Mr. CEO's Substitute Bride-Chapter 1005 - 1001: Eating Fruit with Nicholas Croft’s Used Fork

Looking at the fruit placed in front of him, Nicholas Croft hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take it. Although his relationship with Hannah Hargrave wasn’t close to this extent, he was a guest at her house, so it wouldn’t be polite to refuse her. He thanked her out of courtesy and put the small piece of watermelon into his mouth.

Meanwhile, Hannah Hargrave watched Nicholas Croft eating the watermelon, looking every bit like an admiring fan. Seeing him finish a small piece, she quickly speared a piece of kiwi, "Nicholas, have another piece."

"No, thanks, I’m allergic to kiwi." Nicholas politely declined. Hannah looked a bit disappointed. Watching him put the small fork on the coffee table, she discreetly pursed her lips and picked up the fork to send a slice of watermelon into her mouth.

Nicholas Croft...

Could only pretend not to notice, but the watermelon he had just swallowed seemed stuck in his throat, prompting him to cover his mouth and cough lightly to hide his embarrassment.

"You all continue chatting; I’ll check on things in the kitchen," Josephine Hawthorne admonished her daughter with a slight glare and stood up.

Nicholas politely nodded again and continued discussing the guest appearance issue with Henry Hargrave.

After talking for a while, Josephine returned from the kitchen carrying a bowl of soup, placing it on the dining table, while two maids followed her, gradually arranging dishes on the table. As she set up the bowls and chopsticks, Josephine said, "Grayson, let’s stop chatting for now and have dinner; we can continue after eating."

Seeing that they were starting dinner, Nicholas Croft stood up, "Mr. Hargrave, let’s pause here; I should be going now."

"Nicholas, come, have a drink with me before you leave," Henry Hargrave also stood up, placed a hand on Nicholas’s shoulder, guiding him towards the dining table.

"Mr. Hargrave, I’ve already had dinner," Nicholas politely refused once more, to which Henry chuckled with furrowed brows, "What kind of talk is that? Sharing a drink has nothing to do with whether we’ve had dinner."

Having no choice, Nicholas had to stay.

At the long dining table, Mr. and Mrs. Hargrave sat together, leaving Nicholas with no option but to sit next to Hannah. Henry opened a bottle of red wine and repeatedly praised Nicholas at the table for being young and capable, having good business acumen, and being disciplined, never engaging in gossip with celebrities.

Touching on the subject of rumors, Henry suddenly frowned and asked, confused, "Nicholas, you’re at the age of settling down. Why haven’t we heard anything about you having a girlfriend?"

Nicholas smiled lightly, "Men like me who are always busy working, lacking a sense of romance, probably don’t attract women."

"How is that possible?" Hannah quickly interjected, her voice growing loud in excitement after Nicholas spoke. Noticing the attention from her parents and Nicholas, she shyly brushed her long hair, lowered her gaze, and her voice softened, "What I mean is... a man as outstanding as you is admired by many women."

Ignoring Hannah’s feigned bashfulness, Nicholas calmly said, "Miss Hargrave, you’re joking..."

"Why are you calling me that again?" He hadn’t finished talking when Hannah interrupted, pretending to be displeased while giving him a playful glare.

Nicholas Croft...

Uneasily pressed his lips together and apologized, "Sorry, it’s just a habit." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Hannah seized the chance to playfully remark, "I don’t care; getting the name wrong deserves a penalty. So, how about you drink this glass of wine for me as punishment?"

As she spoke, Hannah placed her wine glass in front of Nicholas, which she’d already taken a sip from. Seeing Mr. and Mrs. Hargrave smiling at him without stopping her, Nicholas reluctantly finished the remaining half-glass of Hannah’s wine.

Just as he put down the wine glass, Hannah kindly served him some food, "Nicholas, have some food to chase it down."