Chapter 48
Sonia was so consumed by jealousy that her eyes were bloodshot.
The blackout had lasted a full minute, after all. Who knew what might have happened between Lucius and Valerie this whole time?
Naomi exclaimed, “Your lip’s bleeding, Mr. White!”
Lucius released Valerie and calmly wiped away the blood. His tone was laced with something suggestive as he said, “The room was too dark, so I must have bumped into something while peeling the grapes. Isn’t that right, Ms. Collins?”
Valerie gave a short laugh. “Sure. Whatever you say.” She looked every bit like a spoiled girlfriend sulking with her boyfriend.
They were all adults, and some things didn’t need to be spelled out. No matter what had happened in that minute of darkness, no one would press if Lucius didn’t want to explain.
As the night wound down, people started leaving The Golden Chalice.
Kieran had just stepped out of the room when his phone rang, so he excused himself and stepped away to take the call.
Meanwhile, Dale—a lightweight–was thoroughly drunk after one bottle. As Noah and Naomi carried him out on either side, the former, complained, “If you can’t handle your wine, don’t drink so much. You’re just embarrassing yourself.
“Walk steadily on your feet. My arm’s still injured, so I can’t use much force. Luc, don’t just stand there! Give me a hand.”
But Lucius instead summoned two attendants and instructed, “Get him a room. He’s not going home tonight.”
So, the attendants took over Dale from Noah and led him toward the guest rooms with Naomi
in tow.
Rubbing his sore arm, Noah muttered a curse under his breath, “Damn it. I strained it again.‘
Valerie, who’d been texting on her phone, stopped beside him and asked, “Is it an old injury?”
Noah hadn’t expected her sudden question. “Yeah. It’s from an accident a while back. I thought it healed, but it flares up whenever I exert force.”
She pressed her fingers into his arm and said, “The bone’s out of place. It just needs to be set
back.”
Though her words sounded casual, the pressure of her grip was so brutal that Noah yelped in
1/2
152
Chapter 48
2/2
pain. He had no idea what had just happened, and all he knew was that the spot she’d pressed
felt like it was on fire.
“What are you-”
“It’s fixed,” she said, lightly cutting him off.
Hearing that, Noah tried moving his arm before his eyes lit up in surprise. “What’s going on? The spot that was hurting is now completely gone. How did you do that, Ms. Collins?”
“I worked at a massage parlor for a bit and picked up some chiropractic techniques.” She shrugged, as if it was nothing.
Noah was utterly speechless. Her skills felt far too practiced to be picked up from just a few days of work.
Valerie then added a reminder. “Don’t lift anything heavy for a week.”
At the side, Lucius didn’t like Valerie touching Noah so freely, even if it was just to help him
realign a bone or a dislocated joint.
Just as Noah was about to thank her, a group approached from the opposite direction.
The leading tall, striking man had a presence that matched Lucius‘ while a chic, young woman in her early 20s walked by his side. She had short hair, pretty facial features, and was stylishly
dressed.
Recognizing the man, Lucius slowed slightly, while the man did the same. For several seconds,
the atmosphere was tense.
Noah was the first to break the silence by saying, “What a coincidence. We didn’t expect to see you here, Mr. Foster.”
Guests at The Golden Chalice were all elites. Darrell Foster–as the heir of one of Windmere’s
Big Three families–had once held a reputation that surpassed Lucius‘.
He politely nodded at them and said, “Mr. White and Mr. Jensen. What a coincidence.”
With Darrell making the first move, Lucius replied with equal courtesy, “Indeed. Are you here to enjoy yourself?”
Chapter 49
1/2
Chapter 49
