Chapter 214

After hanging up with Claire, Jasper couldn't stop grinning. He looked like some dad getting a surprise New Year's gift from his daughter who married far away—smokes and cash included. He was humming a little tune while double-checking his flight info, just like Arnold had taught him last night. Across from him, Old Mr. Blackwell sat with a face so gloomy it could rain, finally knocking on the table in frustration. "Old man, why didn't you tell her something about me?" "What thing about you?" Jasper pretended to be clueless, glancing up lazily with half-lidded eyes. Seeing that long face made his grin grow even wider. This old guy had played the mysterious elder role so hard back then, pretending to be unimpressed by his junior's cooking, just to seem all wise in front of Claire. Truth was, he'd loved her skills from the start. But he kept acting aloof, muttering something about the flavors not being authentic. Well, congrats—Claire thought she was wasting her time and dipped out fast.