"Hope so," Amelia muttered, stepping out.

Only she knew the ache in her heart. She tried her best to ignore those memories, but they kept creeping back. Could she ever escape Chris in her world?

"Chris, what's up with you these past couple of days? You seem totally out of it," Nolan Powell said, lounging lazily in his seat and eyeing his friend Chris with curiosity. "I've never seen you like this before. Spill it; did some girl break your heart, and now you're all mopey?"

Chris shot him an annoyed look. "Get lost."

Nolan chuckled. "I heard Amelia hasn't been around lately. Not having your desires fulfilled? Need me to find you a girl?"

"Fuck off!" Chris snapped, glaring at the playboy Nolan before grabbing the bottle on the table and pouring himself a full glass.

It wasn't surprising that Nolan had his suspicions. Chris had been acting weird these past few days.

Chris couldn't stop thinking about Amelia, especially that wild night they had.

Even in the dead of night, when he couldn't sleep, he would replay her every move and every expression in his mind. He felt like he was crazy.

"I think you're just pent up. Since you don't want to be with other women.why not invite Amelia over for a drink? You two can go home together.

and then, you know, things might happen naturally."

"Enough already," Chris's face was unpleasant, but it was clear he wasn't entirely against the idea.

Nolan, always quick to catch on, immediately had someone call Amelia.

Feeling that a phone call wasn't fast enough, Nolan even sent someone to fetch Amelia in Victor's name.

Amelia rushed over, only to be led into a room reeking of alcohol. There was no sign of Victor, just a bunch of partygoers eager to see what would happen.

Nolan said, "Amelia, come on in. Chris is here,and he's been waiting for you."

Nolan, a well-known socialite, had been abroad for the past two years and had just returned. So he wasn't aware of the drama between Amelia and Chris. He still thought Amelia was the girl who was head over heels for Chris.

"Is this a joke?" Amelia glanced áround at the people present; most of whom had mocked and humiliated her before.

"It's not that serious, Amelia. What's going on between you and Chris? Are you two having a fight? It's nothing, really. Just spend one night with him,and everything will be fine." Nolan smiled, holding her shoulders and pushing her towards Chris.

Amelia struggled, and accidentally stepped on an empty bottle on the floor.She slipped and fell uncontrollably.

Her hand landed on Chris's thigh, and she ended up kneeling. Talk about

awkward and embarrassing!

The room went dead silent.

Even Nolan, who was always talkative, was left speechless.

Realizing her situation, she turned beet red. She quickly pulled her hand back, but it brushed against a certain part between his legs.

"If you hurt it, what will you use?" Chris snapped coldly. "Get up."

Without a word, she got up and tried to bolt, but Chris yanked her down to sit beside him.

Everyone was shocked.

What was going on? Chris had always looked down on this wife he had bought at a high price. Had he changed his tune?

"Let me go!" Amelia hissed. "If you don't want to make a scene, let go of me right now."

Chris wasn't fazed. Instead, he smirked. "If you don't want your dad to recover and get out of the hospital, go ahead and make a fuss."

"Come on, Amelia, since you're here, have a drink with us." Nolan, trying to lighten the mood, poured a glass of wine and handed it to her.

Amelia reluctantly took it, hesitated for a moment, then downed it in one go.

Life was full of unwillingness. Since she was here,she had to play along for now. Otherwise, these playboys wouldn't let her leave.

She glanced at Chris, who was sitting nearby. His eyes were dark and

unreadable, but he kept staring at her.

He knew she couIdn't handle her liquor. Was he waiting for her to make a fool of herself?

"Amelia, you're so straightforward!" Nolan laughed, eyeing her,then turned to see Chris still watching her.

Nolan immediately got it. With his playboy mindset, he could only think of one thing: Amelia and Chris probably had a lousy sex life, making things awkward. He had to help.

Nolan signaled to the others, and they all gathered around, each wanting to drink with Amelia, acting like they had no past beef with her.

Amelia wanted to back out, but every time she tried to refuse, she remembered Chris's words and his constant gaze.

Maybe she had to make a fool of herself today to please Chris.

So she gritted her teeth and drank over ten glasses. The alcohol numbed her brain. Amelia's vision blurred, her cheeks flushed, and she leaned weakly against the sofa, her body tilting to the side.

But before she could completely fall, a large hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her into an embrace.

The familiar scent of pine filled her nose. It belonged to Chris alone.