The Queen's Back

Chapter 228

"Alright, I'm coming!" Mona said.

Seeing the fresh grapes and feeling the warmth of the sun, she suddenly craved their cool sweetness.

In the yard, a chair sat in the shade of a peach tree, where sunlight filtered softly through the leaves, casting dappled shadows. Under Danielle's guidance, Mona and Haley took their seats. "Here, try some. I grew these myself. Are they sweet?" Danielle asked, placing a bowl of washed grapes in front of them.

"Well, don't mind if I do!" Mona said, reaching for a grape.

"No need to be shy. Go on, eat! Haley, you too!" Danielle encouraged them warmly.

Her orchard was overflowing with fruit-she could never finish it all on her own, so she loved sharing the harvest with Mona and others.

Mona bit into a grape, savoring its juicy sweetness. It was so refreshing she couldn't stop herself from reaching for more

Haley, who wasn't big on fruits and veggies, hesitated at first but decided to give it a shot.

She popped one in and realized it wasn't bad-actually, it was pretty good. She even grabbed another one.

With Haley around, there was no awkward silence, just easy conversation and laughter. Danielle seemed so happy.

A few minutes later, Jesse and his juniors showed up. Before they even walked in, they could hear everyone laughing inside.

I wondered why it was so lively today. Mona must be here," Jesse said with a grin as he placed a freshly caught fish on the ground.

on over, grab some grapes!"

favorite student. They had a close bond with Emily, so seeing Mona

chatting, laughing, and swapping stories-it was one of those perfect, easy-going

felt a deep sense of peace here. The countryside had its own magic-no city noise, just the quiet

visitor showed up. Molly knocked on the door, stepping in with an uneasy

Mona, laughing and surrounded by friends, her

out here. She had figured she could pose as Danielle's last disciple without getting caught-by the time Danielle found out it'd be years down the line. Molly thought she could just apologize then, and if Danielle forgave her, great;

on Twitter saying she hadn't accepted any new disciples in years, and now people online were calling Molly a fraud, insisting she apologize

defeat, she had come here with Jasper Reed, Danielle's brother, hoping

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Chapter 228

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her past apologies, leaving Molly resentful and cornered

were slim. Still, he thought if he introduced Molly and said a few nice things, he would be rewarded. A little

his sister might yell or throw him out after Molly left, but he was used

let's go in. Make sure to put in a good word for me, okay? I'll pay you

smile.

look made him a little uneasy, but he quickly nodded. For the right price, he would gladly talk her

Jasper grabbed a stool and placed it beside Danielle,

at the chair with slight disdain

of Molly's accusations and wasn't about to pretend otherwise. If Molly dared to accuse her of plagiarism again this time, Mona felt ready to slap her

I'm truly sorry, Molly began, her voice full of forced guilt. "I only pretended to

gaze was all admiration and caution as she looked