next to Samuel.

As everyone began to dig in, Samuel brought up what happened at school.

“Stanley, have you looked at the high school forum? Nicole is now the most popular girl at school.”

“Seriously?” Gloria’s eyes were filled with elation.

“Nicole has just enrolled, and she is already so famous?” Spencer nodded.

“It is true. There is something that you don’t know; Austin was so embarrassed and furious because he got rejected when confessing to Nicole.”

Gloria did not know that until now.

“No wonder. Austin deserves it then.” How dare he disturb her daughter? He really needed some good spanking.

Norah immediately had something to say at the mention of this.

“Mom, it was indeed Austin’s fault, but Nicole should not have overreacted. Even with Mr. Ellison’s help, they would inevitably see each other at school, and there were bound to be unpleasant encounters.”

Norah seemed to care about her, but she was blaming Nicole verbally. Nicole could not help but put down her cutlery and looked at Norah.

“It won’t happen again. Austin came to our class today and apologized to me.”

“Apologized?” Gloria was surprised.

“That arrogant kid of the Woods family apologized to you?”

The news caught everyone by surprise. After all, no one was in the same class as Nicole, and naturally, no one knew about it.

“Yeah, he apologized and even asked me to be his boss. I didn’t agree,” Nicole said nonchalantly as if she was talking about someone else.

“What did you say?”

“Austin asked you to be his boss?” Both Samuel and Norah were wide-eyed.

Austin was a school bully who stirred up trouble with a few underlings every day. It was unimaginable that such a person would ask Nicole to be his boss. What was going on?

Norah was in Class A and had no idea that Nicole had made such a huge splash at Class B today. She bit her lip. Even after exposing what happened at school, not only did she fail to keep Nicole in check, she had also caused Nicole to earn the admiration of her brothers.

Samuel was the first to express his compliment.

“No wonder Austin asked you to be his boss. Your over-the-shoulder move yesterday was so badass.”

“Yeah, have you studied martial arts before, Nicole?” Spencer also asked out of curiosity. Gloria had never known that Nicole was skilled in martial arts. She could not help but look at Nicole.

“Did you learn martial arts before?”

Since everyone was so curious, Nicole decided to tell the truth.

“Well, I won a martial arts championship during my ninth grade in junior high school.”

“Martial arts champion?” The twin brothers were even more surprised. They could not help but glance at each other.

The two of them were still playing games when they were in their tenth grade. In contrast, their sister had won the martial arts championship. Norah was filled with jealousy.

“The bar must be low for the martial arts championship in the countryside.”

Nicole scoffed and cocked an eyebrow.

“It was a national martial arts championship.”

“Oh my God!” Samuel’s serious admiration instantly turned to adoration.

“Nicole, you are seriously badass! Can you teach me when you have time?”

Samuel’s eyes were filled with Nicole. Now the last person who ever paid attention to Norah was gone. Because of this, Norah looked sullenly at Nicole. Damn the hillbilly. Was Nicole showing off in front of her?

Nicole noticed the look in Norah’s eyes and deliberately agreed to Samuel’s request.

“Yeah, why not? If you are willing, feel free to find me.”

Norah clenched her hands, her nails almost sinking into the flesh when she saw Nicole’s triumphant look.

But no one was paying attention to her. Samuel and Spencer were curious to know the process of Nicole learning martial arts, while Gloria looked concerned when she heard about her injuries during the practice.

Meanwhile, Stanley listened on, occasionally refilling her glass with water.

Everyone at the table had excluded her.

Norah lost her appetite. After taking a few bites, she said, “I am going upstairs.”

“Okay,” Samuel said without looking at her, much to her surprise. Norah was even more furious this time. She stomped her feet and went upstairs at once. While everyone was chattering at the table, Stanley noticed Nora’s unhappiness.

Something told him something was wrong with Norah’s expression when she left.