Nora raised her head and glanced at me. “I had long noticed the commotion when you were still in the lobby. Then I heard the staff mention the old lecher wanting to get a room, so I told them to let me in first.”
Linda nodded, her eyes filled with gratitude. “Thank goodness for you. I still shudder to think what Derek might have done to us otherwise.”
Just then, I mustered up my courage and turned to Nora. “I was rash earlier today, and I apologize for that. Thank you for still helping us get rid of Derek.”
Nora seemed to be in self-reflection as she held my gaze. “It’s not entirely your fault. I’m sure you have your reasons, so I shouldn’t have forced you for an answer. Besides, when it comes to affairs of the heart, everyone handles them differently. I shouldn’t have meddled in yours. I am to blame for being so pushy,” she said apologetically.
“No, you aren’t!” I exclaimed. “I don’t know how to handle these problems, and I always seem to overcomplicate them. As an outsider, you have a clearer view of things. And as my friend, it’s only natural that you want to help. At the end of the day, it’s my fault for pushing you away.”
Linda looked at us and burst out laughing. “You guys are adorable! Come on, let’s drink. Real friends don’t keep grudges. After today, we’ll still be friends!”
With the tension between Nora and I all gone, the three of us continued drinking to our hearts’ content.
Nora was terrible when she got under the influence of alcohol. All it took was a few glasses of wine before she latched on to Linda and bombarded her with every question about Armond, from details about his lifestyle to his past relationships.
Linda could still hold back initially, but the more she said, the more enthusiastic she got. Before long, she had managed to spill just about everything she knew about Armond.
I had stopped drinking for fear of getting too drunk and having no one to take care of me. As I continued to be entertained by my friends’ incessant need for gossip, Armond called.
“Where are you?” he asked, slightly fuming.
It suddenly dawned on me that because I had gone out with Linda right after work, I hadn’t been home to make Armond dinner. Is that why he’s angry?
My anxiety drowned out my surroundings as I tried to pull myself together. “Mr. Murphy, I’m so sorry. I’m out with friends tonight, so I- “
“Where are you?” he interrupted.
I was speechless, but Nora replied on my behalf, “Baroness Bar.”
“Who are you with?” Armond snapped. He wasn’t hiding his anger anymore.
“Linda and Nora,” I answered honestly.
After a slight pause, I added, “Mr. Murphy, have you eaten?”
However, all I got was a dial tone in response as Armond had already hung up on me.
Nora, who was now very drunk, tried to snatch my phone away. “Who was that on the phone? Was it Anthony?”
As she fiddled around with my phone, she continued, “You should call him and snatch him back from Ms. Zimmer, or whatever she’s called. He’s your man! How can you let him take care of another woman?”
I slapped my forehead in exasperation. Nora was a little dizzy from all the wine she had had, so I led her over to the sofa to rest.
Linda, on the other hand, was already lying quietly on the sofa. If she had been anything like Nora, I wouldn’t have been able to handle them both.
I got up to get Nora some water, only to realize I felt a little light-headed myself. So much for saying I’d drink less.
“Anthony, your woman is drunk. Are you coming to take care of her?” Nora suddenly piped up.
When I turned to look at her, I found her pressing away on my phone haphazardly. I couldn’t help but frown. “Nora! Stop playing!”
She ignored me as she brought the phone to her ear and shouted, “Baroness Bar!”
After that, she continued, “No, I’m drunk now. I shouldn’t be calling Anthony. I should call Armond, and let him come…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Nora dozed off.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at how ridiculous she was. Since she had fallen asleep, I brought her to the bed and tucked her in.
After covering Linda with a blanket, I decided to lie on the sofa to get some shut eye.
Ding dong! I was so close to dozing off when the doorbell to our room suddenly rang. I was stunned and sat up straight from the sofa.
Alcohol had clouded my mind, and I began to fear the worst. What if that there was an intruder at our door?
A short while later, the door opened, and Armond stepped into the room. One of the staff from Nora’s bar followed behind, still holding on to the room key.
When he realized the room reeked of booze and was in complete disarray, Armond’s face blazed with anger. “How much did you drink?”
Seeing how angry and fierce he already was, I decided not to lie. “A lot. But Nora and Linda drank the most.”
“Do you expect me to praise you for having control?” he said coldly, even though the anger in his voice was obvious.
I was still feeling light-headed, but I forced myself to stay sober. “Armond, I… “
“Armond?” Nora suddenly sat up from the bed when he heard his name. In her drunken stupor, she scanned the room until she met his gaze and broke into an enormous grin.
“Armond, you’re here? Are you going to take me home?”
She then got up from bed and staggered over, throwing herself into Armond’s arms. “I knew it. I knew you’d appear in my dreams. Linda told me you hadn’t been a virgin since you were seventeen. I’m sure you must be amazing… “
Nora’s words left me dumbstruck.
I didn’t pay a lot of attention to what Nora and Linda were discussing earlier. But judging by what we just heard, Linda had been very generous with the details.
The entire situation was so embarrassing that even the staff who had accompanied Armond had left quietly.
Armond was already angry when he first stepped into the room. But, now with Nora all over him, the fury in his eyes intensified even more.
He stared daggers at me like he was about to shred me to pieces. In an instant, I tried to pull Nora away from him but to no avail.
I trembled as I spoke, “Mr. Murphy, Nora’s completely drunk now and thinks she’s dreaming.”
“How dare you, Sienna!” He gritted his teeth in anger.
I forced a smile, despite feeling like I might keel over anytime from embarrassment.
The commotion had caused Linda to stir from her sleep as she groggily sat up from the sofa. She had a moment of clarity and shock when she saw Armond. “Hello, Mr. Murphy. Please excuse me. I’ve still got work to do.”
Linda then stood up and strode toward the door like she was going back to work. Damn, she is blackout drunk.
I was getting worried about Linda when she didn’t show any signs of stopping. She can’t possibly believe she’s at work, can she? If she walks out in this state, she’s going to get into trouble.
Without further ado, I hurriedly apologized to Armond, “Mr. Murphy, I’m so sorry! Linda has had too much to drink. I’ll go after her!”
In my hurry to keep up with Linda, I accidentally bumped into someone on my way out. Before I could make out who the person was, I was already once again apologizing profusely.
I had barely stepped out of the room when that same person grabbed me by my arm and pulled me back.
It was only then that I got a good look at him. My eyes widened in surprise when I met the gaze of Anthony. Why is he here? Oh no, that means Nora must have made a real call earlier.
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.
Leave a Reply