THE FORGOTTEN HEIRESS-Chapter 357: Unmistakable Touch

"What is not right? Are you insinuating that the judges have suddenly turned partial in their judgment?" Empress Brew fans attacked immediately.

"Pay no attention to people whose minds have been twisted beyond sound reasoning."

"They were clearly praising the judges a short while ago when the score was in their favor, and all of a sudden, they turned around to question the decision of the esteemed judges specially selected for this purpose. Can they stand what it means to offend these judges... accusing them of being partial? Tsk!"

"That’s right? Even if they will doubt the assessment of every other judge, what about Mr Khan? Has he ever made any mistakes in his tasting perception in the past?"

At this point, Café Solstice’s supporters were as quiet as a graveyard. What else could they say?

The evidence was too glaring to deny. With Mr Khan attesting to the exquisite taste, ther mouths were automatically sealed with glue.

Was Lauren that awesome? Doesn’t that mean they’ve been supporting the wrong team?

"Did you recall the question Mr Khan asked Ms Lauren a while ago?" Someone suddenly asked.

"Yeah, he asked her if she had learnt under Sir Olivier Rousseau. What do you think that means..." another replied.

"It’s either her drink was on the same level as Sir Rousseau’s or ... "

Before that one could complete his thought, someone quickly typed,

"Don’t tell me she is Sir Rousseau’s disciple? This is too awesome."

Meanwhile, Peggy’s face had been drained of color, her smirk disappearing as the reality of the situation hit her like a tornado.

Her eyes widened in disbelief, and her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.

’It’s impossible, she muttered to herself . How did she do it within such a short time."

While she was trying her best not to go mad with the , the head judge continued, praising the balance of flavors, the innovative use of ingredients, and the sheer sophistication of Lauren’s creation.

"This drink is a proof of true mastery of coffee crafting," the head judge said, then repeated what he had earlier announced. "Full marks to Lauren and her team."

The crowd, finally recovering from their shock, erupted into applause.

However, Peggy’s face tightened as she was slapped by the hard truth. She stood there, stunned and speechless while Lauren smiled politely while nodding graciously to the judges.

They had done it! Despite Peggy’s dirty schemes to make them lose, they had created a drink that wowed the judges as they had hoped.

In the chaos of congratulations and questions, Peggy slipped to the back after being dealt a heavy blow that completely shattered her earlier confidence.

She watched as Lauren was surrounded by other competitors, especially those who have not been in support of Café Solstice, all eager to learn more about her remarkable drink.

The head judge approached Lauren. "Your drink... it has the unmistakable touch of Rousseau. You must have learned from him."

Lauren smiled mysteriously. "Well..." she began but Peggy could no longer take the attention Lauren was having, butted in unceremoniously.

"Don’t be too smug Lauren. "How can you lie that you actually studied under Sir Rousseau? Sir Rousseau is not someone an unknown upcoming barista like you can meet easily," she said with disdain.

It was right that it wasn’t easy to see or meet her grandfather but how hard could it be for her to see her own grandfather? She was his favorite grandchild, for crying out loud.

If her grandfather knew she was actually participating in a competition that has anything to do with coffee, she was sure he would call for a party to celebrate for a week.

He might even take the next flight and come with a troupe just to show her how happy he was that she finally regained her senses.

But was Peggy worthy of seeing her grandfather? No. She will never give her the honoo of seeing her grandfather in this lifetime, not even a grain of his white hair.

Mr. Khan, the head judge, observed the exchange with keen interest. He had a wild guess about Lauren’s true identity but decided to keep it to himself for now.

He wanted to see if Sir Rousseau’s descendant was as quick witted as the revered veteran or someone that relied on others to forge ahead.

"Well, Ms Carter," Lauren began calmly, "it’s true that it’s not easy to see or even meet a man of Sir Rousseau’s status."

But you see, some things are better left unsaid because even though some things are directly placed before a blind man, they wouldn’t see, not because they can’t see, but because they refused to acknowledge the existence of that thing. So whether I learnt under Sir Rousseau or not, is best known to me and is insignificant at the moment."

A stunned silence followed Lauren’s words as the room seemed to hold its breath as both the judges and contestants pondered on Lauren’s words.

"What does she mean? Is she saying that even if Sir Rousseau himself came here and said he was Lauren’s master, Ms Carter would still not believe it?"

"I think that’s what she’s saying, after all Ms Carter had refused to accept the judges’ decisions even if one of them was the renowned Mr Khan with an incredible sense of taste," someone else said mockingly.

Peggy’s face turned a deep shade of red, her smirk replaced by a look of utter dismay. She stammered, searching for words but found none

These people were utterly useless. One minute they were supporting her and then next they all treated her like garbage.

Mr. Khan stepped in, his voice measured and respectful. "Ms Carter, I believe it would be wise to let things be. Ms Holmes has explained herself and the evidence is also before us all. Moreover, in the world of coffee, we learn never to judge without tasting."

As expected, even the words of Mr Khan are centered around his passion— coffee and taste.

Seeing Peggy, still at a loss for words, Mr Khan turned to Lauren, his eyes twinkling with curiosity and admiration.

"Ms Holmes, your skill and the depth of flavor in your drink speak volumes. It’s clear you’ve had exceptional training. Whether under Master Rousseau or another master, your talent is undeniable."

Lauren nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Mr. Khan. I appreciate your understanding."

The atmosphere in the room had long shifted as the other contestants, who had been castigating Lauren and her team , now looked at them with great respect, some with awe.

Lauren’s mind raced back to the moment she realized her syrup was gone. The panic had been immediate, but she knew she couldn’t let Peggy’s sabotage defeat her.

She thought of the time she had encountered a similar situation some years ago with her grandfather and he just sat back doing nothing but told her to find a way out by herself.

Then she had done what she did today and arrived at a baffling result. It was then her grandfather confidently gave her some complex recipes that could be mixed together to get outstanding results, of which today’s recipe happened to be one of them.