hapter 137
:
To cheer Aurelia up, Mia took her out for drinks to unwind.
67
B55 vouchers
Alcohol was a nuisance during work functions, but outside of work, a little drink could lift the mood.
They hadn’t had a good drink together in ages, so Aurelia agreed.
Mia picked a brand–new spot called Reverie Bar. It had a fresh, modern vibe, the kind of spot where young people could kick back and relax after work. They had barely sat down when someone approached to hit on them.
Aurelia brushed him off right away.
Her cool, distant beauty made her hard to approach, but her looks made people try anyway.
Mia joked, “See? Now that you’re rid of that jerk Cassian, you’ve got a whole lot of options out there. No need to lock your heart away just because of one guy who wasn’t worth it.”
Mia paused, then frowned. “But honestly, you can just ignore all these guys trying to hit on you. None of them is even close to good–looking. If you’re gonna pick someone, at least go for someone better looking than Cassian.”
As soon as she said it, Mia realized, ‘Wait, that’s not even a fair comparison.‘
‘Finding someone more attractive than Cassian? Yeah, good luck with that. And someone richer than him? Forget it.‘ Mia thought, a little exasperated.
“Whatever, let’s just drink,” Mia said.
Just then, a waiter came over with two cocktails, setting them down respectfully in front of them. “These were sent by Mr. Porter for Ms. Corin and your friend.”
Mia raised an eyebrow. “Who’s Mr. Porter?”
Aurelia replied, “Just a business partner.”
“That’s pretty generous, huh?” Mia said, swirling the Winston cocktail in her glass. “This thing’s close to eighty grand.”
Aurelia ignored Mia’s teasing and asked the waiter, “Where is he?”
The waiter pointed in a direction.
When Aurelia looked over, Liam lifted his glass in a toast.
Out of politeness, Aurelia lifted her glass back at him.
Mia leaned closer, suddenly excited. “He’s actually pretty good–looking, and if he can drop eighty grand on a drink for you, he must be loaded. Why not consider him?”
15:06 Wed, Dec 24
Chapter 137
:.
67
E55 vouchers
Aurelia took a small sip from her glass and replied coolly, “Just so you know, he’s Cassian’s childhood friend.”
“Ugh. Bad luck.” Mia immediately recoiled, even feeling the cocktail lose its flavor.
Mia noticed that Liam kept glancing over at Aurelia. Feeling annoyed by the constant gaze he was giving Aurelia, Mia squeezed herself right next to Aurelia, blocking his view.
When he looked over again, Mia mouthed, “Idiot.”
Liam paused for a moment, then chuckled.
‘Her friends are just as bold as she is, he thought.
Just then, Jasper called, asking why he hadn’t come back yet. Liam replied, “On my way.”
Liam had barely walked back into the VIP room when he overheard Jasper’s buddies chatting.
“My friend says there are two total knockouts out front. Let’s go check them out,” one of them said to Jasper.
Normally, Jasper would’ve jumped at the chance to join in on the fun. He and his crew of spoiled heirs were always on the hunt for girls, swapping them out faster than they changed their clothes.
But today, he just wasn’t in the mood.
“Come on, my buddy says they’re seriously rare. Cold as ice, and rejected every guy who tried,” the friend insisted.
“I said I’m not in the mood,” Jasper snapped, clearly getting annoyed.
“Whatever, I’ll check it out myself,” the friend said with a shrug and walked out.
Once he was gone, the whole VIP room fell silent.
Jasper sat there, nursing his drink in silence, looking pretty down.
Liam sat down and asked, “Where’s Cassian?”
“On the way,” Jasper replied.
“Alone?” Liam asked.
“Yeah, Tessa went out to meet her friend,” Jasper said.
Right after they finished talking, Cassian showed up, alone.
Liam glanced over and asked, “Drink or just water?”
Cassian went with water, while Liam poured himself a glass of whiskey, swirling it lazily in his hand as he said offhandedly, “I just ran into Aurelia outside. She was with her friend. I sent them cocktails, too.”
Jasper froze mid–drink as it suddenly hit him. He turned to Liam and asked, “Wait, were Aurelia and her
15:06 Wed, Dec 24
Chapter 137
friend the two stunners we were talking about earlier?”
“Probably,” Liam replied.
Jasper fell silent.
:.
、(67)
55 vouchers
Cassian, from beginning to end, said nothing. He took a sip of water, then stood up to take a call outside.
Meanwhile, Mia had just come back from the restroom, her face looking stormy.
“What’s wrong?” Aurelia asked.
“Ran into that bastard Cassian,” Mia said, not bothering to hide her annoyance.
Aurelia just laughed it off, acting like nothing happened. “So what if you ran into him? Don’t let someone irrelevant ruin our night.”
“I just can’t let it go,” Mia said through gritted teeth.
She could never forget how lifeless Aurelia looked lying in that hospital bed. The doctors said she not only lost her baby, but also almost her life.
And it was all because of Cassian.
‘Why does that jerk get to be happy?‘ Mia thought, her anger burning inside.
‘After everything he did to Aurelia, how can he just start over with his beloved first love without a shred of guilt?‘ Mia fumed.
“It’s all in the past,” Aurelia said, her voice as cool and clear as water.
‘It’s all in the past,‘ she kept iterating to herself.
A sentence so easy to comprehend, but these seven years had been so long, she even had to rip herself to shreds inside just to convince herself to move on.
“My stomach’s not feeling right. I’m gonna run to the bathroom again,” Mia said, putting her glass down and heading off.
Aurelia, worried Mia might’ve gotten sick from something she ate, quickly texted her to check in. But there was no reply.
Getting anxious, Aurelia got up to go find Mia, but before she even got to the restroom, she heard a commotion coming from the VIP area.
Then, snippets of Mia’s sharp voice drifted over, sounding shrill and agitated.
Aurelia instantly knew something was wrong and ran towards the direction of Mia’s voice.
As soon as Aurelia stepped into the VIP room, she spotted Cassian sitting in the booth, his refined face completely blank, not a single emotion showing.
15:06 Wed, Dec 24
Chapter 137
55 vouchers
Alcohol was streaming down his chiseled brow, soaking his hair and chest, while Mia stood there gripping an empty bottle.
From the looks of it, she’d poured the entire thing right over Cassian’s head.
This whole scene was giving Aurelia a headache.
‘Seriously, Cassian? That was a whole bottle–did it never occur to you to just move out of the way?‘ Aurelia thought, exasperated.
“Sorry, my friend had a bit too much. I’ll take responsibility for this,” Aurelia said, eager to settle things quickly and get out of there.
None of these guys were pushovers. If they wanted to stir up trouble, Mia wouldn’t stand a chance.
Aurelia didn’t want Mia getting caught up in her mess.
Mia immediately stepped in front of Aurelia, shielding her. “What are you apologizing for? He should apologize! He betrayed you! You gave up studying abroad, stood by his side through thick and thin, helping him rise to the top. And the moment he made it, he tossed you aside! Now he’s shackling up with his precious first love. Don’t you have a conscience?”
“Oh, wait, I forgot. Someone like you doesn’t have a heart.” Mia spat.
Cassian snatched up a napkin, dabbing the liquor from his face, his eyes cold and dark, like a storm about to break.
Anyone who knew him could tell that look meant he was seconds away from blowing up.
Before he could get a word out, Aurelia stepped protectively in front of Mia again. “I’ll cover the cost of your clothes too.”
Cassian gave a cold, mocking laugh. “That’s it? You think I care about your spare change?”
“Then what do you want?” Aurelia retorted.
Cassian’s gaze swept past Aurelia and locked onto Mia, his voice cold as ice. “Either apologize, or wait for the lawyer’s letter.”
Mia bristled even more, like a furious little lion ready to tear a chunk out of Cassian.
“Bring it on, sue me if you dare! Who’s scared of you, you heartless bastard! Aurelia almost died because of you. Do you not get it? You owe her a whole damn life!” Mia shouted, her voice shaking with rage.
Cassian’s icy look cracked for a second, “A life?”
15:06 Wed, Dec 24
