Chapter 19
Anna’s POV:
The bottle made a hollow thud as I flipped it upside down on the table. Empty. The room swayed gently, like I was on a boat at sea rather than in a private dining room.
“Let me get that for you,” Seth’s voice floated through my alcohol–soaked brain as I fumbled with another bottle, my fingers too numb to grip the opener properly.
I squinted at him through my blurry vision. His face seemed to twist and distort. And that annoying smirk. He leaned back in his chair, hands stuffed in his pockets, looking every bit the smug asshole
I’d known since childhood.
Henry reached over and took the bottle from my hands. “You should slow down.”
“Give it to me,” I demanded, reaching for the bottle he was now holding away from me. “What are
you doing?”
“You can have more after a break,” Henry said calmly, his eyes showing genuine concern behind his
glasses.
“Henry,” Seth’s voice cut in, sharp and mocking. “I’ve never seen you so protective of a woman
before. That intern who was chasing you last week – you rejected her without even blinking! Have
you known Anna for a long time?”
Henry shook his head with a resigned smile. “No. Today is our first time meeting.”
I didn’t care about their little exchange. I just wanted more alcohol to drown out the regret burning in my chest. *God, why did I marry Blake? What was I thinking?* Even fighting with Seth as kids
seemed better than my current reality.
Seeing me like this, Seth frowned and leaned in. “Alright, enough. Drinking this much is bad for you.
You’re just making yourself sick.” He turned to Henry, “Find something to help sober her up.”
Seth was staring at me, his expression a mix of disgust and concern.
He’s going to back out of the deal. The thought struck me with panic, and I reached for my glass
again, determined to finish what I started.
“You’re still drinking?!” Seth roared.
“Yes!” I shot back, gulping down more alcohol even as my body rejected it.
Seth slammed his glass down, shattering it across the table. He stormed over, crunching on glass
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Chapter 19
shards, and grabbed my wrist.
“Are you fucking broke or something?” His eyes were fierce, but his grip was surprisingly gentle as he steadied my swaying body. “Is it worth killing yourself for that little money? If you’re in trouble, just
say so!”
Something inside me snapped. “Little money? You put your foot on my livelihood and call it ‘little money‘? You wouldn’t dare talk to me like this if my father was still alive!”
“You’re all bullying me,” I slurred, my filter completely gone. “I did everything you wanted. What else
do you want from me?”
I waved my hand wildly. “Give me the bottle… rich people are so damn hard to please!”
Seth studied me with a complex expression. “Who else is bullying you? Blake? Aren’t you the one
who brags about your perfect marriage every Christmas? Doesn’t he give you money?”
I wanted to tell him the truth that Blake gave me too much money, more than I could ever repay.
But my thoughts were clear while my mouth wouldn’t cooperate.
Suddenly, my body gave out and I started to slide toward the floor. Seth cursed and caught me from
behind, his arms wrapping around my waist as he applied pressure to help me purge the alcohol.
Henry moved to hold my head steady as I retched painfully.
“It hurts,” I whimpered, alcohol burning through my sinuses. “Stop… I’m dying…”
“Shut up,” Seth muttered, his voice oddly gentle despite his harsh words.
“I hate you, Seth,” I cried childishly. “I’m gonna tell my dad to beat you up. It hurts so much…”
Blake’s POV:
I followed James down the hallway, my patience wearing thin.
“She’s in here, Mr. Wright,” James said, gesturing to a private room at the end of the corridor.
As I pushed open the door, my entire body went rigid. The scene before me froze my blood.
Anna was half–lying in Seth Price’s arms, her body pressed intimately against his thighs. Henry was holding her head, and Seth’s arms were wrapped possessively around her waist. Anna’s long hair cascaded across Seth’s chest as she leaned into him.
“Quickly, let go! Mr. Wright is here!” James’s panicked voice barely registered.
An icy chill spread through my chest. The air in the room seemed to solidify. I kept my face carefully
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blank, but rage flickered through me like lightning.
Anna was clearly drunk, but the familiar way Seth held her spoke of an intimacy I hadn’t expected.
I stepped into the room, each footfall deliberate and heavy. “What are you doing?” My voice came out colder than I intended.
Neither man released Anna. Seth, in particular, kept his hands firmly on Anna’s waist, which made my jaw clench.
Seth’s response was deliberately provocative, “Your wife came to beg me for money, Mr. Wright. Maybe you should be more generous with her. She wouldn’t end up in my hands otherwise. She drank herself sick. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Not at all,” I replied with a cold smile. “Are you satisfied now, Mr. Price? If you are, I’ll take her. My family are waiting for her.”
Seth stared at me for a long moment, his hand still placing on Anna’s waist. “I’m somewhat satisfied. Since you’re asking, I suppose I can hand her over.”
As he reluctantly passed Anna to me, his hand deliberately slid across her back. The gesture set my teeth on edge.
1 took Anna in my arms, my grip tightening unconsciously and anger surged through me.
“It hurts,” Anna moaned.
Seth’s brow immediately furrowed, his hand clenching as if to reach for her again. “Can’t you hear
she’s in pain?”
I stared coldly at his outstretched hand, feeling an irrational urge to break it. His protective instinct toward my wife felt like a threat.
“Mr. Wright, you look so fierce,” Seth said with a fake smile. “You won’t take revenge on me in other ways, will you? I bite back, you know.”
“Don’t worry,” I replied icily. “She’s not worth it.”
But internally, I was calculating what exactly had transpired between Seth and Anna before I arrived.
As I carried Anna out, I felt her body twist slightly in my arms, as if trying to turn back toward Seth.
I caught a glimpse of Seth standing motionless out of the corner of my eye, his fist clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.