Chapter 187: She Couldn't Be a Female Player, Right?
Cordelia felt mixed emotions. Just as she picked up her water glass to take a drink, Herschel grabbed her wrist and said softly, "This water is a bit cold. It's not good for girls to drink cold water."
Fiona sat across from Herschel. Hearing his words, her expression darkened, and she glared at Herschel with displeasure. Herschel took the water glass from Cordelia's hand and had the server bring her a fresh glass of warm water.
In the VIP room upstairs at the bar, Alaric toyed with his wine glass, his deep eyes coldly fixed on Cordelia in the booth downstairs as she whispered in Herschel's ear.
They were very close to each other, their manner quite intimate.
Julian glanced at Alaric and clearly saw the veins bulging on the back of his hand.
He chuckled softly and said, "Looks like after divorcing you, Ms. Stone has attracted quite a few men."
Hearing this, Alaric's eyes immediately turned colder.
Julian smiled and leaned closer to Alaric, saying casually, "Compared to this, Ms. Stone isn't as devoted as Janet."
"After all, Janet has only dated one person all these years - you."
Alaric's eyes grew even colder.
"They're not comparable."
Julian sighed lightly, "Aren't you just bitter that Janet took the five million dollars your grandmother gave her and chose to break up with you when the Hughes family was going through its hardest time? But she had her reasons back then, and besides, she paid the money back after returning to the country."
"Ms. Stone indeed wouldn't be interested in five million dollars, but didn't she take away billions from you in the divorce?"
Alaric replied, "It's different."
"How is it different?" Julian chuckled and picked up his wine glass, looking downstairs. Cordelia was holding her water glass and drinking. She even leaned close to Herschel's ear on her own to talk to him.
Herschel's hand rested on the sofa behind Cordelia. From their angle, it looked like Herschel's hand was around Cordelia's waist.
Seeing this, Julian instinctively looked toward Alaric.
His face was dark, his deep eyes tinged with anger.
Julian smiled, "Women are all the same - it's just about having them or not having them. Once you have them, they're all the same."
He raised his glass and clinked it against Alaric's, then drained his drink in one gulp.
Seeing that Alaric didn't drink, he picked up the liquor bottle from the table and filled Alaric's glass.
"Drink."
Alaric's expression was cold. He put his glass down on the table and said flatly.
"I'm not drinking. I'm on medication right now."
Julian raised an eyebrow, "Medication prescribed by Ms. Stone?"
Alaric nodded, "Yes."
"She won't let you drink?" Julian asked again. Alaric confirmed with a grunt.
Julian was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Ms. Stone is really something—controlling you on one hand while being flirty with other men on the other."
"You're probably just one of many men she's interested in, aren't you?"
Alaric's already stern face instantly darkened. After divorcing Cordelia, he had looked into her and Dominic's past. The two of them were childhood sweethearts who grew up together. After Dominic went abroad, Cordelia actually had a boyfriend for a while, though it was very brief - less than a month.
During that time, Cordelia also maintained some contact with admirers who pursued her.
She would occasionally have dinner with them.
It was only after marrying him that Cordelia's behavior completely stopped.
No, perhaps it was because he hadn't paid attention to her back then; so after marriage, she merely hid these behaviors more secretly. Otherwise, how could she have gone to Astoria with Dominic right after their divorce, and even given birth to a child in their first year there—with a father who wasn't even Dominic?
Julian leaned back on the sofa, looking downstairs, and added leisurely.
"Could Ms. Stone be a player?"
Alaric said coldly: "Shut up."
Julian's fingers tapped lightly on the sofa armrest, but he didn't continue speaking.
Alaric got up from the sofa with a stony face and left the room directly. Julian watched his departing figure and smiled, picking up his wine glass from the table and taking a sip, his smile deepening.
He wasn't so tough after all.
Downstairs, Cordelia looked at Herschel with a very guilty expression. During that time, all her attention had been on Alaric. She had drunk only because she learned Alaric had a girlfriend and didn't know how to process her suppressed feelings. She never imagined that her behavior could have hurt Herschel.
After Dominic went abroad, Cordelia's spirits became even more depressed. She didn't want to do anything, just wanted to trap herself in her own little world.
As for Herschel being forced to drop out of school, she was only hearing about it for the first time today.
"I'm sorry."
Cordelia said to Herschel.
The noise in the bar was too loud, and Herschel didn't hear her clearly. Cordelia took a deep breath, leaned close to Herschel's ear, and apologized sincerely. "I'm sorry. I wasn't in a good state during that time. I didn't know you were forced to drop out."
Hearing Cordelia's sincere apology, Herschel smiled indifferently and whispered in her ear, "It's okay; it's all in the past." Though he spoke lightly, his heart felt even heavier.
It was one thing for Cordelia not to know he was forced to drop out because of her.
But she didn't even know he had dropped out at all.
His grades had been among the best at school back then. Many graduated upperclassmen had heard about his expulsion and sent him messages of comfort. Yet Cordelia knew nothing at all.
This showed she had no interest in him whatsoever. As Fiona said, she probably didn't even remember who he was.
Herschel felt stifled inside.
He smiled perfunctorily and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt. How could it be so easy to let go? When Dominic immigrated to Astoria, they were about to enter twelfth grade. So Herschel was expelled during his final year.
With his grades, schools would have been willing to accept him, but in a new environment, and having been expelled after being wrongly accused, his performance would definitely be affected.
Cordelia had never felt such deep guilt before. Her feelings were indescribably painful—this ache seemed even worse than when she learned Alaric had a girlfriend. Because of one drinking session, she had ruined the life of an excellent student who should have had a better future.
At this moment, the server brought Cordelia a new glass of water.
When Cordelia reached out to take the glass, her hand was trembling.
Herschel noticed her unusual state and reached out to take the glass from the tray for her.
Cordelia took the glass Herschel held for her, feeling extremely conflicted.
She lowered her eyes slightly and thanked him softly, "Thank you."
Herschel smiled politely, "No need to thank me."
Fiona watched Herschel being so attentive to Cordelia, jealousy rising in her eyes.