Black Pearl in Raging Fire

16. Wronged

"The hell are you doing, teasing little girls?"

Riza laughed proudly like a king with two young concubines on either side when he heard this.

"B-Boss ..."

Liam froze seeing the two young girls were Jena and Isabel. In another unseen corner, there was even Jonas and Reo chatting in their own world. He wanted to make a sound, but was surprised again when he saw Yuno behind the bar counter pushing two different drinks.

They're all here?

"Boss, please drink." Compared to the two girls, Yuno was very calm.

Liam, "..."

Riza looked at Liam's surprised face with amusement. He drank the whiskey in his hand, inviting Adriel, "Sit and have a drink. Why do you bully people when you just f*****g come, huh?"

Adriel's face was still ugly, obviously not wanting to discuss the matter just now.

He also saw Liam's shocked face and explained, "I invited them."

He pulled Liam down, but Liam still seems dissatisfied with his cafe crew here.

If Adriel invited the three of them too, doesn't that mean Adriel also knows about the cafe? This man is truly an expert stalker! His mom and dad didn't even know he was running the cafe secretly.

Riza thought Liam was worried because the three kids were still young, he said, "Chill out, bro. I'll take care of them. As long as I'm around, they won't be bothered. They're not playing games here anyway, they're hired by me."

Liam looked at the three of them. "Hired?"

Jena explained, "Boss, that's right. We work here. The pay is good for one night and we take it. Please, don't be mad."

Isabel who had been nervous earlier also replied boldly, "B-Boss, it's not like we didn't tell you on purpose, but it's a surprise party for you. How can we say that?"

"Actually we were invited to attend, but it was a waste of time. I asked if I could work and earn money. Then Mr. Kaiser gave me this job." Yuno chimed in, glancing at Riza in the process.

Jena and Isabel nodded.

"I see. Don't come home too late."

After all they were younger than him. The boys could fend for themselves outside, but girls hanging around at night were especially dangerous.

The three of them nodded enthusiastically and got to work.

Liam didn't ask anything else and sat down.

"Make sure you pay them big bucks!" Adriel replaced Liam talking to Riza.

Riza shrugged helplessly.

As his eyes meet Liam's he said, "Hi, this is our first time meeting and sorry if that's a bit off but nice to meet you. I'm Riza Kaiser."

It was of course not the first time they've met, but Liam didn't mind. "Hi, I'm Liam Halsey."

Some of Adriel's friends came around them and got acquainted too. And some people start getting familiar.

"Whoa, you're not bad. Totally Adriel type, so gorgeous."

"I know right. He look young."

"How old are you anyway?"

Liam replied, "Twenty-two."

Everyone let out an 'ah' in unison.

"But Adriel's type is like this. Almost all of his past lovers were young and good-looking."

"Yeah, here I think the faces of all his past lovers are pretty much the same and this one is the same too."

"The heck do you mean? Why would you say something like that in front of his new lover?"

"Not just lovers, they're even married, man!"

Someone looked at Liam with a slightly guilty look, but his words were contradictory, "Forgive them, this is how they get together. Don't take it to heart. That's because Adriel's past boyfriend almost has the same criteria, he always likes the type that is young, handsome and pretty. I think because their faces also look similar at first glance. Similar to yours."

Liam didn't expect to hear this and frowned.

"But there's no need to think about it. Everyone has their own type, right?"

Liam could feel a flash of ridicule on his face, even though he tried to comfort Liam, but he didn't look sincere at all.

Luckily Liam didn't care. He didn't really respond.

"Why are you talking bullshit? Don't have a job?"

Everyone was surprised to hear Riza's cold voice.

"Ahahaha. How dare I. I was just explaining to him, so he wouldn't misunderstand."

"f**k off. Don't make trouble." Riza looked at him coldly. Several people immediately left and scattered.

Only then did Liam realize that Adriel wasn't around.

"Don't mind it. If Adriel hears him bullying you, he will finish the guy." Riza drank his whiskey.

Liam didn't care either, he asked, "Where's Adriel?"

Riza pointed with his chin. Adriel was holding small plates and taking snacks on the buffet table. His face was serious.

"He said you haven't had dinner yet."

Liam was stunned. Not taking his eyes off Adriel's figure at the other end, who was out of place holding a small plate and tongs of food.

Moments later, Adriel returned and brought three small plates to the bar. "It's not sweet. You eat it."

There were lemon yogurt, banana sponge cake and raisin bars. Everything was really less sweet.

Liam didn't hesitate to scoop up the yogurt the first time, and a soft taste spread in his mouth.

"There's still plenty in there. There's some fruit too. You can have some before we get to the main event." Riza said, asking the bartender to increase his drink.

"Thank you." Liam nodded.

Even though he still didn't know what the main event mentioned earlier was, he didn't ask.

Adriel also hasn't touched anything since earlier, seeing Liam eating, he started to get thirsty and finally remembered to drink. He took the whiskey that was prepared on the table and clink his glass against Riza's.

Before he could drink, someone snatched his whiskey. Adriel watched Liam chug from his glass.

"You drive so can't drink."

Adriel, "It's okay to drink a little. I don't get drunk easily."

A waiter walked by with juice on a tray, Liam took one for Adriel without saying much.

Adriel, "..."

Riza burst out laughing. "Fvck, that's right. I forgot you suck when you're drunk! No alcohol for you."

Just now when Liam drank Adriel's cup, Jonas told him that Adriel had a stomach ache and earlier the doctor came to give him an IV. It seemed that he should also keep a good eye on him.

"Shitt, what good is a party without drinking?" Adriel grumbled.

"Drinking juice is also drinking, right?" Liam smirked and continued eating again.

Seeing Liam's unusual grin, Adriel sneered. His little wife turns out to be able to mock him too? Why doesn't he know?

He drank his sour juice and clicked his tongue.

The main event you have been waiting for has finally arrived. At exactly eight o'clock, a maid pushed a large cake into the middle of the room, besides the cake there were also mountains of glasses filled with champagne and dessert arranged in tall containers. Everyone watched with joy and cheered for the cake cutting.

Liam didn't expect that there would be people celebrating cutting the cake for everyone to witness and he was so embarrassed. He never liked appearing in front of large crowds in person and being the center of attention, but he still had to do it in the end.

"Well, I'm not going to say much here. Everyone knows now that I'm married and this is my little wife. Anyone who dares to bully him will deal with me, ok? But if you want to get to know him, you can come see me any time. Cheers."

Adriel said it then laughed. He poured champagne and let everyone take glasses. Everyone clap.

After everyone took their glasses, the party was once again lively. Heavy meals began to be served at long tables and everyone could eat them. There were barely twenty guests here and some of the food quickly ran out.

Apart from dining parties and karaoke, guests can go to the chill out arena. The facilities at this club are complete; there is billiards, card table, swimming pool and others. All facilities can be enjoyed for free because Adriel has rented the entire building.

Adriel took Liam around and got to know some of his friends. Although Liam followed suit, he didn't say much and mostly he just stood around like a display that would occasionally answer questions. He also secretly kept an eye on Adriel, if he happened to be taking alcohol, he would substitute for it. After a few drinks, he started to get a little drunk.

While he was in a daze, a waiter bumped into him. The glass that was on the waiter's tray spilled and splashed onto his clothes.

"Sir, I'm sorry." The waiter's face turned pale with fright. His voice trembled. "I really didn't do it on purpose, please forgive me. I'm really sorry."

The waiter was a thin man, his face small and pretty. From his appearance it seemed that he was still very young and careless. Hearing his repeated apologies, this quickly caught the attention of many people.

Liam wiped down his slightly wet blazer, then looked at the waiter nonchalantly and ignored him.

Come to think of his face is somewhat similar to him.

The waiter lowered his head further. Apologizing again and again, but still no response.

Finally someone couldn't hold back and said, "It's okay. You said you didn't do it on purpose, so he wouldn't make things difficult for you. Hey, man, isn't that right? He didn't do it on purpose and you should forgive him, right?"

Hearing someone speak for him, the waiter said again, "Yes sir, I didn't mean to. This place is crowded and I was in a rush to deliver drinks. At that time I really didn't mean to bump into you. I'm really sorry, I don't want to lose my job. I beg your pardon."

Since the waiter apologized, Liam still hasn't said a word. He stood to the side, indifferent.

The spilled glass has stood upright, but the drink has spilled a lot and even stained the floor. The waiter was nervous and trembling as he still heard nothing from the person he bumped into. Keep looking down.

A tall and somewhat fat man suddenly walked in from the crowd. "What happened?"

The man was one of Adriel's friends who had a small chat with him. The man listened to the explanation of the person beside him and understood the situation.

He looked at Liam. "Ah, it's just a small matter, isn't it? Mr. Halsey is our friend's wife, the king of this party, he's such a gentleman, he can't be fussing over this. You can clean this up and go. Isn't that right, Mr. Halsey?"

One person spoke up, another chimed in, "Right, it's a small mistake. He just bumped into you and splashed a little water, what's the big deal? A wet shirt can be washed. But look at this poor guy, he apologizes over and over, he's so scared of losing his job, his life, how hard he was. Why not forgive him?"

The slightly fat man was full of joy. He said to the waiter, "There's no need to apologize anymore. You won't lose your job, I can guarantee it. Why make a big deal out of a small accident, he didn't lose anything, just a wet blazer. But what if you lose your job?"

This waiter nodded nervously and happily. "Thank you, thank you, sir. I will repay your kindness."

The more this conversation got heard, the more it drove Liam into a corner.

Adriel was watching this while taking a sip of his juice, he saw Riza was going to intercede in the matter, and he prevented him. Riza looked at him confused, but didn't insist. When he saw the waiter who was looking down in fear, his eyes widened. He glanced at Adriel again, finding him raising an eyebrow at him.

"I ... I really don't know." Riza winced.

"I will settle accounts with you later." Adriel said in a low voice and turned his eyes to the commotion again.

At this moment Liam said coldly, "He accidentally bumped the glass on this tray when he passed me."

When everyone heard this, they were shocked and looked at the maid.

"S-Sir, w-what do you mean? I couldn't have done it on purpose."

Louis, who saw him at first, went to find a clean cloth, as soon as he got it, he came rushing towards Liam.

"You okay?"

Liam saw Louis hand him a clean cloth to wipe his clothes and he said, "I'm okay."

When Louis heard this he smiled, "That's good."

After that he turned his head to look at the waiter who was still looking down.

"I don't see how that happened but I know Liam well and he doesn't make things difficult for someone. So is what he said true, that you bumped into him on purpose and spilled the glass?"

The people watching this were a bit shocked and some people didn't recognize who Louis was, but knew that this must be Liam's friend.

A friend will defend a friend. So what? If Liam was truly arrogant and unwilling to forgive someone of low status who apologized sincerely, even accusing them on purpose, then he really had bad morals.

"No, no, I really didn't mean to," the waiter said in denial, raising his head again.

Liam looked at him coldly.

When Louis saw the waiter's face, he was surprised because his face was similar to Liam's. Then he was very calm and unhurriedly said, “Alright. Two people said something different, we viewers don't know anything after all. How about this, this place is a prestigious luxury club, there must be surveillance cameras installed in some corner. We can look at it to make sure it's correct. How?"

Since Liam didn't feel like he's in the wrong, he was very calm. Instead the waiter broke out in cold sweat and was on the verge of tears.

Everyone felt it was a good idea, but there were still some people who were stubborn and accused them of making things difficult for the poor people. With all the teasing he still got, Liam just ignored him.

In the end someone entered in the crowd. "Okay, everyone. I have heard what happened and I am sorry that something like this could happen in my clubhouse. So let me deal with this matter."

At this time Adriel and Riza also entered the crowd, waiting for the club owner to speak.

The club owner is a Russian man, named Dimitri Volkov, who is a close friend of Riza. Dimitri knows Adriel and often meets to hang out, but he is not very close to Adriel, like Riza. At the time of the incident, he was in his office, working on a few things. He immediately came down when he heard the commotion.

"Of course you have to deal with it. Look, is this waiter new here? I don't know him." Riza sneered.

Dimitri was not offended. "He's still new. But that doesn't mean he hasn't received rigorous training from his superiors. He definitely knows how to act if he makes a mistake."

The waiter's lips trembled. He shakily looked up, originally he wanted to say something, as soon as his eyes met the person in front of him, he showed a weak face as if he was being wronged. It was very clear to ask the other party for help.

Adriel was aware that he was being stared at, he snorted in disdain.

Dimitri pressed him impatiently, "So that's how you apologize to customers. How did your boss teach you?"

Hearing this, the waiter's eyes drift to the indifferent Liam. "I, I apologize profusely for accidentally spilling wine on you. If you don't mind, let me take you to the room to change and help wash your clothes."

When everyone heard this, the audience finally realized that this apology was different from before. It was only when the club owner came that this waiter explained about the compensation for what he did, which he should have said from the start. Previously he had only apologized, without providing any compensation for Liam's clothing.

But Liam didn't care about his apology, he was still not happy that this waiter said that he 'accidentally' when he was on purpose.

Liam wanted to say something, but stopped when the waiter looked back at Adriel with a pitiful face as if asking for help.

"Accidentally?" Adriel, who was uncomfortable being stared at, said sarcastically, "Why did my wife say that you spilled your drink on purpose? Who are you lying to?"

The waiter flinched. He hurriedly drew closer to Adriel, frantically holding the hem of his sleeve. "No. I can't do it on purpose. I, I know he's your boyfriend, that's why I don't dare. Trust me."

Adriel didn't look at him, saying to Dimitri, "Check the surveillance cameras."

Dimitri agreed.

The waiter was getting panicked. "A-Adriel, why did you have to do this? You don't believe me? I, I really didn't do it."

When he said Adriel's name, everyone was shocked and curious.

"Do it or not, we can see the evidence in a moment," said Adriel.

"Adriel, do you hate me that much?" The waiter looked down. "In the past, I, I accidentally left. D-Don't hold a grudge against me."

Everyone who saw this scene was even more confused and whispered to each other. Then they notice there was a facial resemblance between the waiter and Liam, which created even more furor. Liam on the other hand was even more confused.

Who is this waiter? Does he know Adriel?

What was that messy stuff he was talking about?

Adriel didn't mind the stares of others, he snorted in disgust and took the waiter's hand off of him without even looking at him.

"Adriel ..."

"Stop talking, will ya?!" Riza, who couldn't stand this waiter, really wanted to push him and throw him far into the river.

He looked at the crowd. "Everyone disperse. The rest of the matter will be between the club owner and Liam. Don't ruin this great party, let's drink and have fun."

Everyone who still wanted to watch the drama withdrew dissatisfied.

Riza looked between Adriel, Liam and the waiter, the situation was a bit complicated, but he had to be the arbiter here. He put his arm around Adriel's shoulder.

"Come on, let's talk."

Adriel slapped his hand away and left in annoyance.

Riza winced and looked at Liam. "You come with me, you must want to know who the waiter is right? I will tell you."

... to be continued ...