"The people in the village I was sent to were actually very kind. Come to think of it, after all these years, I really should go back and visit them."
Padgett remained completely silent.
He had only managed to secure somewhat lenient treatment by donating half of his entire family fortune back then.
Even then, greedy opportunists had still tried to swallow all of the Churchill family's assets.
A cunning rabbit always has three burrows, and thankfully, Padgett had prepared thoroughly.
He handed over everything on the surface, and after he was officially pardoned, the government returned a portion of it to him.
The Churchill family had countless enterprises, and with what was returned, Padgett worked tirelessly to quickly restore their former glory.
The Churchills were born businessmen; that kind of natural talent couldn't be taught.
A prominent leader had once joked that the Churchill family ought to change their name, claiming they must be descended from the legendary King Midas himself.
Listening to the two older men trade stories made Claire's breakfast even more enjoyable.
After finishing their meal, Claire packed up to head back to campus, while the two seniors agreed to continue their battle at the park.
Claire could only remind the older man, "Don't forget to eat lunch, Grandpa."
Padgett waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry, I won't forget."
Claire drove back, stopping first at her apartment complex to park her car.
She headed upstairs to change her outfit before heading to the university for her classes.
She also brought back some food for her roommates.
By the time she returned to the dorm, it was exactly lunchtime. As she opened the food containers one by one, the rich aroma instantly overwhelmed the room.
"Whoa, what amazing food did our Claire bring us this time?"
Skye had just returned to the dorm, and the aroma instantly made her mouth water.
She was already starving. Claire had texted earlier saying she was bringing dishes and that they only needed to grab some rice from the cafeteria.
So, she had only bought rice.
Right now, she was so hungry she felt like she could eat an entire cow.
Unlike Claire, she had classes all morning.
Zara Zeller also had class, but like Skye, she had brought back some rice to the dorm.
Last night, she had also asked her family's chef to prepare some dishes, bringing them to campus to share with everyone.
Her family's cooking obviously couldn't compare to Claire's, but it was still incredibly delicious.
Skye even posted on Facebook, bragging about being thoroughly spoiled by her
roommates.
Lex Grant hadn't returned yet. She had told them to eat without her since she was working her part-time shift at the cafeteria.
Claire set aside a portion for Lex, and the rest of them dug in.
"The chef made a Spicy Braised Platter today. It's still warm. Try it—I think it's way better hot than cold," Claire said.
Claire popped open a massive
insulated container, and the moment the lid
dcame off, the smell alone was enough to make Zara and skye drool.
"Let me try a piece!" Skye grabbed a chicken wing with her silverware and couldn't stop eating once she started.
"Oh my god, this is amazing."
Zara couldn't handle spicy food well, but she kept gasping from the spice while continuing to stuff her face.
Claire portioned out the Spicy Braised Platter, spicy crab, and steamed shrimp for the two of them...
Every single dish was phenomenal, leaving them completely hooked.
However, just as they started digging in, someone knocked on the door.
Skye jumped up to answer it.
"What's up? Who are you looking for?"
When she pulled the door open, she saw a girl from the dorm next door.
"Can I help you?"
The neighbor looked a little
ет
embarrassed. "I smelled the braised dishes from your room. It smells
incredible...could I ask where you bought it
She wasn't there to beg for free food; she had genuinely been hypnotized by the
aroma.
This particular dorm always seemed
to be eating like royalty, and the
l.ne
other girls on the floor had cried
tears of envy on multiple occasions.
She just couldn't help herself this time-the smell today was too irresistible, so she had to come over.
it."
Skye blinked. "Uh... our roommate actually brought this from home. Her family made
"Oh! Could I pay you to make me a portion?"