When Two Winters Met (Henrietta and Yosef) novel Chapter 168

“You’re finally here!” Artina exclaimed, moving to give Henrietta a customary hug.

Henrietta recoiled, taking two steps back. Artina was left hugging empty air, nearly stumbling forward. The public rejection was mortifying.

Henrietta simply stated, “Words will suffice.”

Before Artina could react, one of her friends piped up, “What’s your problem…”

Artina cut her off sharply. “Be quiet! Don’t be rude. This is my boss, Ms. Sargent. She’s been a great benefactor to me.”

The friend’s expression changed instantly, her face breaking into a wide, flowery smile. “Oh, so you’re the Ms. Sargent that Artina is always talking about!”

Henrietta gave a curt nod.

Artina reached for Henrietta’s arm. “Please, Ms. Sargent, this way. We’ll sit at the main table.”

Henrietta deftly avoided her touch.

Artina’s face tightened with annoyance, but she said nothing, merely leading them to the head table. The three of them sat down, with Artina deliberately taking the seat next to Henrietta. Henrietta frowned, the proximity making her skin crawl.

Winona quickly intervened. “Henrietta, let’s switch seats.”

Henrietta nodded, and they swapped places.

Artina’s expression soured further. “Ms. Sargent, what is the meaning of this?”

“I’m already promoting you,” Henrietta offered a plausible excuse. “It’s best to avoid any appearance of favoritism.”

The excuse was solid enough that Artina had no comeback.

Winona decided to get straight to the point. “Where’s your fiancé? Why isn’t he with you?”

“He had something to take care of,” Artina explained. “He’ll be here a little later.”

“So, should we start eating?” Winona asked.

“Yes, of course. Don’t wait for him. He’ll join us when he’s free.”

Artina, playing the gracious host, signaled for the dinner service to begin. Exquisite, lavish dishes were promptly brought to the table, along with bottles of wine.

Winona leaned closer to Henrietta. “Impressive. This wine costs over three hundred thousand a bottle.”

Charlotte leaned in from the other side. “This dinner is going to cost at least five or six million, isn’t it?”

“Something like that,” Henrietta confirmed.

Seeing that Henrietta wasn’t taking the bait, the woman’s face darkened. “What’s wrong with you? People are being nice to you, and this is how you act?”

Henrietta finally looked at her. “I said I don’t drink. Are you incapable of understanding plain English?”

Her words were harsh. The short-haired woman exploded. “You!”

Artina quickly stepped in to mediate. “Calm down, calm down. Have a seat.” She was playing the part of the good-natured host.

Another friend of Artina then proposed a new deal. “Alright, how about this? There are five of us. We’ll each drink a full glass, and you only have to drink one. That’s fair, right?”

The others immediately agreed. “Yes, that’s a great idea.”

Without waiting for Henrietta’s response, they all picked up their glasses and drained them. Then, they all turned to look at Henrietta.

Henrietta remained unmoved. “Do you have a problem with comprehension?” she said coolly. “I do not drink. Not one glass, not even one sip.”

She knew as she said it that this was exactly the response they were waiting for, the pretext to unleash their real attack.

Sure enough, as soon as the words left her mouth, the short-haired woman sneered, “Who do you think you are? It’s hilarious. We drank five glasses, and you won’t even take a sip? I don’t believe it. Even if you can’t drink, you could at least touch the glass to your lips.”

“Exactly,” another added. “Not even touching it to your lips is a clear sign of disrespect. And here we were, treating you as Artina’s benefactor, toasting you respectfully. Is this how you treat others?”