Chapter 678 - 674: Unconscious Affection

Jasmine Sterling froze at Megan Nash’s casual remark.

She instinctively glanced at Randall Jennings. He simply smiled, nodded in confirmation, and said, "Happy New Year."

For a moment, the two people directly involved seemed perfectly at ease, which only made Jasmine Sterling feel awkward on their behalf.

Once inside the villa, she showed her guests to the sofa, and Jasmine Sterling turned to the kitchen to make tea.

"Jasmine, this house of yours is amazing," Megan Nash said as she wandered into the kitchen, looking around on her first visit. "That huge floor-to-ceiling window in the living room... it must be so nice to bask in the sun here."

"My daughter bought it," Jasmine Sterling said, glancing toward the living room. Seeing that Randall Jennings hadn’t followed them, she pulled Megan Nash closer and asked carefully, "Why did you suddenly break up?"

"It wasn’t really sudden," Megan Nash said with a smile. "We just realized we weren’t a good match, and there was no point in forcing it."

"Was it his idea?"

"I was the one who suggested it." Megan Nash patted Jasmine Sterling’s shoulder. "It was all very amicable. I’m fine, and I’m sure he is too. We’re just friends now. You don’t have to be so tense."

Hearing her say that, Jasmine Sterling nodded, relieved.

Back in the living room, Jasmine Sterling sat down with her two guests. Randall Jennings asked casually, "Is Cecilia not home?"

"She’s not. It’s just me here today, so you two have to stay for dinner." Jasmine Sterling glanced at the time. "We can talk for a while, and then I’ll start cooking. Your timing is perfect, actually. I just went to the market this morning. We haven’t stocked up on groceries these past few days of the New Year, since we’ve been eating out all the time."

Hearing this, Megan Nash smiled and said, "In that case, Jasmine, I won’t be shy! I’ve heard so much about your amazing cooking; I have to try it today."

"Please, don’t hold back. Let me know if there’s anything you’re craving or can’t eat."

"Not at all. I’ll eat whatever you make."

Randall Jennings didn’t say much, simply sipping his tea and making himself at home. After all, he never visited without staying for a meal.

"Megan, how’s business at your shop?"

"It’s all thanks to you, Jasmine. I had customers right from the start, and the daily revenue has been quite good."

"Don’t thank me. It’s your own talent that keeps them coming back."

The brand Megan Nash had founded focused on a Chinese-inspired aesthetic, with its selling points being exquisite fabrics and masterful tailoring, winning the hearts of wealthy socialites.

The qipaos, in particular, were bestsellers!

"So, you two have gotten quite close behind my back, huh?" Randall Jennings chimed in softly.

Megan Nash smiled at him. "Randall, I should be thanking you. If it weren’t for you, I never would have met Jasmine."

At her words, Randall Jennings smiled and looked at Jasmine Sterling, his gaze holding an unconscious affection he himself didn’t even realize was there.

Jasmine Sterling was oblivious, but Megan Nash saw it plain as day.

’That was a look I never got from Randall.’ She couldn’t help but glance between the two of them, realizing that neither seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary.

Megan Nash pursed her lips into a smile. ’This is interesting,’ she thought.

Jasmine Sterling cooked dinner by herself. Megan Nash didn’t know how to cook, and after a short while of trying to help, she was shooed out of the kitchen by Jasmine.

Black Truffle and Morel Beef Brisket Stew, Pan-Fried East Sea Hairtail, Chestnut Beer Duck, Matsutake Chicken Soup, Scrambled Eggs with Shrimp, and Stir-Fried Luffa.

Six dishes for three people—it was a well-rounded and sumptuous feast.

Knowing his way around, Randall Jennings found the bowls and chopsticks to help serve the rice. Watching him, Jasmine Sterling asked, "Would you like some wine?"

"Yes, please," Randall Jennings nodded without hesitation.

Jasmine Sterling remembered an exceptional bottle of wine she’d received. Even Cecilia had said it was very expensive. It was in the wine cabinet downstairs.

She wiped her hands and headed straight downstairs.

The second basement level featured a wall-to-wall glass wine cabinet. It had been empty when she first moved in, but now it was completely full.

Wealthy people, it turned out, loved to give liquor and tobacco as gifts, and it was always top-shelf stuff.

But the red wines were all lined up in rows, and to an amateur like Jasmine Sterling, they all looked the same. The labels were covered in foreign words, none of which she could read.

She only remembered that the label had a little red house on it.

After searching for a long time, she finally spotted the two bottles on the second-to-top shelf. Jasmine Sterling stood on her tiptoes and reached for one, but her fingers could only graze the bottom of the bottle.

Just then, a large hand reached out from behind her and effortlessly retrieved the bottle.

Startled, Jasmine Sterling spun around, bumping right into Randall Jennings’s chest. She lost her balance and nearly fell, but Randall caught her with his quick reflexes.

"Careful."

Seeing it was Randall Jennings, Jasmine Sterling breathed a sigh of relief. "What are you doing down here?"

"You were gone for a while, so Megan asked me to come see what was taking so long," Randall Jennings said, glancing at the bottle in his hand. "Is this the one?"

Jasmine Sterling nodded. "There’s another one. Let’s bring them both up."

When the two of them came back upstairs with two bottles of wine, Megan Nash watched from afar with a knowing smile. Only after they had returned to the table and sat down did she ask, "What took you so long?"

"All the bottles in that wine cabinet started to make my head spin. I couldn’t tell any of them apart and spent forever looking," Jasmine Sterling explained as she opened the wine.

Randall Jennings had already eagerly picked up his bowl, ready to dig in.

"Megan, please, help yourself. Go on and eat."

"Okay."

Meanwhile, Cecilia Sterling was having dinner at her aunt’s house.

Yvonne Sterling had been discharged from the hospital before the New Year and only needed to return for a check-up every two weeks.

"Mom, my cousin took me go-karting today! It was so exciting and fun! I’ve only ever done it in video games. I had no idea Lorcain even had a go-karting club like that." Ronald was still buzzing from the experience, eager for more.

Yvonne Sterling had no idea what "go-karting" was and simply told her son, "Just be safe."

Then she looked at Cecilia and said, "Ronald is still so young, and you bought him a car? You’re spoiling him."

"He’s not that young, Auntie. Ethan already has several."

"Ethan gets good grades. He deserves to be rewarded."

"Ronald is a good kid, too, Auntie. Don’t worry," Cecilia said. "I’ll keep an eye on him. I won’t let him get into any trouble."

"That’s not what your aunt is worried about," Brendan Harris chimed in, looking at Cecilia. "It’s that you’re raising Ronald and Sarah’s material expectations too high all at once. They’ll become snobs. What’s that saying again? Something about easy and hard..."

Cecilia supplied, "It’s easy to go from frugal to lavish, but hard to go from lavish to frugal."

"Exactly. That’s what your aunt is worried about."

"Auntie, Uncle, you don’t have to worry. I won’t let our family go from lavish back to frugal. From now on, we’re only going to get more and more extravagant!"

Yvonne Sterling couldn’t help but smile. "I know you’re capable, and I know you dote on your younger cousins."

"Ronald, you have to listen to your cousin from now on, you hear? Otherwise, she’s spoiling you for nothing!"

Ronald nodded eagerly. "Of course! I’ve always listened to my cousin the most, ever since we were kids."

Yvonne Sterling and Brendan Harris exchanged a smile. Brendan nodded. "Mm, that’s actually true."