Chapter 47 Sleepless Nights
After downing her drink, the emotions only amplified. Scarlett murmured.
"No, nobody can stop Brielle. Whatever she wants to do, if there's a first time, there'll be a second. The moment she gets a chance, she'll say it again. She'll do whatever it takes to humiliate me. She came prepared—I just don't know what her endgame is." She paused for two beats. "Thanks for earlier, by the way."
Ambrose didn't acknowledge her gratitude. He poured himself a drink, took a sip, and said, "Brielle came back for your father's old connections."
"I have plenty of ways to handle her."
Scarlett's eyes widened. She turned to look at him, surprised he'd gone digging into Brielle's background. Was it because of her?
"Everyone already knows what she and her mother did. She won't be able to use my dad's old connections. Besides, those people cut ties with him ages ago. They wouldn't risk their careers over some ancient history."
Ambrose said, "With the Mitchell family backing her, she might actually pull it off."
Scarlett's breath caught. The Mitchell family—she knew of them. They held serious weight in Silverlight City. Sure, they weren't quite at the Boleyn Group's level anymore, but the Mitchells had their own powerful allies.
If the Mitchell family had called Brielle back, they were probably trying to use her to rally Owen's old network.
She stared at Ambrose, her eyes flooding with worry.
Reading her concern, Ambrose said reassuringly, "The Mitchell family has always opposed the Boleyn family. Whatever move they're making now, it's aimed at the Boleyn Group. I won't let them succeed."
Scarlett lowered her lashes. He was trying to put her mind at ease, wasn't he?
How thoughtful of him.
Except she had no way to repay this kindness.
Restless and troubled, she turned away to stare at the streetscape through the window, drinking methodically.
But Ambrose kept watching her. Maybe sensing his gaze, Scarlett turned back to meet his scrutinizing eyes. Her emotions churned. Thinking of her earlier humiliation, she let out a bitter laugh.
"Brielle and Wesley have been together this whole time. Only I was left in the dark. Pretty pathetic, right?"
She tilted her head back and drained the glass in one bitter gulp, then thrust the empty glass toward Ambrose. "Pour me another."
"You can't drink anymore." Ambrose had only meant for her to have a little to calm her nerves. She was acting like she wouldn't stop until she was wasted.
Scarlett frowned, dissatisfied. "I'm not done yet. Let me have another."
There was a hint of petulance in her tone.
Ambrose studied her with dark intensity. With alcohol in her system, she'd shed that usual cool distance and taken on a softer, more feminine quality. Dangerously alluring.
He finally poured her one more glass. Scarlett grabbed it and took a large gulp, saying dejectedly,
"They both played me for a fool. One lied about his feelings, the other's been trying to one-up me at every turn. A match made in heaven."
She turned to him with a sad smile.
"Pretty laughable, aren't I?"
Ambrose's expression darkened. Instead of answering, he said, "Wesley's not worth your tears. You're torturing yourself for nothing."
"Right. I'm torturing myself. I'm an idiot." She stopped short and fixed him with an unwavering stare.
"You heard what Brielle said back there, didn't you? Do you believe her?"
Ambrose took a slow sip of his drink, his voice coming out rough and low. "What did she say?"
Scarlett couldn't tell if he was playing dumb or genuinely didn't understand. Either way, she spelled it out.
"She said I was dirty." She paused, then threw back another mouthful. The harsh alcohol burned through her nerve endings as words tumbled out.
"And she's right. I am dirty."
Scarlett looked straight at him. "Ambrose, I know you've been helping me for more than just business deals or babysitting favors. You're interested in me, aren't you?"
Whether it was the alcohol kicking in or the shock of Brielle exposing her relationship with Wesley, everything just came spilling out.
"I'm so filthy even my own husband won't touch me. Is someone like me really worth all this effort?"
Ambrose held her gaze, seeing the sorrow in her eyes. After a long moment, he let out a cold laugh.
"Perfect. I'm dirty too. We're made for each other."
Scarlett froze. Then she laughed—a gorgeous, devastating laugh.
"You'd trash your own reputation just to sleep with me?"
Suddenly, Ambrose leaned in, grabbed her chin, and said with a dangerous edge, "Aren't you the one who wants to sleep with me?"
Scarlett remembered that hotel incident, and her temper flared. She swatted at him. "I was just trying to make Wesley jealous, that jerk."
Ambrose moved closer to her lips, his voice hoarse with accusation.
"So you used me to make him jealous?"
"You were pretty damn forward that night. Don't you think you owe me for that?"
Scarlett's fuzzy brain snapped halfway back to clarity. Her scalp prickled.
"Cat got your tongue?" Ambrose said slowly, his elegant fingers wiping the wine from her lips before bringing them to his own mouth. His tongue darted out to taste—an obscene gesture made impossibly seductive.
The air in the car ignited with heat.
Scarlett shook her head in disbelief. "What do I owe you? You didn't exactly push me away."
Ambrose suddenly pressed her against the window, pinning her there as he growled, "That's because you kept coming on to me."
Scarlett's tipsy brain struggled to process this. She stared at his dangerously handsome face, still trying to make sense of it all when his voice—wrecked and raw—drifted from those sculpted lips.
"Do you have any idea how many sleepless nights you've caused me, Scarlett? Tell me—how exactly do you plan to take responsibility?"
Before she could respond, he captured her mouth with his.
The moment their lips met, the sharp taste of alcohol bloomed between them like sweet nectar. Scarlett's eyes went wide with shock.
Their lips and teeth collided with earth-shattering force. Scarlett found herself crushed against the window. His strength was overwhelming—she couldn't move.
The temperature in the back seat climbed steadily. The privacy partition had long since been raised. Up front, the driver kept his eyes firmly on the road.
At first, Scarlett tried to resist his onslaught with what clarity she had left. But his intensity was too fierce, too consuming. Gradually, he commandeered every thought in her head.
Just as they were lost in each other, a phone rang—Ambrose's.
The sound jolted Scarlett back to awareness. She seized the chance to push against him.
Ambrose didn't budge, continuing his assault on her lips. Scarlett couldn't breathe. She had no choice but to shove harder. The mood shattered instantly.
His expression thunderous, Ambrose finally released her and grabbed his phone. He glanced at the screen and hit answer.
"This better be important."
The words dripped with ice-cold menace. On the other end, Ruben immediately realized he'd interrupted something critical and quickly said,
"Ambrose, I just got some intel from Brielle."