The True Heiress's Return

"Absolutely!" Shakira answered without missing a beat. "It's part of my job to pay attention to these things!"

But Shakira didn't say it outright. She realized that he had a taste for sour flavors not just back in Eastlake Valley Estate Valley, but before that too. In that place, they often went hungry in the wild, and during those times, Walter loved to pick fruits to fill his stomach. One moment that stuck out in Shakira's mind was when they had hunted a hyena for lunch. She couldn't stomach it and stepped away, only for Walter to approach her with a few gourd-like fruits in his hands, blocking out the blazing sun above him as he stood there tall and imposing. "Want some?"

Stuck between starving and nibbling a little, Shakira chose the latter option. Walter, seeing her take one, bit into the remaining fruits he held, devouring most of one with a single bite.

Shakira watched as he devoured the fruit herself, taking a big-bite, which had her reeling from the intense sourness.

Walter chuckled, "This fruit just gets better the more you eat it."

Shakira was speechless.

Shakira skeptically finished the entire fruit. By the end, her mouth felt completely numb. At first, it was just sour, but by the last bite, it was unbearably astringent. Since that moment, she realized Walter had a taste for this flavor that most people simply couldn't handle. "Of course, I love it," Shakira answered without hesitation, a shadow passing over Walter's expression as he raised an eyebrow at her. His smirk held a hint of sarcasm. "I can't believe how much you've come to love your job now."

Shakira caught the mockery in his tone. She had brought him out for a good time, so she didn't feel like arguing with him. Nodding enthusiastically, she said, "Yep! If you love what you do, it's worth it." She thought, 'I was sacrificing so much, he should feel better, right?' It turned out that Shakira was being too naïve. Walter was enjoying the hot and sour pot, but whenever he looked at her, his expression was icy.

Shakira kept serving, trying her best to please him, but she couldn't wrap her head around it. She thought, 'Everything was fine, so why on earth was Walter so mad? Could it be...? Yeah, he had said they would eat out, but now he was back with that sour expression and no appetite. It had to be that!'

Suddenly inspired, Shakira asked, "Mr. Lopez, did you go on a date with that mysterious lady today?"

Walter frowned, "Who?"

"Oh come on, stop pretending," she said, seeing right through him. "The lady who was mentioned at the welcome dinner the other night. You didn't say anything then and even used me as a buffer. She must be someone important to you." Walter looked at her with a raised brow, "And if I say yes? What then?"

His admission caught Shakira off guard. She blinked in surprise, "Nothing much, really. You and your lady friend have plans; what does it matter to me?"

With that, she ignored him and scooped the chicken from the soup into her bowl, eating greedily. She thought, 'Seriously? He was annoyed about a date with someone else, and now he was looking for me to vent his frustrations on. Unbelievable!' Watching Shakira's increasingly flustered expression, Walter arched an eyebrow. He thought, 'She pretended to be unconcerned but was getting more upset. As expected, women were always full of contradictions.'

Feeling amused, Walter picked up his spoon to eat and occasionally tossed some of his least favorite dishes onto Shakira's

bowl.

Shakira thought to herself, 'Seriously? He's just trying to take out his frustrations on me!' Look at that smug expression on his face... it made her fists itch to take a swing.

After they finished eating, Shakira stood up to pay the bill and said her goodbyes to the owner.

"No need for that! You rarely come back, so let me treat you!" the owner insisted.

Shakira didn't listen to her refusal and quickly paid the bill.

"Hey, wait a second, Shakira!" the owner called out, shaking her head in exasperation.

Just then, the owner came out of the back holding a small glass jar. "Here's the sour soup base. This should be enough to make a few meals. If you want some, just make it at home," she said cheerfully. Shakira was taken aback but couldn't argue with her kindness. She accepted the jar, saying, "Thank you."

"It's nothing," the owner replied with a bright smile. "Shakira, your boyfriend seems like a good guy after all."

"He's really not my boyfriend..." Shakira protested.

"Oh, silly girl! I've been through that stage before. When I was pursuing my husband, he was just as aloof, but his eyes told a different story," the owner said knowingly. "He cares about you."

Shakira didn't know how to clarify that. Then the owner added, "But you kids should take it easy, you know? I read somewhere online that the neck area can be pretty risky, so be gentle!"

'What? That's not me! Ugh, wait, actually, it kinda was... Shakira thought, wanting to cry. No matter how she explained it, nothing was coming out right.

Seeing Shakira's face turn red, the owner smiled wider. She had previously thought, 'Shakira was carefree and naive about relationships, but it was clear now that Shakira had figured things out on her own.

If Shakira knew what the owner was really thinking, she'd probably want to bang her head against a wall.

Back at Eastlake Valley Estate, it was nearing midnight. Brian and Levi had been waiting at the door, and they finally relaxed when they saw the two return safely.

With the lingering smell of that soup, Shakira took a hot shower. Even after that, her stomach still felt full, so she grabbed her laptop and started typing furiously, not realizing she had stayed up until the early hours of the morning.

The next day, as soon as Shakira stepped into the classroom, she sensed the odd atmosphere. Scanning the room, she raised an eyebrow.

A few days ago, Yvette, Berry, and Xanthe were the core trio of the class. Wherever they went, students flocked around them, trying to win their favor.

Today, Xanthe, who had been absent, returned to class, but Yvette and Berry still held the limelight. Meanwhile, Xanthe sat all alone in the front row, isolated from the rest of the class.

Yvette's nerves were on high alert when she spotted Shakira. Just yesterday, Joe had chased after Shakira and had been punched by Michele. She could've confronted Shakira as Joe's girlfriend.

She thought, 'Michele ruining my plans, I didn't dare approach Shakira at all. In fact, she couldn't even bear to look at her, sneaking glances from the corner of her eye instead.

Seeing that Shakira was sitting in her usual spot without any signs of wanting to confront her, Yvette finally managed to relax after a sleepless night..

100

@76% +5Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

Thinking it over, Yvette concluded that she had been overthinking. She thought, 'So what if Michele returned everything to Shakira? Bawling my eyes out might lead Michele to promise to keep my secret.

'What could happen then? No matter how stubborn or upset Shakira might be, would anyone believe her if she raised a fuss in the Nelson family? Plus, Shakira wouldn't even think that those things were meant to steal her luck!'