Claimed By The Ruthless CEO.

Chapter 8: Pretty little Drunkard

“Life is short, stop wasting time on toxic people.”—Alex Aubrey

THEODORE

I sensed the fear, the way her lips trembled, her eyes dilating as she dragged her cream colored gown on the pavement. My intention wasn't to scare the s**t out of her, but I couldn't stabilize my emotions.

Speeding down the highway, her shallow breaths filled the silence, her chest rising and falling as she leaned on the side window. Perhaps I was a little too harsh, but the damage had been done. There was no point in trying to make her understand me.

“So how was the wedding?” Garrett asked, interrupting my train of thoughts. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as his brown eyes brimmed with curiosity, “I'd like to hear the truth from the horse's mouth.” The typical truth-seeking leach, always eager to get information from the original source. I relaxed my shoulders and flashed him a smile, “I skipped it.”

“Oh My God.” he gasped, shock evident on his features, “Dude, you're f*****g ruthless. I can't believe you abandoned the daughter of Robert Wayne.”

Emily's dejected expression flashed in my mind and my lips twitched, “She'll be fine.” I said as a matter of fact, sure she would get over the fact that she was abandoned by her groom. I scanned the packed room, voices growing louder the more people drank. The heavy smell of cigarettes filled my nostrils and I sighed, resting my hand on the armrest, “I'm getting a divorce soon. Probably in a couple of months.”

Garrett reached for the glass of whiskey by his right, a complicated expression on his face, “Did you tell her about it? Don't you think it's too early to talk about a divorce?” he asked, hinting at something else. The purpose of the marriage was for a business proposal, and once the deal is done, the shitty marriage has to end as well. I puffed out a breath and directed my gaze towards him, “I don't care about her thoughts.”

“What if you fall in love with her?”

“Garrett, you know my first rule” I explained, loosening up the first two buttons of my shirt, suffocated. The word ‘love’ doesn't exist in my dictionary. My mother never said the word to me, nor did she show it through her actions. How then was I going to understand the concept of love and how it works? It was like an impossible task, giving a robot a chance at love.

Garrett is my best friend, someone that could pass as my soul brother as well, but he wouldn't deny the fact that I am quite unreadable sometimes, just like a book with no written words. He raised his brow in question but he soon replaced it with a smile, “Then what about her?”

“Her?”

“The girl you had a one night stand with.” he drawed, his eyes fixed on mine. Slowly, my hands balled into fists as I recalled her heavenly scent and the softness of her body. My lower body throbed, wanting to spring loose and my jaw clenched. Damn. I was losing control. Again. I gave Garrett a chilling gaze, “Do you really have to remind me?”

He chuckled as he swirled the glass of whiskey in his hands, “You have to find her, Theodore. If she's the only one that gets you all giddy, perhaps she's the one for you.” he explained before emptying the glass in his mouth. He licked his lips, a satisfied expression on his face, “Theodore, I want you to experience love, feel it and enjoy the sweetness that comes along with it. Even if your mother was not—”

“Stop.” I breathed, inhaling a deep breath. He was crossing the line by bringing my mother into the conversation. Rather than dwelling on my mother, my thoughts went back to her and the things I did that night, taking her and doing all kinds of bad things to her. She was innocent. I violated her because I thought she was the slut I paid for. Even if I eventually find her, how am I going to explain myself?

Tell her I was the guy who forced himself on her?

I ran my hands through my hair and groaned, “ I was probably vulnerable that night. Maybe that was why she made me feel..different. She's not special.” This was me trying to convince myself, convince myself that I wasn't losing my mind over a mysterious young lady.

While I still processed my thoughts, a red haired lady approached us, her hips swaying as she walked. Garrett's laughter rang in my ears as he tapped my shoulders, “Just what I need.” he said, his eyes completely fixed on her. I facepalmed myself and sighed. Bloody w***e.

Her lips slowly curled into a smile as her eyes never wavered from mine, “Hello handsome.” she ignored Garrett and sat right next to me, “I’m Camilla.” She had the features, would pass for an eight, but I felt nothing. Perhaps Garrett might be interested?

“I don't remember asking for your name.” I stated bluntly and she coughed, her cheeks a shade of crimson. On a normal day, that should be enough to irk a lady up, but she seemed fascinated instead. She leaned closer and crossed her legs, exposing her thighs, “Interesting. You're quite rare.” she said, her voice barely above a whisper, “Let's spend some time alone, shall we?”

I flipped over to Garrett and pointed at him, “Don't mess with the wrong person. If you need someone to spend a night with, then talk to him.”

Garrett gave me a small smile, Indirectly saying ‘thank you’ and I grinned, wondering why in the world he was so addicted to women. He is a typical playboy.

While I moved away from her, Garrett dragged himself up and sat right next to her, “Hey, beautiful.” he said, curving his body to stop her from staring at me.

Amused by Garrett's actions, a soft chuckle escaped my lips. While he continued with his talk with the red haired lady, I poured myself another drink and brought the glass to my lips, downing it in one go. As the taste burned my throat, a frail figure shifted from the corner of my eyes, her hand tightly wrapped around a glass of vodka.

I narrowed my eyes, shocked by Emily's appearance in a place like this. Her auburn hair was styled in a high ponytail and her cleavages were slightly exposed in the dress she was putting on. Her body swayed to the beat of the music as her lips slowly curled into a smile. Her movements were clumsy, she seemed tipsy, but she still kept on taking more glasses.

An exasperated sigh escaped my lips as I tapped my fingers on the table. As much as I tried to ignore her silly actions, I couldn't help but worry on how she was going to get home. To my home. I gave Garrett one last glance before walking towards her.

I was standing in front of her now and damn, she looks prettier up close. While she tried to pour another glass in her mouth, I snatched it from her hands and gave her a threatening gaze, “Won't you stop now?”