Trouble in Paradise

I could handle my liquor quite well usually. But on that day, I gulped down the alcohol far too quickly. So, my tolerance. didn't count for much. I was overwhelmed by the volume of the alcohol and the speed at which I downed it all.

I felt very tipsy. In my haze, I saw Pete's twisted smile. He leaned back with his hands in his pockets. Suddenly, the youthful aura that had gradually faded over the years reappeared.

My eyes stung. If only I could turn back time, I wouldn't have married Nicholas. And if I didn't, I wouldn't be dealing with so many distressing issues now.

How had I mustered up the courage to confess to Nicholas back then? I had been so foolish. Even the endless fighting with Pete as a kid would have been better than this hell.

I turned the finished bottle upside down and placed it on the table. Then, I reached for the second bottle. I was having double vision and kept seeing two bottles in front of me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't open it.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Pete waved his hand to gesture at Silas. So, Silas had no choice but to take the bottle from me and open it. After he'd done that, he placed it back in front of me.

"Drink slowly," he advised.

J didn't hesitate and reached for the bottle, but he didn't let go.

"Give it to me. What are you doing?" I asked him.

"You should rest a bit before drinking more," Silas said.

His concern for me displeased Pete. "Silas, I've never seen you showing anyone such tender treatment. You rejected that pretty girl who had been chasing after you without a second thought the other day. Do you know Ariana or something?" Silas shook his head with a bitter smile and returned to his seat. He didn't want to land himself in hot water. "No, I don't know her at all."

I stopped listening to them and grabbed the bottle to chug down the vodka. However, heavy drinking seemed to be best done in one go. Having paused for a short while, I found that I couldn't drink continuously as I did earlier.

As a result, I bent over and started dry heaving. In the process, I even threw up some alcohol. Tears streamed from my eyes. As I wiped them away, I saw Pete staring at me intently.

Afraid he would go back on his word, I picked up the bottle hastily and continued drinking while I was feeling a bit better.

"Why the heck are you still drinking?" Pete asked angrily.

"More!" I took another big gulp, but I threw up more than I drank at this point.

I kept drinking and vomiting. It must have been too unsightly. Finally, Pete got angry.

He threw the glass in front of him onto the ground and stepped on the glass shards as he walked over to grab my hand. His gaze locked onto my hand, which was still reaching for the

bottle.

He had a fierce look of disbelief in his eyes as he questioned, " Are you out of your mind? Are you so desperate for that little bit of money that you'd risk your life?"

At that moment, I couldn't maintain my facade any longer. My expression of flattery from a moment ago became contorted with fury. "Just a bit of money? You're threatening my job prospects and income, and you say it's just a bit of money? If my dad were still alive, you wouldn't dare talk to me like this!"

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The animosity between Pete and me didn't fade just because we grew up. It might have even become a deadlock because of our respective growing capabilities.

Childhood friends? We were never friends. There was only enmity between us!

I muttered incoherently, "Everyone bullies me. I've done everything you asked. What more do you want from me? What more do you want... You rich people are really hard to please!"

I squinted and grabbed at the air with one hand. "Give me the bottle... Give it to me... Don't you dare go back on your word!"

Pete looked at me with an expression that was too complicated to be described.

"Who else is bullying you besides me?" He then asked in disbelief, "Is Nicholas bullying you? Didn't you always brag about how happy you were in your marriage every New Year? Doesn't he even give you money to spend?"