Chapter 98
Chapter 98:
Kailey kept a polite smile in place and took a sip. Before long, a slow wave of dizziness crept in.
Zaria watched her closely, then reached for the bottle and poured herself a glass. “Mr. Holt, Kailey doesn’t handle alcohol very well. I’ll drink on her behalf so she can head out early—that way nothing spoils the mood for you p>
Rather than lifting his glass, Kent turned the liquid slowly inside it, in no hurry to drink.
A knowing smile moved across his face as he looked between the two of them. “Drinking is supposed to make people happy. How could that possibly spoil anything p>
“Mr. Holt p>
Kent cut Zaria off before she could continue. “Since we’re friends now, we should all drink as much as we like p>
Before Zaria could respond, Dana cut in ahead of her, her eyes carrying a quiet but unmistakable warning. “Since Mr. Holt has already said so, we’ll all leave together later. If it’s getting to be too much, just slow down.” Her tone left no room for argument.
о𝗿𝗴аո𝗶z𝗲 y𝘰𝘶r 𝗹𝗶𝘣𝘳ar𝘺 о𝗻
As the tension tightened around the table, Kailey discreetly tugged Zaria’s hand and gave a small shake of her head. “It’s alright. I can still manage p>
Kent, however, had no intention of letting anyone stay sober.
On top of drinking with them himself, he instructed his assistant to keep raising glasses one after another, maintaining a relentless flow of alcohol throughout the evening.
Even Zaria, who normally held her liquor well, was close to slumping forward by the end. Dana wasn’t faring much better, forcing a composed expression while gritting her teeth against Kent’s encroaching proximity. When her eyes flicked toward Kailey and Zaria farther down the table, something darker edged into her gaze.
“Mr. Holt, don’t focus only on me.” Dana leaned in slightly and clinked her glass against his, deliberately thickening the atmosphere. “Look over there—Kailey and Zaria seem bored. You should spend some time with them too. They really want to learn from you p>
An uneasy feeling swept over Zaria without warning.
Kailey sensed it too. She tried to unlock her phone to send a message, but the moment her fingers moved, Kent’s hand closed around her wrist.
“Anyone checking their phone while we’re drinking deserves a penalty.” He lifted the phone from her hand, and in the low lighting, his smile carried an edge that made her skin prickle. “Come on. Finish your drink p>
Kailey briefly considered refusing, but Kent was already pouring and sliding the glass across to her before she could respond. Given his importance as a key partner for the company, she had no ground to push back on.
She watched her phone pass into the assistant’s hands, and the weight in her chest grew heavier by the second.
Back at the apartment, Kyson waited. Time stretched on, and still Kailey hadn’t returned. His eyes dropped to the clock—nearly ten. His fingers drummed once against the table before he sent a message to Linda.
The reply came quickly: the team had finished on schedule and the office had been empty by six thirty.