Chapter 122 Drowning Sorrows
Ethan didn't even bother to give her a second glance; he just beelined for the bar and found himself an empty seat. After waving over the bartender, he ordered a drink - the more, the merrier!
Bartenders have seen all types, and one look at Ethan's demeanor told this one he was on a mission to get hammered.
Without hesitation, the bartender slid five bottles of Hennessy Ethan's way and in a somewhat showy manner, inquired if that would be enough.
Anyone would recognize the move - the bartender clearly saw Ethan as an easy mark, ready to be milked for all he was worth.
"I said ten bottles! Give them to me, fast. Money's no object, I'll pay with a card!"
Ethan glanced at the five bottles with dissatisfaction, then whipped out his bank card and declared with a certain bravado.
The server's eyes gleamed with anticipation, quickly taking the card and heading to the register.
Soon after, the bartender, flaunting five more bottles of Hennessy and Ethan's bank card, served up both booze and the card to him.
Ethan barely glanced at the receipt before scrawling his signature without a second thought.
At that moment, all he wanted was to drink. Whether he was getting fleeced was the last thing on his mind. Dismissing the overjoyed server, he unscrewed the first bottle and started to knock them back, one after another.
With Ethan's constitution, his tolerance was already several times that of a normal person, but at this rate, even he was bound to get drunk.
Just then, the girl Ethan had earlier collided with, now flanked by a posse of thuggish-looking young men, approached Ethan.
"It was him. He bumped into me and didn't even say sorry before walking away."
Pointing at Ethan, the girl began to complain to the youths she had brought with her.
Ethan simply glanced at the group and returned to his drink, blatantly ignoring them.
However, the young thugs' eyes sparkled when they noticed the ten bottles of Hennessy on the table.
"Kid, you got the nerve to crash into our beautiful sister and just walk off? You got some guts, huh?"
One of the thugs slapped Ethan on the shoulder, eyeing him as if he were a juicy mark.
"Get your hands off me, I'm not in the mood for talk," Ethan warned coldly, his eyes slightly narrowed.
"Heh, got a short fuse, huh? Ah... ow, ow, ow!"
The thug barely managed to utter a threat before Ethan swiftly twisted his wrist, which was carelessly draped over his shoulder. The immediate sharp pain contorted the thug's face, nearly turning it green with agony.
"Beat it!"
Ethan remained seated as he delivered a powerful kick to the thug's gut, sending the guy flying and creating havoc in the bar. Several chairs and tables were toppled in the aftermath.
The girl, along with a few other hoodlums, had not expected Ethan to lash out with such ferocity. When his glare swept over them, they turned to jelly and quickly made themselves scarce, dragging away their battered companion.
Bullying the meek and fearing the strong was the nature of these thugs; the bar's regulars had grown accustomed to such scenes.
When Sarah walked into the bar, she just happened to witness Ethan dealing with the ruffian. She stayed at a distance with her bodyguards, watching from a vacant spot, thinking it might be good for him to let off some steam.
However, as Ethan downed bottle after bottle of Hennessy, Sarah grew impatient. This kind of drinking could easily lead to alcohol poisoning!
Just then, she noticed the girl from before, now sneaking up behind Ethan with a couple of thugs in tow.
The thugs skillfully blocked the onlookers' view, while the brazen young woman reached for the visibly inebriated Ethan's wallet peeking out from his pocket. Sarah's brows furrowed when she noticed the attempted theft and she quickly grabbed the girl's wrist to prevent it.
"What do you think you're doing? Trying to stick your nose into trouble ?"
The young woman was taken aback when confronted by another woman whose beauty seemed out of place for such a skirmish, and with a twinge of jealousy and her habitual arrogance, she raised her voice in protest.
The other two thugs hadn't expected a beautiful woman to have the guts to spoil their plan and strode toward Sarah, ready to confront her.
"Throw them out. Call the cops!"
Sarah gave a cold snort, dismissing the puny troublemakers with just a few words. As if on cue, her bodyguards appeared and subdued the thugs within moments, treating them like trash—disregarding their cries and pleas as they were dragged out of the bar.
"What are you... doing here?"
Ethan, sensing the commotion behind him, turned around, squinting as he struggled to recognize Sarah's face.
For a moment, he couldn't recall who Sarah was but felt she must be someone familiar.
"Why are you so wasted? Stop drinking and come with me!"
Without hesitation, Sarah reached out to hoist Ethan to his feet.
"Leave me be, I'm just... a joke. Without a drink... what's the point?"
Ethan's words came out slurred, his mind lost somewhere between his inebriation and his self-pity.
"Sure, you're a joke right now," Sarah snapped, her voice laced with iron. "Where did that ambitious go-getter who stood up to the Wilson family empire disappear to? Has a woman's departure really knocked you down?"
Outraged at his self-degradation, she impulsively grabbed the half-empty bottle of booze and doused Ethan's face with its contents.
Startled by the cold splash, Ethan seemed to sober up a bit, squinting up at Sarah's pretty face as his brow furrowed in confusion.
"What are you on about? Who can knock me down? The very moment I set foot in Novaria three years ago... I swore nothing would. You're right; it's just a woman. Sharon Thomas ... Chloe Miller... they're all jokes! And you're a woman too. Why don't you join me for a drink?"
Ethan's drunken rant drew a helpless look from Sarah.
"No more drinks. I'm getting you some rest," she insisted, helping him up from the booth.
"Chloe... you're Chloe, right? I knew you wouldn't leave me. I'll listen to you; let's go home! We'll... never be apart again!"
Ethan, in his stupor, had mistaken Sarah for Chloe and was suddenly pliant as a lamb.
Sarah was at a loss for words; she was even tempted to slap some sense into him, yet she restrained herself.
She finally managed to drag him out of the bar, where two bodyguards swiftly stepped in to take over.
"Miss, where to now?" One of the bodyguards asked.
Sarah pondered where to take Ethan. His house was out of the question, and her place was not an option. Her gaze caught sight of the sign for a five-star hotel across the street, and a plan formed in her mind.
Ethan was deposited on the plush hotel bed with the help of the bodyguards, after which Sarah dismissed them from the room.
"Chloe... Don't leave, Chloe!"
"Ah!"
A startled cry broke out just as Sarah was removing Ethan's socks, preparing to tuck him into bed. But Ethan, in one swift motion, had pulled her into an unexpected embrace.
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