Chapter 300 Coffee Stains on the Body
Chapter 300 Coffee Stains on the Body
The banquet at noon was set for twelve o'clock. Around eleven-forty, the Wright family's butler came in to guide the guests to take their seats in the right hall.
There were six tables in total today. Jessica sat at the head of the main table. When Giselle was about to sit beside her, she reached out to stop her.
"Move over two seats," she said, then waved to Rachel. "Rachel, come here and sit next to me."
Rachel stood stunned, still processing the moment, as Benjamin gently pulled her forward and guided her into the seat beside Jessica.
Jessica patted the back of her hand kindly to comfort her.
Giselle stood to the side, her elegant face wearing a smile. "Mom, you're being too biased. Now that you have a granddaughter-in-law, you don't even want your daughter anymore."
Though she spoke in a teasing, joking tone, Rachel still caught a hint of displeasure in her voice.
Betty slipped an arm through Giselle’s, deftly easing the tension. "Are you jealous? Grandma, your precious daughter just wants to be closer to you."
"You always know what to say."
Giselle didn't know whether to laugh or cry at her teasing, deliberately giving her a look and scolding her lightly.
The nearby guests chuckled and chimed in with a few light remarks, smoothly steering the conversation onward.
Betty sat across from them and winked playfully at Rachel.
Rachel smiled softly and mouthed "thank you."
The banquet proceeded without further incident. After leaving the right hall, groups of ladies and men gathered to play cards, drink coffee, and such.
A small group of people chatted in the living room.
Rachel and Claire were among this small group.
Benjamin, having had a few drinks at the table, was temporarily pulled away by some friends.
Before leaving, he entrusted Rachel to Betty.
During the chat, a servant came with a tray to serve coffee. As she was placing coffee for Rachel, a lady on the other side suddenly stood up to reach for desserts on the table.
Startled, the servant lost her balance. The tray tilted, and the entire cup of steaming coffee spilled across Rachel’s chest and skirt.
The hot liquid soaked through her clothes in an instant.
Almost the second the coffee spilled on her, Rachel had already stood up to shake it off.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Ms. Davis, I'm so sorry."
The servant turned pale with shock, steadied the tray and set it down, then grabbed tissues to wipe the liquid off her. "I... I didn't... didn't mean to, I'm sorry!"
Jessica's face darkened when she saw what happened. She quickly stood up and asked with concern, "Rachel, are you okay? Did it burn you?"
"No... the coffee wasn't very hot."
Rachel shook her head gently. Just then, Claire beside her handed over a handkerchief. "Ms. Davis, quickly wipe yourself off."
Rachel turned to look at her and slowly smiled. "Thank you," she said, taking the handkerchief.
"You're welcome." Claire smiled warmly too.
Only then did Jessica relax. She turned to scold the servant. "How can you be so careless? Who taught you to work like this?!"
The servant trembled violently, bowing repeatedly to apologize, her voice still shaking from the fright. "I'm... I'm sorry... Mrs. Wright, I was wrong..."
"Mrs. Wright, I'm really fine. My clothes just got wet, it's nothing serious."
Rachel took Jessica's hand and said gently, "Mrs. Wright, I'm fine. Today is your birthday, you shouldn't get angry."
Given today's occasion with so many guests, making a scene would do her no good.
She might become the subject of gossip.
And it would give guests something to laugh about regarding the Wright family. In the end, the Wright family might even blame her for being petty.
With this in mind, she helped the servant up. "It's okay, don't be scared. Everyone makes mistakes. Just clean up the coffee here and be more careful next time."
"Thank you... thank you, Ms. Davis." The servant thanked her gratefully.
Jessica kept a stern face. "She's not holding it against you because Rachel is generous. Do you realize what day this is? How could you make such a mistake! Thank goodness it wasn't boiling water, or a thousand apologies wouldn't make up for this error! Half your salary for this month will be deducted. Go reflect on this!"
"Yes, yes, I understand."
The servant hurriedly cleaned up the cups and the coffee on the floor and table, then left with the tray.
Claire frowned with worry. "Ms. Davis, your clothes are all wet. With today's low temperature, you could easily catch a cold. Betty, do you have any suitable clothes for Ms. Davis to change into?"
Jessica nodded. “Claire’s right. Betty, take Rachel to change right away.”
“Got it,” Betty said. “Rachel and I are about the same size. Come with me—I’ll get you something dry.”
Rachel had no desire to remain in the clinging, damp clothes any longer.
Besides, what spilled on her clothes was coffee, and smelling it for too long was making her stomach uncomfortable.
She nodded slightly to Jessica. "Mrs. Wright, please excuse me for a moment."
"It's fine, go change your clothes first."
Rachel followed Betty to her courtyard.
Before she could take in the whole courtyard, Betty quickly pulled her into her room.
She pointed to all the clothes in the walk-in closet and said with a cheerful smile, "Rachel, pick whatever you like. Most of my clothes are simple styles. I rarely wear dresses, so don't mind that."