Faced with Alex’s unwavering generosity, Riley suddenly felt uneasy, even a little ashamed.
He was doing so much for her—going out of his way to pull strings, spending an astronomical amount of money, and even humbling himself to apologize on her behalf.
Yet, what could she possibly offer in return?
She wasn’t foolish. She might be naive, but she wasn’t oblivious.
When ordinary people asked for favors, they would at least bring gifts as a token of appreciation. But her request was a matter of life and death, and the price her boss was willing to pay… So much money.
For that amount of money, he could probably just buy her outright.
That thought sent her mind spinning. ‘I have to do something. But what?’ Her gaze wandered around the room, searching for an answer, until it landed on the glass of martini sitting on the table.
At that moment, a reckless idea took root in her alcohol-clouded brain.
Without a second thought, she snatched up the glass, raised it high, and, with a determined glint in her eyes, downed the entire drink in one go.
“Boss, I’ll drink to you!” she declared.
Alex barely had time to react.
He watched, stunned, as she tossed back the potent cocktail in a single gulp.
‘Was this girl insane? A single sip had already left her red-faced and dazed. What did she think an entire glass would do?’
This wasn’t just any cocktail—this was a custom-made dry martini, with a significantly higher alcohol content than usual.
Even seasoned drinkers would feel the burn, let alone someone like her, who had never even touched alcohol before tonight.
Sure enough—
“Cough, cough, cough!”
Riley immediately choked, her delicate frame trembling as the sharp, burning sensation overwhelmed her throat and nostrils.
The pungent scent of alcohol invaded her senses, making her eyes water.
A few stray drops slipped down the corner of her lips, trailing down her jawline, soaking into the fabric of her blouse.
Alex could only stare as the tipsy girl wobbled on her knees, blinking dazedly up at him.
“Boss… why do you have three heads?” she mumbled, her brows furrowing in confusion.
Then she giggled, waving a hand in front of her face.
“Boss, stop moving so much… I can’t keep up!”
Before he could respond, she pouted and whined, her voice turning into an exaggerated, childlike grumble.
“Boss, I wanna eat crispy rice crackers… and drink milk tea…” Alex blinked.
What…?
But Riley wasn’t done.
Her expression lit up, and she clapped her hands together as if she had just discovered the greatest secret in the universe.
“Boss! This drink is sooo good!” She smacked her lips, savoring the lingering taste. “It’s all sour and sweet—like lemons and candy! I wanna drink more!”
Before he could stop her, she reached for a bottle of vodka sitting nearby, her movements clumsy and unsteady.
She tilted the bottle, sloppily pouring a generous amount into a glass. Half of it spilled onto the table, but she didn’t seem to care.
Then, in one swift motion, she tipped the glass back… and chugged the entire thing.
“Gah!” The second the fiery liquid burned its way down her throat, she gasped and coughed violently, her entire body shaking from the intensity of it.
“Hot! Hot! So spicy!” she wailed, fanning her mouth. Alex watched in absolute disbelief.
‘Girl, are you seriously treating vodka like it’s a kids’ milk drink?!’ She was gone. Completely drunk out of her mind. Before she had started drinking, she had been quiet and reserved.
Now?
She was singing, dancing, and—if her sudden arm movements were any indication—pretending to play basketball.
….
After exhausting herself from all the jumping around, she curled up in Alex’s arms like a tired little kitten, completely letting down her guard.
It was no wonder that girls who got wasted outside bars were easy to pick up—their defenses were long gone, drowned in alcohol.
The girl, though drained of energy, still couldn’t keep her mouth shut. She continued to mumble nonsense, occasionally spouting a few words in a dialect that was incomprehensible to most.
Her black-framed glasses, the kind that supposedly made her look smarter, had disappeared somewhere in the chaos. Alex pinched her lower lip and studied her face with mild amusement.
“Heh, flat as a runway.” Though she was on the petite side, he figured there was still potential for ‘development’ in the future.
The authors make their heroines so petite that if not mentioned they will look like in their teens, but she was twenty-twenty one years old.
Just as he was thinking about something like his next move for the girl, the girl in his arms took a sudden deep breath.
Alex’s heart tightened. A sense of unease crept up his spine as he instinctively pushed her head away.
And then… “Ugh—!” She vomited. Everywhere. The pungent stench of alcohol and bile instantly filled the room.
After emptying the contents of her stomach, the girl curled up again on the couch as if nothing had happened.
Alex’s expression darkened. A few veins pulsed at his temple as he stood there, staring at the mess in absolute disgust.
What was supposed to be a beautiful night had been completely ruined. His desire evaporated in an instant.
With a face full of irritation, he turned and walked out of the room. As for the drunken Riley? Lane would handle her.
…
At the City Police Station:
Detention Center:
Inside the cold, dimly lit holding cell, Eric Vaughn sat on the hard wooden bench, his face weary. Dark circles hung under his eyes, and his normally neat hair was a tangled mess.
“Finally got that over with… Damn it, I almost lost my ass back there,” Eric muttered, exhaling deeply.
He glanced at the bespectacled man sprawled on the floor, sleeping like a dead pig.
“Tch, you thought you could mess with me? I’m Eric Vaughn—the Miracle doctor who saves lives with one hand and ends them with the other. You’re just a lowly pervert!”
As he recalled the events of the previous night, a shiver ran down his spine. Goosebumps prickled his skin, and he instinctively clenched his legs together.
His… lower half still felt the ghost of a cold breeze.