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.

over, grab some grapes!"

Clem, who had been Danielle's favorite student. They had a close bond with Emily, so seeing Mona here felt like a familiar

the courtyard, chatting, laughing, and swapping stories-it was one

peace here. The countryside had its own magic-no city noise, just the quiet charm that filled her senses and

knocked on

and surrounded by friends, her expression shifted. Her guilt quickly turned to a

access 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,

any new disciples in years, and now

had come here with Jasper Reed, Danielle's brother, hoping Danielle might still

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Chapter 228

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person she saw was Mona. Bitterness surged within her as she recalled Mona's refusal to accept her past apologies, leaving Molly resentful and cornered as she faced imprisonment. Now, she stood there, torn between entering and turning back. "What are you waiting for? Aren't you going in?" Jasper nudged her,

if he introduced Molly and said a few nice things, he would be rewarded. A little cash

him out after Molly left, but he was used to that. Easy money was

to put in a good word for me,

smile.

stretched from the plastic surgery. The look made him a little uneasy, but he quickly nodded. For the right

grabbed a stool and placed it beside Danielle, gesturing for Molly. "Here, have

with slight disdain before

had enough 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

Reed, I'm truly sorry, Molly began, her voice full of forced guilt. "I only pretended to be your last disciple because I admire you so

caution as she looked at Danielle, waiting for