âThis is Haffen Cellarâs 1998 Merlot. It boasts a rich, deep shade of purple and offers a clean, intense, and full-bodied flavor profile. Notable notes include black fruits, caramel, mocha, and lemongrass. It also presents a balanced combination of tannins and acidity.
Landon stared in amazement at Lauren. She wasnât just a talented painter. She was also an amateur sommelier!
Despite his years of running nightclubs and owning private vineyards in Furancia and Vitelia, he couldnât hold a candle to Laurenâs wine expertise.
She was a woman of substance.
On the other hand, Zoe and Betty were in no mood for partying anymore. The only thing they wished was to barge into Landonâs lounge and drag Lauren out for a good beating.
âZoe, I told you so!â Betty was holed up in the restroom, tears streaming down her face. Half of her faker lashes were in disarray.
She exclaimed, âThereâs definitely something going on between Lauren and your brother! You saw it, too, right? He made such a fuss just to find Laurenâs teddy bear. When has he ever shown that level of attention to any other woman?
âHe could have given you all his attention but chose to dote on Jasperâs sister! Zoe, I donât know how you feel about this, but I canât stand this anymore! Itâs so unfair!â
While scoring pity points, she tried hard to fan the fire.
In reality, her efforts to stoke this emotional fire were unnecessary, as Zoe was seething with anger.
Zoe grumbled, âHow could Landon do that? He has never shown me that level of care!â
Back when Zoe was younger, she always misplaced her expensive toys and cried because she couldnât find them. Whenever this happened, Landon would buy her a better and more expensive toy without complaining.
Zoe had always believed that these gestures indicated Landonâs love for her, but they paled in comparison to the devotion he showed Lauren.
Landon, who typically avoided any inconvenience, turned ACE upside down just to search for Laurenâs teddy bear.
She tried not to think about it, for every time she did, she felt heartbroken.
âJasper has been taking Laurenâs side at home, and now sheâs won over Landon too. Putting aside my chances with Landon, you will be sidelined sooner or later!â Betty lamented.
âThat bitch should take a look in the mirror before competing with me for Landonâs attention!â Seeing red,â -Zoe couldnât take it anymore and stormed out of their lounge in her high heels.
As soon as Zoe left, Bettyâs tears stopped. A grin spread across her face as she hummed a tune and fixed her fallen fake eyelashes in the mirror.
Lauren and Landon found themselves rather tipsy after having a little too much to drink.
Normally a tacit person, Lauren seemed to transform when under the influence of alcohol. She became unusually talkative.
Landon, however, loved her change and found comfort in listening to her endless chatter.
âDid you know that women are naturally more attuned to colors?â Lauren began.
Flushing, she took two sips of the wine and explained, âItâs all because of a gene for vision cone light-
sensitive proteins on the X chromosome. Women have one more X chromosome than men, making us more sensitive to colors!â
âOh, is that so?â Landon smiled and squinted at her. His gaze traveled down to her pouty lips and down to her petite feet hidden under her unassuming sneakers. The look in his eyes deepened.
âAnd you know, they say women are âmade of water,â but itâs actually men who have a higher body water percentage at 60%. Women have more fat than water!â
It had been a while since she had been able to speak so openly and freely with someone.
Suddenly, they were plunged into darkness. Fazed, she questioned disorientedly, âLandon, is there a power outage at your club?â
Her words were silenced as he captured her in a passionate kiss she caught a whiff of his masculine scent, her breath stolen by the intensity of the moment.
Her heart raced, every ounce of blood rushing to it.
Meanwhile, he dropped to one knee, his fingertips gently grazing her chin as he engaged her in a fervent kiss. Their lips and teeth clashed in a fiery embrace, heated breath mingling between them.