Chapter 100 He Found Out
Chapter 100 He Found Out
Nicholas was on fire today. In just a few hours, he had dug up everything there was to know about Joseph's current situation. Being one of John's closest allies, he was privy to the complicated history between John and Emily.
When he got the report from his team, he felt a headache coming on. The report clearly stated that Joseph had moved into Emily's place. This was a big problem for Nicholas because he had no idea how to break the news to John.
Even though John was engaged to Sophia now, Emily had been his girl for seven years. Nicholas finally got why John had gone after Joseph, the gym teacher who seemed totally unrelated. Now, it all made sense.
But the more it made sense, the more Nicholas's head hurt. He couldn't figure out if John still had feelings for Emily or if it was just possessiveness, not wanting anyone else to be with a woman he had once been with. Either way, it wasn't looking good for him.
Nicholas really missed Tony Thompson, who was on a business trip abroad. If Tony hadn't been sent overseas by John's dad to handle the branch office, all these messy issues would have been his to deal with. Nicholas wouldn't have had to step in. But with Tony gone for a few months, trouble just kept piling up. If Tony didn't come back soon, Nicholas felt like he wouldn't be able to keep it together.
After a serious internal debate, Nicholas finally got the guts to call John. As the phone rang, his heart was pounding. But no one picked up, and the call eventually ended.
He felt like he was on a roller coaster. He took a moment, gathered his thoughts, and called John again, but still, no answer. He let out a long sigh, feeling like he had dodged a bullet.
"This isn't on me, Mr. Williams, you didn't answer the phone," Nicholas muttered to himself.
Then he picked up his phone and sent John a message: [Mr. Williams, I've found out that Joseph has moved into Ms. Johnson's place.]
Even after sending the message, Nicholas couldn't shake the unease. He spent the whole night tossing and turning, unable to sleep until dawn when he finally crashed.
What he didn't know was that before he called John, in a spacious hotel room, John lay alone on the sofa, feeling extremely irritable. He sat alone in the dimly lit living room, the air around him seemingly frozen. Images of Emily and Joseph together kept flashing in his mind, fueling his anger.
To blow off some steam, John headed over to the minibar in his hotel room. He grabbed a bottle of red wine he had been saving for clients and popped it open. Without bothering with a glass, he took a swig straight from the bottle. The wine burned as it went down, but he didn't care.
Alone, John let the alcohol wash over him, bringing a rare sense of relaxation but also a deep loneliness.
He polished off the bottle pretty quickly, and his vision started to blur. He got up, placed the empty bottle on the table, and then stumbled back to the sofa.
He sank heavily into the soft cushions, his breathing slowing down. The booze made his thoughts hazy, and soon enough, he closed his eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.
His phone was on the bedside table, plugged into the charger, occasionally lighting up with missed calls and new messages.
But John was out cold, oblivious to the world.
He hadn't let himself unwind like this in ages. In his dreams, he might find a bit of peace, escaping the mess of reality. But as the morning light crept through the curtains, a new day was dawning, and he'd have to face the problems he couldn't avoid.
Nicholas's message would eventually reach him, but that would be after he woke up. Right now, what he needed was a worry-free sleep, a chance to forget his troubles for a while.
As the first rays of sunlight peeked through the curtains, John’s eyes fluttered open, slowly waking from his slumber.
The numbness from the alcohol was fading, replaced by a pounding hangover. John pressed his temples, trying to ease the throbbing pain.
He sat up from the sofa, looked around, and the memories of last night came flooding back. He remembered downing that whole bottle of red wine. His eyes landed on the empty bottle on the table, a stark reminder of his indulgence.
John sat there for a moment, then wobbled towards the bedroom. His phone was still on the bedside table, its screen glowing brightly after a night of charging.
He rubbed his aching temples, sat on the bed, unplugged the charger, and picked up his phone. Using his fingerprint to unlock the screen, the first thing he saw was the message from Nicholas.
Nicholas: [Mr. Williams, I've found out that Joseph has moved into Ms. Johnson's place.]
The message hit John like a ton of bricks, and his face darkened immediately.
"Emily, you really are something," he muttered through gritted teeth, clutching his phone.
He couldn't believe she had actually let Joseph move into her place. He had warned her to stay away from Joseph, but clearly, she hadn't listened.
It seemed he had been too busy and too lenient with Emily lately, to the point where she had forgotten his ways. He would remember this, and once he wrapped up the project here, he would deal with her properly. She would learn the hard way what it cost to defy him.