本棚
検索
ホーム / Romance / Sips of Seduction: The Billionaire Heiress / Chapter 20 – The Barista Mask

共有

Chapter 20 – The Barista Mask

作者: KillsInWater
last update 最終更新日: 2025-09-09 22:02:08

The bell over the door chimed, and the morning rush seemed to suspend itself for a moment. Sunlight angled across the counter and set the foam flecks to sparkle. Someone had left a paper cup on the pick-up shelf with a name scrawled in big, awkward letters: Lain.

Celine sighed, more amused than embarrassed. She dabbed at a spill with the practiced motions she’d been learning; the job taught her hands to move before her mind caught up. “Worst barista ever,” she muttered, tucked the cup into the back where it would wait for its owner.

Orders rolled in like a steady tide: Americanos, oat lattes, a complicated frappe that required extra pumps of caramel. The frenzy was a kind of music. Marites called shots from the register with a voice equal to drill sergeant and cheerleader. Coworkers bumped hips, traded gossip, and covered each other when a pitcher foamed over. The chaos felt honest—no polished smiles for shareholders, no staged applause.

During a lull, a kid at a corner table held up
KillsInWater

Thanks for making it this far! If you’re enjoying the story, feel free to share it with your friends—so they can join the fun too. Your support means a lot!

| のように
この本を無料で読み続ける
コードをスキャンしてアプリをダウンロード
ロックされたチャプター
前のチャプター 次のチャプター

最新チャプター

  • Sips of Seduction: The Billionaire Heiress   Chapter 21 – Grounds for Escape

    The conference room was a cathedral of glass and steel, sunlight filtering through the high windows, bouncing off polished tables that seemed designed to intimidate. Celine had grown up in this room—board meetings, shareholder briefings, family arguments disguised as business discussions. She had learned early how to turn her face into neutrality and answer questions without revealing anything she honestly thought.But she wasn’t a silent heir or a dutiful daughter this morning. She was a problem.“Explain yourself,” her father’s voice boomed, the edge of command so sharp it cut the air. His tailored suit, his silver cufflinks, the way he leaned forward with disappointment carved into every line of his face—Celine felt it like a hand pressing her down.Across the table, her older brother Mateo smirked, as if enjoying the spectacle. He didn’t have to say a word. His presence was enough, the favored son, the golden heir, sitting comfortably while she burned.“I thought I was clear,” Cel

  • Sips of Seduction: The Billionaire Heiress   Chapter 20 – The Barista Mask

    The bell over the door chimed, and the morning rush seemed to suspend itself for a moment. Sunlight angled across the counter and set the foam flecks to sparkle. Someone had left a paper cup on the pick-up shelf with a name scrawled in big, awkward letters: Lain.Celine sighed, more amused than embarrassed. She dabbed at a spill with the practiced motions she’d been learning; the job taught her hands to move before her mind caught up. “Worst barista ever,” she muttered, tucked the cup into the back where it would wait for its owner.Orders rolled in like a steady tide: Americanos, oat lattes, a complicated frappe that required extra pumps of caramel. The frenzy was a kind of music. Marites called shots from the register with a voice equal to drill sergeant and cheerleader. Coworkers bumped hips, traded gossip, and covered each other when a pitcher foamed over. The chaos felt honest—no polished smiles for shareholders, no staged applause.During a lull, a kid at a corner table held up

  • Sips of Seduction: The Billionaire Heiress   Chapter 19 – Bitter Aftertaste

    Liam sat in the corner of the cramped apartment, the glow of his phone burning into his tired eyes. Another message had arrived—this time not just vague instructions but a list, precise and cold.Delivery records. Invoices. Supplier logs. Send photos. Tonight.Beneath it was an address: Navarro Coffee, the branch he had been circling for days. The same branch where Celine worked.The demand gnawed at him. Watching from a distance was one thing. But stealing? Recording documents? That meant entering her space, brushing shoulders with people who didn’t deserve to be caught in his mess.He shoved the phone face down on the table, but the words clung to him like a bitter aftertaste. Refusal wasn’t an option—not with Sofia still recovering or bills climbing higher by the week.By afternoon, he found himself outside the branch again. The café bustled with weekday chaos—delivery riders weaving in and out, customers tapping their feet impatiently, the espresso machine hissing like a beast at

  • Sips of Seduction: The Billionaire Heiress   Chapter 18 – Brewed in Silence

    Liam sat at the edge of his bed, staring at the plain envelope on the table as if it might bite him. The paper was bent where his fingers had crushed it last night, the corners smudged from his grip. He should have burned it. Shredded it. Flushed it down the toilet and pretended none of it had ever happened.But on the dresser, just beside his wallet, lay Sofia’s hospital bracelet—thin plastic, her name written in fading ink. That little band weighed more than iron shackles. It reminded him of every promise he’d made, every vow he couldn’t afford to break. He rubbed a hand over his face, then shoved the envelope into his bag.By midmorning, he was seated at a corner table in Navarro Coffee, laptop open as a shield. The glow of the café surrounded him: the hiss of the espresso machine, the sweet smell of caramel syrup, the low hum of customers chatting over muffins. It should have been comforting. Instead, it made his skin itch with guilt.He glanced toward the counter, pretending to s

  • Sips of Seduction: The Billionaire Heiress   Chapter 17 – Grounds of Betrayal

    Thin and pale morning light filtered through the blinds, but Liam felt none of its warmth. His body buzzed with exhaustion, nerves frayed after the midnight call. He hadn’t slept a wink, just replayed the words repeatedly: Mutual benefit. Favors. Loyalty.His eyes burned red when he dragged himself to St. Augustine’s. Sofia perked up when he entered, her hair still tangled, and there was a faint bruise along her arm from the accident.“You look like crap,” she teased, though her voice carried a softness he didn’t miss.“Didn’t get much sleep,” he admitted, forcing a crooked smile as he set a paper bag of pandesal on her table. “Hospital chairs aren’t made for comfort.”She eyed him carefully, suspicion flickering beneath her fatigue. “You’ve been tense for days. Something’s up.”“Bills,” he lied easily, unfolding the bag. “Always bills.”Her smile thinned, but she didn’t press. Still, her silence was heavy, as if she knew there was more he wasn’t saying. Liam hated lying to her and th

  • Sips of Seduction: The Billionaire Heiress   Chapter 16 – Bitter Grounds

    Sleep didn’t come easily that night. Liam lay on his narrow bed, staring at the ceiling, the glow from the streetlamp outside cutting sharp lines across the cracked plaster. His mind replayed the cryptic text message in an endless loop. Help is possible. We’ll call soon.He hadn’t told Sofia. How could he? She needed strength, not more uncertainty. Instead, he’d smiled through his hospital visits, cracking jokes about the food and promising to sort out the bills. But the truth pressed against his ribs like a vice: the payments were due, the debt collectors weren’t patient, and his sister's breath seemed tethered to numbers he didn’t have.His phone sat on the nightstand, screen black, but Liam couldn’t take his eyes off it. Every vibration of the city outside—the distant honk of a jeepney, the bark of a stray dog—made him tense, waiting for the ring. When it finally came, just past midnight, his heart slammed so hard he thought it might crack his chest.Unknown number.He swallowed, t

続きを読む

あなたも気に入るかもしれません

無料で面白い小説を探して読んでみましょう
GoodNovel アプリで人気小説に無料で！お好きな本をダウンロードして、いつでもどこでも読みましょう！
アプリで無料で本を読む
コードをスキャンしてアプリで読む
DMCA.com Protection Status