Celestia sat in another seat, her eyes locked on Raymond without a hint of shame.
Make sure he drinks it all.
This time, the dose was hefty, and it had a special feature: it worked fast.
The woman Celestia had arranged to approach Melinda smiled and said, "Ms. Sharp, I heard you work in a virus lab. Would you be interested in learning about our company's pharmaceutical production line?"
"Sorry, if you need to discuss cooperation, please contact Mr. Thomas directly," Melinda nodded slightly, politely declining.
Meanwhile, in the banquet hall, Raymond accepted a glass of wine from Marshall.
"Raymond, this drink is from your uncle, to thank you for coming to support us." As the younger generation, Raymond naturally had to drink it all in one go.
Marshall had already downed his drink, and Raymond tilted his head back, finishing his glass.
After Raymond finished his drink, Marshall said, "By the way, there's something else I want to discuss with you. Let's go upstairs to a private room."
Raymond glanced in Melinda's direction. She was talking to a woman, so he looked away and followed Marshall upstairs.
Celestia saw Raymond finish his drink, suppressing the excitement that was about to burst forth. Was her plan finally going to succeed?
Tonight, Raymond would finally be hers.
Celestia even began to anticipate Raymond's performance tonight. Although he would be briefly unconscious at first, once the drug took full effect, she would thoroughly enjoy Raymond's "services."
Celestia already felt a shiver of excitement run through her body. She picked up her phone and ordered, "You can get rid of her now."
Melinda was still talking to the woman when two men approached.
Two security guards directly addressed Melinda, "Miss, upon verification, you are not an invited guest. Please leave."
"I came with Mr. Thomas," Melinda explained.
Melinda instinctively turned to look toward the hall, but Raymond was nowhere to be seen.
She said urgently, "I really came with Mr. Thomas."
"Miss, to ensure the safety of our guests, please leave with us," the two men said, somewhat forcefully grabbing her wrists.
At that moment, Melinda looked at Celestia and caught a flash of triumph in her eyes.
Instantly, she understood that this was Celestia's doing.
Trying to get rid of her?
Melinda looked at Celestia, who had already gone upstairs. She took the opportunity to squat down, clutching her stomach, her voice trembling, "My stomach hurts... don't touch me."
The security guards didn't dare to be too forceful, especially with so many eyes on them. They had to follow her to the women's restroom.
After five minutes in the restroom, a cleaner walked in. Melinda took out a thousand dollars from her bag and handed it to the cleaner, buying her clothes.
She also instructed the cleaner to stay put until she returned.
After changing clothes, she pulled her hat down low and pushed the cleaning cart out of the restroom. The security guards at the door didn't look closely, allowing her to slip past.
Melinda searched everywhere but couldn't find Raymond.
She felt a growing sense of unease.
Meanwhile, in the private room, Raymond and Marshall were discussing business when Raymond suddenly felt a wave of dizziness.
Raymond looked at Marshall, "Mr. Banks, I'm feeling a bit dizzy."
"Raymond, the drink must have been too strong. You should rest for a bit." Raymond felt his consciousness fading and collapsed onto the sofa.
Outside the door, Celestia saw that the time was right. She pushed the door open and entered, a satisfied smile on her lips as she looked at the unconscious Raymond. "Finally got him."
Marshall glanced at her with some disdain. "Don't go back on your word."
Celestia smiled. "Don't worry! You go entertain the guests downstairs. Make sure no one disturbs me."
Meanwhile, Melinda, still unable to find Raymond, suddenly thought of Celestia going upstairs. Could Raymond be upstairs too?
She quickly went up and stood in the hallway, peeking into each private room. When she reached the last room, the scene inside pierced her heart.
She saw Raymond being helped out of the room, his body weak and unsteady.
Melinda could no longer control herself and quickly followed. The man being supported looked familiar, even though his head was down. The bracelet on his wrist glinted under the light.
It was Raymond! The light reflecting off the couple's bracelet he wore.
What happened to him? Melinda's heart raced. Why was he so weak and needing support to walk?
She then saw Celestia quickly follow and head toward the elevator.
Melinda's heart tightened. Was he drunk? Without thinking, she hurriedly followed.
The elevator screen showed the number 17.
The 17th floor was the hotel rooms.
She had a bad feeling. Did Celestia use some despicable means on Raymond, like getting him drunk or drugging him?
Thinking of this, she frantically pressed the button for another elevator.
What was happening to Raymond? Five years ago, he was "taken advantage of" by Emily, and now Celestia was going to do the same?
Melinda finally got into the elevator, her heart pounding as she watched the numbers rise.
She had never felt an elevator move so slowly. It felt like an eternity before it reached the 17th floor.
At this moment, Raymond was being helped into a suite and laid on a bed.
Celestia sat on the edge of the bed, a satisfied smile on her lips as she admired Raymond's handsome face, his chiseled features, and deep-set eyes.
Her gaze slowly moved to Raymond's lips, red and inviting.
Celestia wasn't in a hurry. She was waiting for the drug to take full effect, for Raymond to come to her willingly.
She got up and went to the bathroom, closing her eyes and feeling the water droplets dance on her skin, the scent of the shower gel washing away the smell of alcohol and smoke.
She then changed into a carefully chosen set of sexy lingerie.
The 17th floor was silent.
Melinda didn't know which room Celestia was in, so she had to knock on each door.
She couldn't let Celestia's plan succeed.
She found the thought amusing but still felt that Raymond needed her protection tonight.
She started knocking on doors, and since most rooms were empty, she got no response from several.
One room did respond, and a surprised woman answered, "Miss, can I help you?"
"Sorry, I got the wrong room number. I'm here to clean," Melinda said calmly, apologizing politely.
She continued knocking on doors, not caring about the embarrassment.
After knocking, she would hide to avoid being seen through the peephole, fearing Celestia would recognize her and not open the door.
Finally, only one room was left. Melinda took a deep breath and knocked.
It was Celestia's room.
Hearing the knock, Celestia was annoyed. Who was interrupting her? Was it one of her subordinates?
She looked through the peephole but saw nothing.
As she turned away, the knock came again. Celestia, now impatient, opened the door.
She saw Melinda standing there, relieved to have found her.
Celestia's face turned red with anger. "You... what are you doing here?" Realizing something, she quickly tried to close the door, but Melinda was faster, kicking it open.
Celestia, frightened, let go.
Melinda stepped inside.
Celestia shouted angrily, "Melinda, get out! This is my room."