Your First Love is Pregnant? I'm Done Being Mrs. Hawthorne!

###Chapter 89: Playboy

He had postponed a meeting, all for her sake.

He’d just arrived, and she was already trying to send him away? Zachary Hawthorne sat by the bar, his gaze dark as he watched her. "Aren’t you going to make me a drink?"

Nina Wainwright froze for a second, then immediately asked, "What would the customer like to drink?"

’Customer?’

Zachary Hawthorne suppressed his anger, managing a calm tone. "This is my first time in a bar. Why don’t you make me your specialty?"

Catherine Grant, sitting nearby, immediately suggested, "How about a Bamboo."

Zachary Hawthorne heard her and remembered that Nina Wainwright had made him a Bamboo just last night. He’d thought it was nothing special at the time... and she hadn’t seemed very happy, either.

"A Bamboo, then," he told Nina Wainwright.

"How about something else," Nina Wainwright said, already starting to mix a drink.

Zachary Hawthorne rested his chin on his hand, his gaze fixed on her face.

’She calls me a customer, then completely ignores my request. I must have spoiled her too much, for her to show me no respect in public.’

Nina Wainwright made him a Playboy.

Zachary Hawthorne took a sip, a knowing look on his face as he watched her. "You think I don’t know what this drink is called?"

Nina Wainwright, who was tidying the counter, glanced at him. "I just picked one at random. Don’t read too much into it."

Catherine Grant, watching from the side, couldn’t help but laugh. "You two are something else."

Zachary Hawthorne set his glass down. "I’m heading back to the office," he said calmly. "Next time you’re in trouble, call me directly. Don’t bother your friends."

Nina Wainwright knew the truth. ’He just hates getting calls from strangers. This has nothing to do with not wanting to bother people.’

After Zachary Hawthorne left, Catherine Grant immediately leaned close to Nina Wainwright and whispered, "See? He really does care about you. At least he showed up when I called. He didn’t just abandon you."

Nina Wainwright just hummed in response.

Just as they finished talking, Lucy Stratton approached, her face a mask of apology. "I was targeting you before, and I’m truly sorry..."

"Targeting her for what? Why don’t you spit it out?" Leo Larkin demanded from behind her.

Nina Wainwright turned to see Leo Larkin approaching with a grim expression. "It’s fine," she said.

"Fine? What’s fine about it? Do you think these people will appreciate your forgiveness if you just talk nicely? Your ability to survive in the workplace has never been because you’re a pushover." Leo Larkin sat down, his tone an icy lecture.

"Hey, why are you being so harsh?" Catherine Grant chimed in, displeased.

Nina Wainwright listened without protest. In her heart, she knew Leo Larkin was right. ’Be too nice, and people will walk all over you.’

"Chloe Chapman came after you because I told her that Mr. Larkin was good to you. She got jealous and decided to bully you..." Lucy Stratton confessed, head bowed, spelling out her transgression word by word.

Before Nina Wainwright could react, Catherine Grant slammed her hand on the bar. "Lucy Stratton, I’m usually good to you, right?! You’ve earned plenty of commission from my spending, and you turn around and do this to my friend behind her back?!"

Lucy Stratton’s eyes were red, her voice thick with shame. "I was just overcome with a fit of jealousy... Cathy, please don’t be angry, okay?!"

"Me, angry at you? You think you’re even worth it?!" Catherine Grant snapped before turning her head away.

Lucy Stratton’s lip trembled as she turned a pitiful, wronged gaze on Nina Wainwright.

"I work the day shift, and you work nights. So why were you unhappy with me?" Nina Wainwright asked, confused.

Leo Larkin knew exactly why Lucy Stratton was unhappy with her.

It was because he had asked Lucy Stratton to come in during the day to teach Nina bartending. Lucy felt it was extra work, so she started targeting her.

She even roped Lily into it, and they intentionally made things difficult for her.

"Everyone gets jealous... you don’t always need a reason for it," Lucy Stratton mumbled.

Nina Wainwright said no more, simply wiping the bar in silence.

"You can go home now," Leo Larkin told Lucy Stratton.

Lucy Stratton fled as if her life depended on it.

’It’s a good thing I only pushed Chloe Chapman to go after Nina Wainwright,’ she thought. ’If Zachary Hawthorne had come for me directly, who knows what would have happened.’

As Lucy Stratton left the bar, she saw Chloe Chapman, whose face was swollen like a balloon. She was on the phone, sobbing her heart out.

Not daring to stare, Lucy Stratton quickly slipped away.

「Inside the bar.」

While Nina Wainwright was busy, Leo Larkin pulled Catherine Grant aside. "She knows Zachary Hawthorne, but she still needs a job?" he asked, frowning.

"It’s *because* she knows Zachary Hawthorne that she needs a job. Don’t ask too many questions. Just let her stay here, okay? Besides, she’s a hard worker, isn’t she? She learned to bartend so fast." Catherine Grant didn’t dare tell Leo Larkin that Nina Wainwright was Zachary Hawthorne’s wife.

’Zachary Hawthorne hadn’t revealed anything when he came himself, which must mean he still doesn’t want their relationship to be public.’

"I don’t get it," Leo Larkin said, confused.

"What is there to get? Besides, are you really hurting for a few thousand bucks in salary? If you are, you can take it from my account. Just let her feel like she has a real job," Catherine Grant whispered.

Leo Larkin turned and walked away, his face cold.

"Hey, what’s with the attitude..." Catherine Grant asked, following him.

"Nina Wainwright’s talent for bartending is greater than the other two. I’m committed to training her, and I’m not going to shortchange her on salary," Leo Larkin replied coldly.

Hearing this, Catherine Grant immediately broke into a smile. "Really?"

"Yes. The drinks she makes tend to stir up old memories for customers, so I intend to train her." Compared to Lucy Stratton and Lily, Leo Larkin truly valued Nina Wainwright more.

A drink that tells a story is the best brand you can have.

The Moonlight Bar had good sales, but this was exactly the kind of bartender it was missing.

And his bar was very much in need of a bartender just like her.

"Now that you’ve said that, I can finally rest easy!" Catherine Grant said, completely satisfied.

As Nina Wainwright was making a drink for a customer, Leo Larkin walked up to the bar and tapped on the counter. "Could you try to improve on the Playboy?"

"Hmm, I can try," Nina Wainwright said.

In Nina Wainwright’s mind, the Playboy was a drink for a true libertine.

Therefore, it had to make the drinker feel suave, carefree, and liberated.

While Nina Wainwright worked on improving the cocktail, Leo Larkin took over making drinks for the customers.

Catherine Grant rested her chin on her hand, watching Nina Wainwright taste various liquors. After a moment, she couldn’t help but ask, "You take one little sip and you can remember the flavor?"

"Remembering flavors is a basic requirement for a bartender," Nina Wainwright replied.

She mixed several versions on her own, then had Leo Larkin and Catherine Grant try them.

After Catherine Grant took a sip, the kick made her eyes water. She stuck her tongue out. "It’s so spicy and sweet at the same time. It went straight to my head... I’m a little dazed..." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Leo Larkin ignored her, tasting each of the versions before frowning. "It would be better if the spice and sweetness were better balanced. And the aroma needs to be stronger..."

"Okay." Following his feedback, Nina Wainwright started working on it again.

This time, she took longer to mix the drinks.

Once the four new versions were ready, she pushed them toward Leo Larkin and Catherine Grant.

Catherine Grant took a sip, her cheeks still flushing from the spice. "It tastes good, but I prefer sweet drinks..."