Chapter 5 She is Drunk

A woman wearing a denim-colored shirt, paired with a black span skirt, sat in a bar she frequented. The bar was in an alley, but it was never empty of customers, especially on weekends like this. It was not without reason that she always came here. The presence of the bartender made him feel at home. The bartender named Brandon.

Brandon is always the center of attention at the bar. He was a tall man who always wore slim-fit shirts and cloth pants that supported his long legs. He even looked more like a Korean idol than an American. His sweet and youthful face, even though he was over thirty years old, made him look very attractive.

"You want a margarita?" Brandon smiled when he saw Bella there.

"I think I'd like something else, Brandon. I don't want to get drunk like the other day." She thought back to that day when she'd had four glasses margaritas, despite warning not to exceed three glasses. She blames Jack for making her act so silly.

Bella watched Brandon as he was busy mixing her drink. She trusted the bartender. Brandon wouldn't give her a terrible drink.

"Please enjoy yourself."

Bella frowned as she stared at the unfamiliar-looking color of the drink. The drink was orange, with a lemon slice and some ice cubes. "What is this? You're giving me syrup?"

"You're right." Brandon chuckled as he saw the sour look on Bella's face. "I don't want to see you drank like the other day, Ella."

If those who heard Brandon's words were ordinary people, they would think that the man was showing interest and concern. However, for those who have memorized Brandon's mannerisms, they are very common. He was giving his female customers almost all of his attention.

"But you've gone too far. Enjoying a non-alcoholic drink in a bar? Isn't that ridiculous?"

Bella savored her drink, the sour and sweet flavors exploding on her tongue. The coldness of the ice cubes made her dry throat feel relieved. The heat in her body turned cool.

"Give me some rum, Brandon." A blonde woman sat next to Bella. Bella knew who the visitor to her was. A woman she often met here. A beautiful woman who looked even more frustrated than she was. Bella was unsure about the problems the woman was facing, but Bella was quite concerned.

"Apparently you're here too?"

Bella smiled wryly. "Yeah, weekends are the best time to come here."

"You're right. Enjoying the crowd with a glass of alcohol." She stared at Bella's drink. "Oh, did you drive?"

Bella shook her head. "No, I didn't. Brandon gave me this drink, because he didn't want to see me drunk like last week."

"Really?" The woman's pupils widened. Her gaze shifted to Brandon, who took her orders. "Hey Brandon, you've been flirting with other women?"

Brandon just laughed awkwardly. "I just don't want her to become a victim like you after drinking at this bar."

The pigtailed woman laughed, while Bella struggled to understand the conversation between the two people nearby. Seeing the confusion on Bella's face, Brandon quickly explained.

"She got really drunk and slept on the street. Fortunately, the police took her to a shelter. Otherwise, she'd have caught in the rain on a lawn chair."

Bella nodded, quite envious of the interaction between the two people. She was quite envious of the woman named Katherin. She knew her name because Brandon often mentioned her.

"I was really dizzy back then, Brandon."

"I know you got dumped by your boyfriend, but getting drunk and sleeping on the street is stupid. You should have waited for me to take you back to Dolly Alley."

Dolly Alley? Bella pondered, wasn't that place a gathering place for mercenary women? Was Katherin one of them? If she was, she felt a little lucky. At least her job was much more secure than being a mercenary woman. Being a mercenary woman was not a pleasant thing. She had friends who also worked as women.

Being a lady of pleasure is not always fun, as someday people discard them and replace them with younger women. They have more money, but their health is at risk. They may be popular, but their popularity is based on scorn. Many scoff at work, without knowing that there are those who inconvenienced by that words.

Bella doesn't mind the work. Aren't the prostitutes who have grown up? They must have weighed the consequences of working like that. Some women are distressed and willing to do this because they need a lot of money in a short time. No one knows for sure about their reasons for doing such risky work.

****

"I can't come with you." Bella partially covered her face, afraid that her friends would see. Christy and Holly were also in the same club as her, so she had to cover herself up so she wouldn't get caught. Her best friends would get suspicious and probably be upset with her, since she was flirting with a guy Holly liked.

"Come with me for a drink, Bella. Do you like to enjoy your own drink?"

"I came with Holly. If she sees you here, she'll most likely go into hysterics."

"Then where did she go?" The man glanced around.

"She's looking for a suitable gentleman to accompany her for the evening."

"Why don't you join the search?"

Bella pointed at herself. "Me? Oh, no. I'm not in the mood."

"Why?"

Bella's brow furrowed. "Why are you so curious?" She saw Gabriel's reaction, who rounded his eyes at her words. "We're not in the office right now, so I can talk informally."

"Suit yourself, Ella."

"Why did you come here?" She asked again after taking a sip of her drink.

"Isn't this a public place? Anyone can come here, right?" Gabriel replied casually.

"I mean, why are you sitting here in front of me?"

"Because you look lonely."

"I prefer to be alone, Gabriel."

Gabriel smiled. "I love it when you call my name Bella. Your voice is so sexy and feminine."

The woman winked. "Are you teasing me?" her voice rose.

Gabriel laughed. "Ah, I got caught." He flashed a grin.

The hazel-eyed woman took another sip of her drink, then refilled the glass of whiskey from the bottle. "Don't you have any friends? Why did you come to bother me?"

"Is it wrong for me to come to you? I just wanted to keep company with the Two Hundred Dollar Woman who has been intriguing me." The man leaned in close to Bella when whispered, "I want a repeat of that night, Ella."

Somehow, that whisper sounded very sexy to Bella's ears. Her bloodstream instantly heated, and her heart beat rapidly. Was it alcohol? She didn't deny that something was different about her body, but it was hard to explain.

Gabriel looked back at Bella, who was holding the glass and licking the rim with an inviting pink tongue. "Are you driving?"

"No. I came with Holly and Christy. Coming here was Holly's idea. She said she wanted to let off some steam. Holly also drove.""

From her tone, Gabriel could tell that Bella doesn't want to come here, but upon closer inspection, the woman clearly lost in the atmosphere of this place. "Aren't you joining the crowd over there?" He stared at the crowd of people who were dancing, swaying, and in contact with a different sex.

"I'm not interested. Dancing is not my style."

"So, what's your style? Did it end up in the hotel room?"

Bella's pupils widened. "I just don't like in a crowd like that. Touching strange men and flirting with each other." She shook her head, apparently drunk.

Gabriel's brow furrowed. What was wrong with the woman sitting in front of him? Wasn't it just a few days ago she had offered herself to him? And like an asshole, he agreed to the request of the petite drunk woman.

"Then why did you offer yourself to me? Did you know me before?" Gabriel was clearly suspicious. Was Bella approaching him on purpose? Since his status was revealed in public, many women had approached and easily stretched their limbs for him. Especially when he replaced his grandfather as CEO. There were more women who swarmed and offered to end up in bed. He didn't like those kinds of women, greedy women who judged men by social status, and saw sex as the quickest way to secure a share.

"My ex-lover betrayed me. He was playing with another woman, while I was guarding my most precious asset, and you know that woman is my relative.""

"Then why did you give your most precious asset to me?"

"Because you were the first person to walk through that club door when I was determined to lose my virginity."

"What if it wasn't me?"

Bella shrugged indifferently. "Yeah, no problem. I was looking for a strange man."

"So you didn't recognize me back then?"

Bella nodded, then took another sip of her whiskey. The woman's eyes were already closed, her cheeks flushed, proving that the level of alcohol in her body was already very high.

"I want to go home. I'm going to find Holly." Bella grabbed her purse, took out a few bills, and put them on the table, then stood up, actually tried to stand up. However, the bottle of bourbon whiskey had taken its toll on the woman.

Gabriel jumped to his feet and extended both hands to support Bella's body, before she fell between the chairs. "You'd better be careful, Ella."

"I'm going to get into that crowd and find Holly. My head is already spinning, and I want to sleep." Bella tried to break Gabriel's grip, but he insisted on holding her.

"I'd better take you home."

The hazel-eyed woman looked at Gabriel with a doubtful gaze. "Would it be okay if you took me home?"

"Not at all, Ella."

The man led Bella out of the club. The cold air instantly pierced his bones as he opened the door. Winter really made his body tremble. Gabriel took off his gray coat, putting it on Bella, who was only wearing an oversize flannel shirt. Bella didn't seem to care about appearances. While other women wear skimpy outfits, Bella actually uses clothes that are closed, almost resembling home clothes.

"Where's your house?" He asked after sitting behind the wheel.

Bella was silent. Or had fallen asleep. Gabriel shook Bella's shoulder, trying to wake her up so that she could tell him her home address.

"Bella, can you tell me your home address?"

The woman groaned. "My house? Do I have a house?" Bella's level of consciousness remained a little. "Ah, I think you do, but I don't know." There was silence for a moment, then Bella muttered again, "where is my house? I forgot."

After that Bella fell silent, and there was only a soft snoring.