Chapter 29 Drunken Games
Finishe
Waylon didn’t even blink. If he wanted to dig into someone, he’d have answers in less than an hour.
“All right, all right. It’s Wendy’s first love–Henry. He went abroad back then, and Wendy married me while she was heartbroken. Yeah, we’re divorced. That drama online about her cheating? It hurt her public image, sure, but the bigger issue was Quinn Group. It’s her mom’s legacy. Mandy’s been nothing but good to me. Now Wendy and I are just… business partners.”
Waylon clicked his tongue twice. “You’re too soft. You don’t belong in the business world. That Henry guy’s got that look in his eye, like he’s itching to take over. And you’re just stepping aside?”
Chase took a slow sip of tea. “What else was I supposed to do? Refuse to divorce her, cling to that husband title just to gross them out? I’ve already wasted five years.”
“You sure you’re done? Then why didn’t you leave for Lemuria?”
Of course Waylon knew.
Chase didn’t bother hiding it. “Quinn Group had that PR crisis. Figured I’d wait till it blew over. The internship at Cloud Hospital is rare–I could use the experience. Helps long–term.”
Waylon stared at him, hard, like he was trying to see if Chase really meant it.
Later, when Chase went to pick Wendy up, the dinner was wrapping up. Glamor Group’s reps had already left, and only a few Quinn Group people were still around, cleaning up the last details.
“The contract’s signed. The rest is on the project team. Qingqing, you handle oversight,” Wendy said, her fingers lightly pressing to her temple. Her cheeks were a little pink–looked like she drank more than she planned.
“Got it. I’ll call the driver to pick you up.” Sam said, already reaching for her phone–until she noticed Chase standing in the doorway. She quickly tucked the phone Oh. Mr. Goodman’s
away. here. Perfect timing. We’re all squeezed for space in the car anyway. Could you take Madam Wendy home?”
Chase stood there silently. He’d been about to believe they were calling a driver. Good thing he’d overheard it.
Sam had been with Wendy for years. She wasn’t just loyal–she knew exactly who the right man
was.
Wendy moved to stand but stumbled. Sam caught her quickly. One glance down, and she could tell Wendy was faking it. Her grip was firm. She wasn’t drunk at all.
Classic. The old three–parts–drunk routine.
Only someone like Chase would fall for it.
Chase stepped in, slipping Wendy’s arm over his shoulders.
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Chapter 29 Drunken Games
“I got her. You all head home safe.”
“Thanks,” Sam replied.
Finishec
Wendy’s legs buckled like they couldn’t hold her up, so Chase didn’t argue. He just scooped her up and carried her out.
Zynn, nursing a tomato juice, watched them go. She hadn’t said a word all night.
“See? Told you. Wendy’s got better taste than people give her credit for. Liking Henry back then? Fine. But after being with Chase, no way she’d settle for leftovers.”
Sam wasn’t in a rush to leave either. She called the manager and ordered a bowl of noodles.
No one really ate during these dinners. The food went cold while everyone was too busy drinking, smiling, and hammering out contract terms. You didn’t even realize you were hungry until it was over.
She snorted. “Everyone thinks Wendy’s still hung up on Henry–even Henry thinks that. But if she doesn’t act like it, how’re we gonna handle the rest of this play?”
Zynn chuckled and raised her tomato juice like a toast. “And you called Finn back just to have her play housekeeper? That’s dedication.”
“The Harrison family’s been buying up IT firms abroad. Their surveillance and tracking gear’s been impossible to crack. We need someone stronger. Turns out, the hacker’s already in our own backyard.”
Zynn clinked glasses with Sam’s lemonade. “Women shouldn’t have to fight each other. But in this world? We don’t get to coast. You saw those Glamor Group guys, didn’t you? Looked like they were ready to eat us alive.”
Everyone was just trying to survive. That’s all it was.
Chase carried Wendy home. She reeked of alcohol, needed a shower, needed help changing. He frowned, hesitating. He held back for as long as he could, then finally started helping her out of her outer layers.
Only her underclothes were left when she suddenly wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Her lips were bare, no more lipstick, just a soft pink tint. She opened her eyes and smiled.
“Chase, am I pretty?”
He swallowed hard but said nothing.
Of course Wendy was beautiful. She wasn’t the kind of beauty that blended in–she stood out, radiant and wild. She didn’t just age gracefully. She became more captivating, more refined.
Even after five years of marriage, she hadn’t lost her glow–if anything, she’d only become more \\magnetic.
Chapter 29 Drunken Games
What happened next felt inevitable.
Finished
Chase was a man, and the woman he’d loved for years was right there in front of him. Even if they were divorced. Even if he knew it was dangerous.
He didn’t say no.
Later, Wendy fell into a deep sleep, completely exhausted.
And Chase sat alone on the living room couch, staring off into the dark, unable to sleep at all.
