Chapter 1

I found the situation a little hilarious. I sat down and said, "Fine. I'll have a cup. I'd like to see what fancy coffee tastes like."

Gianna Reed looked me over with suspicion. "Once you place your order, there are no refunds or exchanges."

I gave a casual nod. Only then did Gianna relax and turn to prepare the coffee.

Three minutes later, she brought over a cup of cappuccino. She was so quick that I suspected she had used instant coffee powder.

Once I had the cup in hand, I gave it a gentle sniff. As expected, it smelled like cheap instant coffee.

Gianna stood before me and spoke with confidence, "Our beans come from Caldora, and they are the purest Grilla variety.

"The flavor is wonderfully layered. Before it even touches your lips, you can catch a faint hint of jasmine. Once it hits your palate, you'll taste a honey-like sweetness along with notes of citrus and cedar—"

I couldn't help raising a hand to cut her off. "You served me instant coffee."

The slightly arrogant smile on Gianna's face froze, and her expression darkened instantly.

Jeff Davis, the other owner of the shop, hurried over at once. "Even Mr. Anderson has praised Gianna's coffee. Don't spout nonsense if you know nothing about it, you poor fool. You just think it's too expensive and can't afford it, so you're stirring up trouble on purpose."

Gianna regained her composure, her face once again radiating that superior arrogance. "The moment I saw you, I knew you were broke. No wonder you agreed so quickly earlier. It turns out you planned on skipping out on the bill from the very beginning."

She scoffed and took out a delicate coffee cup from the display. "Levi outbid the entire room at auction to get this cup for me. It is worth three million dollars, and my personal collection in this shop is worth over 100 million dollars.

"Do you really think I'd brew coffee with cheap instant powder? What a joke!"

My gaze drifted to the cup, and I frowned slightly.

Last month, I attended an auction with Levi Anderson. I had my eye on an antique cup. Levi immediately outbid everyone else, spending three million dollars to secure it and claiming it was a wedding anniversary gift for me.

I took the cup from Gianna's hands. After examining it carefully, I confirmed that Levi had given me a fake and sent the real one to Gianna. I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Gianna nervously tried to snatch the cup back. "Be careful! If you damage the cup, you wouldn't be able to pay for it even if you sold everything you own!"

I smiled at Gianna. "Is that so?"

I let go of the three-million-dollar coffee cup, and it hit the floor with a sharp crash, shattering into pieces. Gianna stared in total shock.

Jeff's eyes went wide. "You actually had the nerve to break the token of love Mr. Anderson gave Gianna! You're in big trouble!"

I looked at them calmly. "Then, tell Levi to come and find me himself. I'd like to see if he dares lay a hand on me."