Chapter 61

"Is it too late to say sorry now?" David asked, trying to keep his cool. He really hoped she got how risky it was to get wasted at a bar. Sure, Esme was with her this time, but what if she was alone next time? What then?

Even though he knew the whole drunken mess was kinda his fault, he couldn't shake this weird anger bubbling inside him.

Garrett chose his words carefully, "Mr. Tudor, the other party messed up first, so you don't need to apologize. But, you know, punishment should be fair. Going overboard might backfire. I think we've done enough for now."

He secretly thought David was probably about to cave and go comfort Alice. David seemed torn, wanting to teach her a lesson but also hating to see her hurt.

"Alright." David felt a bit better after hearing Garrett's take and started thinking about where to take Alice for dinner. She'd lost some weight lately, clearly not eating right these past few days.

Seeing David's mood lift, Garrett quickly went over the meeting details and asked about the next steps.

David looked up at Garrett, confused. "Do I look like I'm short on cash?"

Garrett quickly shook his head.

David gave a bitter smile. "Then why should I play by their rules? Cooperation's a two-way street. If they want to hike the price and I don't agree, that's not cooperation."

Garrett finally got it.

After Garrett left, David scrolled through his phone, hunting for new restaurants to take Alice to. If he could find a spot with some fun stuff to do, that'd be perfect to help her chill and forget the recent drama.

But he was better at business than romance. Pleasing a woman felt like an impossible task compared to the cutthroat business world.

James was getting cozy with his new girlfriend when his phone rang. The warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by a chill that ran from his feet to his head, freezing him in place.

His girlfriend looked annoyed, but James pushed her away. He hurriedly answered the phone, trying to steady his breathing, and shot her a warning glance before saying in a placating tone, "David."

"Know any new restaurants that opened recently? I want to take Alice out for a nice meal," David asked.

James flopped onto the bed, relieved. He'd thought David was gonna chew him out about the bar incident, especially since he hadn't stopped Alice.

In hindsight, letting the two girls stay in the lounge was a bad call. One was David's fiancée, and the other had business ties with the Tudor Family. If anything had happened, he'd be in deep trouble.

But by the time he went downstairs to get them, the lounge was empty, and he couldn't find them in the main hall either, so he went back to his fun.

David asked, "You don't know either?"

James quickly replied, "There are a bunch of new places. Depends on what kind of food you're in the mood for. New spots are usually busy, so you might need to book ahead."

David thought for a moment.

"David?" James asked.

"Okay, got it," David said and hung up.

James was puzzled. Why was David so set on a new restaurant just for a meal? Could he really be thinking of marrying Alice?

James's face darkened. He didn't want to call a woman younger than him "sister-in-law"! He thought, 'David, are you nuts? Alice isn't even that attractive. She's got a bad temper and no redeeming qualities. What good would marrying her do?'

"Sweetheart," his girlfriend purred, batting her eyelashes at James. But James was already annoyed; that phone call had totally killed his vibe.

"I'm not in the mood anymore. Get dressed and go home," said James.

Meanwhile, David opened a folder labeled "Alice" and checked her class schedule. She had a class in the afternoon, but he wasn't sure if she'd actually go, so he shot her a text to find out.

In the classroom, Declan, the teacher, kept glancing towards the back. By the window, someone was slumped over their desk, staring outside. He could sense Alice's low spirits, and the whole room felt unusually quiet.

From what he knew about Alice, she never showed up for afternoon classes. Besides Esme, her other classmates were polite but not close to her. So, Alice usually skipped, and no one bothered to sign in for her.

But today, not only did she show up, she was also unusually well-behaved, which made everyone uneasy, like a storm was brewing beneath the calm.

Declan stared at Alice until his eyes hurt, but she didn't move an inch. Maybe she had changed, or maybe her family had finally laid down the law.

Alice felt so miserable she couldn't even fake it. Waking up in David's arms and hearing him talk about her drunken antics made her feel not just ashamed but also scared of his barely suppressed anger.

They hadn't spoken in days, let alone eaten together. She'd be happy just to see him for an hour a day, but she hadn't even gotten that. No calls, no messages—he was completely ignoring her.

Alice sighed, feeling utterly drained. Just then, her phone buzzed. She pulled it out and saw a message.

The next moment, she shot up from her seat, startling the entire class. Declan, up at the podium, widened his eyes, thinking, 'This moment has finally come.'

"Mr. Martinez, I have an urgent matter. I need to leave," Alice blurted out, grabbing her bag and rushing out of the classroom before Declan could even respond, disappearing through the back door.

Outside the building, Alice clutched her phone, her emotions all over the place.

She couldn't figure out David's intentions and feared this was some kind of emotional rollercoaster. She was terrified of another blow. After all, she had no idea what she might have spilled during her drunken state.

Deep down, she knew her feelings for David were mixed with resentment. Things she wouldn't dare say sober might have all come out when she was drunk. If Esme had heard, it would be fine, but if David had...

The thought made Alice's head throb. She crouched down, holding her head, unable to respond to the message.

"Not feeling well? Headache?" A voice came from above.

Alice looked up abruptly and saw David standing there. He was wearing a coat, hands in his pockets, looking down at her.

Alice slowly stood up, feeling a bit awkward. "What are you doing here?"

David chuckled, "Taking a chance. Didn't expect to get lucky this time; you actually didn't skip class."

Alice stayed silent. In her current situation, how could she dare skip class? If David found out, wouldn't that be another strike against her? She was already in enough trouble and didn't want to add to it. Her mind was a mess, almost on the verge of breaking down.

David gently smoothed her hair and took her bag from her hand. "Let's go. I'll take you to eat."

Alice was puzzled. "It's not even mealtime yet."

David scrutinized her face, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Have you been eating well these past few days?"