Chapter 276 Fatten the Pig Before I Slaughter It
Ava was blocking the view, so Lori craned her neck but still couldn't see who was outside.
"You see for yourself," Ava said, stepping aside with a slight smirk.
Lori's eyes widened as she spotted Todd standing at the door. Her hand trembled, and the nail clipper slipped, nicking her rounded toe and drawing a tiny bead of blood.
"Seriously, Todd? You just love to mess with me, don't you? Every time you show up, something goes wrong," Lori grumbled, grabbing a tissue to wrap her toe and stop the bleeding. She turned to Ava, "Got a band-aid?"
"Nope," Ava shrugged nonchalantly.
"I think there might be some in the drawer. I'll check," Lori muttered. Then she started hopping around on one leg, rummaging through drawers and completely ignoring Todd's presence at the door.
Ava raised an eyebrow and said, "Lori, are you sure you’re not just dodging someone?"
Ava knew perfectly well whether there were any band-aids in the hotel room.
Even at the hotel, Todd had found her; Lori couldn't avoid him even if she wanted to.
Usually, it was Todd who dodged Lori. This was the first time he had actively sought her out. He stood quietly at the door, arms folded, watching to see how long Lori would continue her act.
Lori, realizing her cover was blown, shot a glare at Ava. Her best friend was definitely not winning any loyalty points tonight.
She felt a surge of anger and thought, 'Maybe it's time to rethink this friendship.'
Ava just shrugged, clearly unfazed. It was late, and she wanted to hit the sack. Todd didn't look like he had good intentions, and if Lori didn't handle it, nobody was getting any sleep tonight.
Was Lori the type to back down? Of course not. With a little provocation from Ava, Lori hopped on one leg to face Todd. "What do you want? Just spit it out."
Lori hopping on one leg looked a bit comical, like a bouncing frog. She was wearing a loose bathrobe, and as she hopped, the robe moved up and down with her, looking casual yet somehow alluring.
Todd finally spoke, "Drinking. Are you up for it?"
Lori's eyes widened, and she sneered, "Trying to provoke me? Nice try, but it won't work."
"You're just scared," Todd taunted, flicking nonexistent dust off his sleeve. Lori knew he was about to put on airs again.
Lori refused. "I don't have time for this. It's late, and we have nothing to do with each other. Why should I drink with you?"
As she spoke, Lori moved to close the door.
Todd smiled charmingly, "Starlight Gem, I have what you want."
"Starlight Gem?" Both Lori and Ava were taken aback. They had recently taken on a job to find the priceless Starlight Gem for a client, with a reward of ten million dollars.
In the past few days, Lori had found some clues suggesting that the Starlight Gem might be in Silvercrest City, owned by a wealthy collector. Unexpectedly, Todd was the rumored collector.
"Go, have that drink, Lori," Ava said decisively, giving Lori a gentle push toward Todd.
Lori was stunned. Had Ava just sold her out? She hadn't even agreed yet.
Ava shot her a look, "Think about the ten million dollars and the gifts you need to buy for your four nephews every year. That costs a pretty penny."
Before Lori could respond, Ava closed the door behind her.
Lori was speechless, internally accusing Ava of being heartless, truly heartless. She was still in her bathrobe.
Lori turned to glare at Todd, "Did you bribe Ava?" She felt like Ava was helping Todd.
Todd shrugged, "You should look at yourself. If you want the Starlight Gem, tell me again about your bet with Mrs. Lewis."
Lori rolled her eyes. "Don't you already know? We bet on the gender of Aurora's babies. I was tricked by that couple; otherwise, I wouldn't have confessed to you. You're not my type at all."
Todd felt a pang in his teeth and shot back, "Feeling's mutual. You're not exactly my cup of tea either."
Lori sneered, "Well, that just means your taste is questionable."
Todd retorted, "I'd love to know what kind of messed-up childhood you had to end up with such a twisted sense of taste."
Lori's fury flared, and she raised her fist, gritting her teeth. "Todd, do you need a reminder of what a beating feels like?"
Todd quickly dodged, a smirk playing on his lips. "Do you still want the Starlight Gem or not?"
Lori wanted to arrogantly say no, but thinking about the ten million dollars, she gritted her teeth, "Fine, I'll drink you under the table tonight."
This time, Lori didn't dare let Todd choose the place. Plus, she was wearing a bathrobe with nothing underneath, so she wanted to get it over with quickly. She ordered a table full of drinks at the hotel restaurant downstairs.
Lori booked a private room, and the two sat across from each other.
Lori said, "One bottle each. If you lose, the item is mine."
Todd glanced at the table full of drinks and smirked. "You think a few bottles of alcohol are worth the priceless Starlight Gem? That's too cheap. We need to raise the stakes."
Lori knew it wouldn't be easy to get a good deal from Todd. She urged, "Name your terms, and be quick about it."
Todd said, "If I lose, the item is yours. If you lose, you have to do three things for me."
Lori asked suspiciously, "That simple? No illegal stuff, though."
Todd nodded. "Deal."
Todd agreed too readily, and Lori felt something was off but couldn't pinpoint what.
She could hold her liquor well; this amount of alcohol was nothing. "Let's drink," she said.
All the bottles were hard liquor, twenty-four bottles of whiskey, all with the highest alcohol content.
Twelve bottles each. If you didn't pass out after that, you must have grown up in a distillery.
All the bottle caps were already off. Lori grabbed a bottle and downed it in one go.
She drank like it was water, gulping it down without a second thought.
Todd knew Lori could hold her liquor, but her boldness still caught him off guard. She didn't act like a typical girl—more like one of the guys.
Todd picked up a bottle and started drinking too, but his movements were much more graceful.
Lori mocked, "Pretentious."
Todd retorted, "The process doesn't matter; the result does."
Lori snorted, "I've never lost a drinking contest."
Lori drank bottle after bottle. By the end, she was seeing stars; the alcohol was too strong. In contrast, Todd, though affected by the alcohol, only had a flushed face and showed no signs of being drunk.
By the time they reached the last bottle, Lori passed out before finishing it.
Honestly, making it to the twelfth bottle, Lori was definitely the first person Todd had encountered who could do that.
Looking at Lori, who had passed out on the sofa, Todd slowly put down his bottle, a smile playing on his lips. "Simple-minded girl," he muttered.
Todd glanced at his own bottles. The contents had been swapped out; they were all water except for the first bottle. But this secret, Lori would never know. Even years later, she wouldn't understand why she lost to Todd.
Todd called a waiter, "Clean this up."
The waiter nodded. "Yes, Mr. Smith."
As the waiter cleaned up, Todd walked over to Lori and scooped her up.
The moment he lifted her, he was taken aback. Lori usually seemed tough and capable, like she could take on a whole gang by herself. But this fierce woman was surprisingly light. Holding her, she felt almost weightless.
It was in that moment Todd realized that, despite everything, Lori was still just a woman.
"Come on, drink more," Lori mumbled in her sleep, her hands waving restlessly. Her delicate face looked even more beautiful under the light.
Lori and Aurora were both stunning beauties, but in different ways.
Aurora had a versatile charm—she could be the picture of innocence one moment and utterly seductive the next.
Lori, on the other hand, was a standout with her flamboyant personality. She was bold and brash, full of fiery spirit. Loyal to a fault but not the sharpest tool in the shed, she had a quick temper and a sharper tongue.
Todd carried her back to the room. Ava glanced at the drunken Lori and asked, "How much did she drink to get this wasted?"
"Twelve bottles of whiskey," Todd replied.
Ava raised an eyebrow at Todd, "And how come you're not even tipsy?"
Todd shrugged, staying cool, "I can hold my liquor pretty well."
That might fool Lori and Ava, but if John were here, he wouldn't buy it for a second.
Lori slept until the afternoon of the next day, waking up with a splitting headache. She couldn't believe she had lost.
"Damn it, I actually lost to him. This doesn't make any sense," she muttered to herself.
Just then, Todd walked in with a bowl of oatmeal, and Ava held the door open for him.
"A bet's a bet," Todd said, setting the oatmeal down. "You owe me three tasks."
Lori rubbed her throbbing head and said, "I won't back out. Just tell me what you want me to do."
"No rush, eat some oatmeal first," Todd replied.
"I can start the tasks right now," Lori insisted, not wanting to owe him anything.
Todd smirked meaningfully, "I like to fatten the pig before I slaughter it."
Lori and Ava both stared at him, stunned.
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