In the end, Jonathan could only sigh under his breath as he watched Lucian open another bottle. Forget it. The reason behind how disheartened Lucian is right now must be related to what I said earlier. In that case, I guess I’ll just sacrifice my liver and drink with him.
Jonathan gave up and started drinking alongside Lucian. Perhaps he was affected by Lucian’s mood, for Jonathan found himself feeling gloomy as well.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them finished all the wine on the table. Lucian took out his phone while drawing his brows together tightly from the pain of his headache.
He had not driven to the club, so he needed someone to send him back. Perhaps he had drunk too much. He had nearly tapped on Roxanne’s name out of instinct when he unlocked his phone.
Lucian’s frown deepened, and he hovered his .finger above the name for a long while. Right when he was about to tap on it, Jonathan’s slurring voice rang out in his ear. “Lucian, I… can’t drink anymore!”
Jonathan was dead drunk by then. He was lifting an empty wineglass and mumbling away in Lucian’s direction in a daze. Unlike him, Lucian still had a shred of rationality left.
When he heard his voice, he snapped back to his senses and looked at the name beneath his finger. After a long moment of hesitation, he scrolled it away.
Since I’ve decided to cut ties with her, I shouldn’t disturb her. After what seemed like eons, Lucian’s gaze landed on Aubree’s name Then, in the end, he tapped on her name.
At that moment, Aubree was having dinner with Frieda.
Ever since Aubree left the Farwell residence, she had been swallowing her anger. All she could do was invite Frieda out so that she could vent.
While the two were chatting, Aubree’s phone suddenly rang. Aubree was right at the peak of her angry rant, so she impatiently lowered her head to glance at her phone.
When she saw the caller ID, she halted her speech immediately. “What’s the matter? Who is it?” Frieda asked. Aubree had already picked up the call by then. “Lucian, it’s late. Is something the matter?”
She thought that Lucian had returned to the manor and was calling her after finding out that she had been there in the afternoon.
To her surprise, Lucian sounded drunk as he said, “Are you free at the moment? I drank a little. If it’s convenient for you, come and pick me up.”
Aubree’s eyes lit up, and the irritation that had been plaguing her since the afternoon dissipated. “Where are you? I’ll be right there!”
The man then told her the name of the club and the room number. “I’m on my way!”
Her eager voice made Lucian press his lips together. “You don’t need to rush.”
When Frieda saw Aubree ending the call, she asked, “Who was it? Was it Lucian?”
She could not think of anyone else other than Lucian who could make Aubree’s mood change so quickly.
Aubree was all smiles as she answered, “Let’s wrap up for today. Lucian’s drunk, and he has asked me to pick him up.”
Frieda beamed in understanding. “People usually call their girlfriends to pick them up after getting drunk. It looks like Lucian has a change of heart. Congratulations, Aubree.”
The smile on Aubree’s face widened as she grabbed her bag and stood up. All of a sudden, Frieda thought of something.
“Right, Lucian should be with my brother. I’ll come with you and pick my brother up as well.”
Aubree agreed to it readily, wanting to get rid of the other man.
When the two women arrived at the club, Jonathan had already sobered up a little. He tensed up when he saw Aubree entering the room with his sister.
Jonathan vaguely recalled Lucian making a call in his drunken stupor earlier, but he thought Lucian had made a call of regret to Roxanne with the courage of his drunken state.
Even if it was not a call to Roxanne, Lucian should have called Cayden instead. Alas, Lucian had called Aubree. So all that talk earlier was a waste of my breath! Lucian has really given up on Roxanne. “Lucian, how do you feel?”
Aubree instantly went to Lucian’s side the moment she stepped into the room, and she began studying the man with concern.
Lucian had drunk more than Jonathan, and by then, he was already out of his mind. His only reaction to Aubree’s voice was a small nod and a slight furrow of his brows.
“Aubree, you should bring Lucian back first. Leave my brother to me,” Frieda suggested. Aubree agreed to it with no hesitance. Nonetheless, she had trouble lifting Lucian into an upright position.
Just as she was about to head outside to ask for help from the server, Cayden suddenly came toward her. “Ms. Pearson, where is Mr. Farwell? He called me earlier and told me to send you both home.”
As it turned out, Lucian had contacted Cayden right after calling Aubree. Even when he was drunk, he still could not let his guard down around Aubree.
The sight of Cayden made Aubree narrow her eyes. As she shifted her body to make way for Cayden, she said, “He’s inside. Help him out of the room, will you?”
Cayden nodded and hurried inside. He first brought Lucian into the car. Then he helped Frieda support Jonathan into Frieda’s car.
Before leaving, Cayden said worriedly, “Ms. Queen, are you sure you’re fine by yourself?”
Frieda waved her hand nonchalantly. “Don’t worry. Jonathan’s not one to kick up a fuss after he gets drunk. He’ll just sleep like a pig. later. Go ahead and take care of Lucian.”
It was only then Cayden returned to Aubree’s. car. Aubree was seated in the back seat, and beside her was the drunk and unconscious Lucian.
Shortly after, Cayden started the car and drove toward the Farwell residence.
While they were on their way to their destination, Aubree glanced at the man beside her from the corner of her eyes.
Even though they had been engaged for six years, it was her first time sitting beside Lucian in this way.
In the past, Lucian had avoided her as if she was a plague. Right as Aubree was reveling in her feelings of pleasant surprise, the car abruptly lurched forward.
Lucian was already in an awkward position, and after the lurch, he was even closer to Aubree.
A glint danced across Aubree’s eyes when she saw how much closer she and Lucian was. Then she glanced at Cayden.
When she realized he was not paying attention to the back seat, Aubree carefully reached out to tug Lucian’s sleeve and pull him closer to her.
Now, Lucian Farwell was leaning against her. Aubree was simultaneously excited and nervous.
Right then, Cayden stopped the car at a red light and instinctively glanced at the rearview mirror. His heart skipped a beat when he saw how Lucian was intimately leaning against Aubree. What’s going on?
Cayden already sensed something off when he saw Aubree at the room entrance earlier.
I recall that Mr. Farwell doesn’t like Aubree and is doing his best in courting Roxanne. Why is he suddenly so close with Aubree, then? Why did he ask Aubree to send him back when he was drunk?
Seemingly sensing his gaze, Aubree lifted her head to look at Cayden. Cayden shuddered and quietly looked away.
By the time they arrived at the Farwell residence, Lucian still had not woken up. Cayden took Lucian by the arm and helped him into the mansion.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.