Chapter 3: The Drunk
1694 Words
Chapter 3: The Drunk
In an upscale clubhouse, accessible only to the elite with VIP cards, Annie was lucky to have just received a membership card from a handsome, high-society factory owner who was courting her. She wasn't serious about him, just dating him casually.
Maria tugged her tight black skirt down because she felt it was too short and tight. Her cropped tube top exposed her beautifully flat stomach, making her feel awkward since she'd never dressed so revealingly before.
"Hey, my stomach feels a bit chilly and exposed," Maria said, rubbing her stomach shyly, her discomfort evident, making Annie shake her head at her friend's nervousness.
"Oh, Maria your stomach, your figure, your waist, your hips, your chest—they're perfect. You work out every day, and your body is amazing, you know? Why be shy? You've got it, so flaunt it!" Annie complained.
"Well, I exercise to stay healthy, not to show off my body to anyone," Maria replied, pouting slightly, still feeling awkward and unsure.
"Are you going to let Aaron, your fiancé, belittle you? What do you say?" Annie crossed her arms, her expression playful but firm, as she looked at her friend, who still seemed hesitant and unsure.
"I just don't like being looked down upon," Maria replied with a weak smile.
"Then today, I guarantee no one will look down on you because today you're beautiful, very beautiful. Remember, you're beautiful. Stop tying your hair back like an old woman. Let your long, shiny hair down. Look at it, it's so glossy and straight, like you just got it waxed. You're very beautiful, you know that?"
"Uh-huh." Maria murmured, somewhat reassured but still a little unsure.
"So take a deep breath and work your charm, okay?"
"Uh-huh, okay."
"Say it with confidence, girl. Say it loud and proud," Annie encouraged, giving her friend an enthusiastic nudge.
"O-kay," Maria emphasized slowly and clearly, taking a deep breath to boost her confidence before standing tall and trying to walk with a little more poise.
As soon as they stepped into the club, Annie, looking stunning in a fiery red dress, and Maria, alluring and intriguing in black, caught the eyes of the men inside the upscale clubhouse, who gazed at the two beautiful women with admiration.
Not far from there, at the bar, Lucas and Walter, who had arranged to meet there, couldn't help but look at the two with interest.
"Luke."
...
"Hey, Luke."
...
"Hey, Luke!!!!" Walter shouted into Lucas's ear, startling him out of his daze.
"Whoa, what the hell! My name is Lucas, not Luke. Why are you calling me that, and so loud?" Lucas snapped out of his daze, turning to look at his friend with a mix of confusion and displeasure, taking a sip from his glass.
"Yeah, I told you, I was going to call you Luke. Why are you so startled? Were you checking out those two? No, wait, you were eyeing the one in black. Nice taste, dude," Walter said, patting his shoulder, as he also liked the bold girl in red.
"Who said I like her?" Lucas turned away, pretending not to care, though his eyes kept sneaking glances at the beautiful girl in black, unable to completely hide his interest.
"If you're interested, just admit it. Stop pretending. You were staring at her so much you didn't even hear me calling you," Walter said with a playful smile, knowing his friend too well.
Lucas just shook his head, giving in, before turning to look at the two women directly. He finally noticed that the woman in the red dress, who came with the woman in black, was an AE department employee at his company.
"The one in red, I know her. She's an employee at my company, so I'll pass. I don't like being the monk who eats the temple's chicken." he said with a smirk, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Wow, using idioms, huh? You nerd."
"Yeah, that's how I am. I don't date people from the same company. It messes up the hierarchy."
"Good thing you're not interested in the one in red because I've already got dibs on her. But what about the one in black? Is she from your company too? She's quite pretty."
"The one in black," Lucas looked carefully again before shaking his head. "Nope, don't know her."
But honestly, he had to admit that the moment he saw her, he was struck by her beauty. She was attractive and intriguing, not like most women. Usually, women who come to places like this act like huntresses, but she was different. She seemed like a swan. It was hard to believe she would come to a place like this at night.
Since he was just watching from a distance, he was slower than the other playboys who approached the two women. Lucas and Walter could only look at each other and laugh.
"Too late now," Walter shrugged, his amusement evident.
"I never said I was going to hit on her. I'm not getting involved. That woman in black is probably friends with someone from my company. Others might talk badly about it."
"But if you do manage to date her, you could use it as an excuse with Merline, saying you've got a girlfriend. She'd stop bothering you. Wouldn't that be good?" Walter suggested, grinning mischievously
Lucas just smiled in response but continued to secretly glance at the beautiful woman in black. She had just accepted a drink from a stranger, seemingly unaware of the risk.
Not long after, Maria choked because she wasn't used to alcohol.
Maria's inexperienced demeanor made it hard for Lucas to take his eyes off her. Earlier, he saw her as a swan, but after she drank, she seemed more like a small, vulnerable bird. Lucas found himself smiling slightly without realizing it. He didn't know why he couldn't take his eyes off her since he first saw her.
Still, it was just a small impression. He didn't plan to flirt or get to know her. As he mentioned, he recognized the woman in red, her friend, as an employee at his company.
Before Lucas could tear his focus away from the woman who was his type and continue chatting with Walter, they heard a commotion from another man who grabbed his friend's arm.
"Annie, who are these two guys? Why are you and your friend drinking with them?"
It turned out that the man was a high-society guy who owned a factory and had been pursuing Annie. He was the one who gave her the VIP membership card to the clubhouse.
"Calm down, James. Annie just brought a friend out for a night of fun, and these two guys were just passing by to say hello. There's nothing going on," Annie explained while trying to pry James' hand off her wrist.
But James turned to confront the two guys further.
"Do you two know who Annie is with?" he shouted.
"Hey, don't be rough with the ladies. We were just having a normal conversation," one of the guys replied.
"Normal, my foot. This is clearly getting her drunk," James said, glancing at Maria, who was sitting dazed and red-faced beside him, before she raised her hand to cover her mouth, feeling like she was going to vomit.
"Uff," she groaned.
Everyone was startled, worried she might throw up on them. The two night flirts quickly excused themselves before Maria could vomit on them and before getting into trouble with Annie's boyfriend. Even though they were flirts, they weren't the type to mess with someone else's girl because they didn't like complicated problems like this.
"Are you okay?" Annie asked worriedly. She hadn't stopped her friend earlier. Seeing Maria stressed and having fun chatting, she wanted her friend to relax and let off some steam.
"I'm okay, uff," Maria replied, raising her hand to indicate she was fine, even though she was holding back the urge to vomit.
Seeing that it was quite noisy there, James grabbed Annie's arm to continue the conversation outside.
"I'll be right back, Mar. Don't go anywhere, wait for me here."
Maria nodded, still covering her mouth tightly. As soon as her friend was out of sight, Maria looked for the restroom and staggered to get there to throw up.
Oddly, she didn't just feel like vomiting but also felt dizzy and unusually warm. Maria had just realized that getting drunk on alcohol felt like this.
~Just a heartbreak. I shouldn't have taken it out on myself like this~
Maria could only regret drinking, but even though she realized it now, it was too late because she felt so drunk and dizzy. Before the two strangers came to the table, she wanted to show she wasn't a lightweight, so she drank a lot.
Maria staggered towards the restroom, which wasn't far, and had to pass by where Lucas and Vasin were sitting.
With her vision suddenly blurry, Maria realized that one of her contact lenses, which she was not used to wearing, had fallen out. She quickly rubbed her eyes, and in doing so, the other lens fell out, causing her to stumble and bump into Lucas's chair.
"Ahh!" Maria exclaimed.
"Please don't move; I've lost my contact lens," she said, her vision blurred and in the dim lighting, she had no idea that the man she was touching to find her lens was Lucas, the president of her company.
Lucas didn't recognize her, unaware she was the administrative accountant he had met earlier that evening.
Maria's hands continued to search for the contact lens, which was almost impossible to find in the dim light.
Lucas could only glance at Walter, who was chuckling from afar, as Maria clumsily approached him, leaving him unsure of what to do. Maria continued to fumble around Lucas's torso, but now she felt even more dizzy and nauseous.
"Ughhh"
Bleeegh
"Oh crap," Walter exclaimed.
Maria's vomit splattered all over Lucas's black shirt as she collapsed, her head landing between his legs.
"Whoa, man!"
The two men shouted in unison.
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- Writer
