Chapter 253

Gloria glanced at Grace, then at Gavin beside her, wondering if she had misheard.

Wasn't Gavin supposed to be introducing her to a client? What was going on?

Across the table, Grace noticed her confusion and assumed Gloria was puzzled about meeting her today. She smiled and explained.

"Don't be nervous. I told Gavin not to tell you because I didn't want you to be anxious all day."

Grace's eyes were filled with approval, almost as if she wanted to grab Gloria's hand.

"No wonder Gavin was so secretive. You two make a great couple."

Gloria was now sure she hadn't misheard.

She furrowed her brows, about to explain.

Gavin's hand, under the table, suddenly grabbed hers and gave a gentle squeeze.

Gloria looked at him, puzzled.

Gavin's face remained calm as he addressed Grace across from them.

"Didn't I tell you to keep it down? She's shy. What if you scare her away?"

Grace's smile nearly overflowed from her eyes.

She gave Gavin a playful scolding look.

"Well, if you had brought her to meet me sooner, we wouldn't have all this fuss."

She turned to Gloria with an apologetic smile.

"I'm really sorry. It's our first meeting, and I was worried it wouldn't be formal enough. I changed outfits several times at home and ended up being late. You must have waited a while."

Gloria wanted to explain, but Gavin squeezed her hand harder.

Gloria winced and looked at him.

Gavin gave her a helpless look, silently pleading for her help.

It seemed like he had some unspeakable reason.

Grace's voice chimed in again.

"I noticed something was off with him recently. I knew he must have a new girlfriend behind our backs. I thought it was just another fling, but he said it was someone from the company."

Grace's words were full of admiration for Gloria, as if her specific identity didn't matter. Even if she was just an ordinary employee, as long as Gavin liked her, Grace had no objections.

Feeling Grace's kindness, a wave of bittersweet emotion washed over Gloria.

Once upon a time, her mother had been like this, always putting her feelings first.

Even when she stubbornly chased after Sebastian, her mother had silently supported her, never saying a word against her.

She missed her mother.

Grace, unaware of Gloria's emotions, continued expressing her fondness.

"I heard you won first place in the last design competition. That's impressive. I saw your work; it's beautiful. When can you design something for me?"

Gloria's eyes flickered, and she finally managed a gentle smile. "If you like, I can do it anytime. It might take a bit longer, though."

Seeing her agree so readily, Grace's smile grew even wider, her satisfaction with Gloria increasing, while her opinion of Gavin continued to decline.

Seeing Gavin pouring himself a drink, Grace couldn't help but glare at him.

"All you do is drink. You don't even take care of your girlfriend. If she runs off with someone else, I won't forgive you!"

Gavin finished pouring and placed the glass in front of Gloria, then looked innocently at Grace.

Grace didn't give him a break, glaring at him again.

"If I don't say anything, you'd just drink by yourself? You have no idea how to take care of people. It's all my fault for spoiling you!"

Gavin retorted coolly, "When did you ever spoil me? I got plenty of your slaps when I was a kid."

"Shut up! How dare you reveal that in front of your girlfriend!" Grace scolded.

They bickered, but the atmosphere felt warm.

Gloria watched quietly, a subtle smile playing on her lips.

She now understood where Gavin got his temperament.

"Why aren't you drinking? Don't you like it? Should I ask the waiter to bring you some juice?" Grace noticed Gloria hadn't taken a sip of her drink and started scolding Gavin again.

"You don't even know what your girlfriend likes to drink. Is this how you take care of people?"

Gavin looked a bit guilty and turned to Gloria.

"It's not strong. It warms your stomach. Give it a try?"

The first time they met, Gloria had downed a lot of drinks at the bar, so she didn't seem like someone who couldn't handle alcohol.

Gloria hadn't had a drink in a long time, but the atmosphere was just right, and she didn't want to embarrass Grace.

"It's fine. I can drink a little."

She took a sip.

As Gavin said, the alcohol wasn't strong. It warmed her stomach, making her feel comfortable.

Having gone without a drink for some time, Gloria found herself relishing it. She chatted with Grace, occasionally taking a sip, and before she knew it, the glass was empty.

Her stomach started to ache.

Gloria furrowed her brows, surprised by the pain.

"Are you okay?" Grace asked.

Gloria shook her head, wanting to say she was fine, but the pain intensified.

She stood up, trying to hide her discomfort.

"I need to use the restroom."

Grace, worried, wanted to accompany her, but Gloria refused, not wanting to cause concern.

Once out of the room, Gloria's face turned pale. She clutched her stomach, bending over in pain.

A wave of regret washed over her as she realized her body had grown so weak that it couldn't even handle a single drink. She slowly made her way to the restroom, hoping to induce vomiting.

Meanwhile.

Sebastian and his group left their room, ready to continue drinking elsewhere.

Samuel was complaining.

"What a lousy drink. No kick at all. Can't even get drunk."

He then clung to Benjamin, wailing.

"I got dumped again! What's wrong with me? I give her everything she wants! So what if I watched a few videos? What guy doesn't look at pretty girls? She watches muscle men all the time!"

Samuel lifted his shirt, pressing Benjamin's hand to his abs.

"Don't I have muscles? What's her problem?"

Benjamin, exasperated, pushed him away.

"Getting dumped three times a month, and you're still not used to it?"

Samuel was silent for a moment, then turned to Sebastian for comfort.

Sebastian, anticipating this, sidestepped.

Samuel stumbled, nearly falling.

He steadied himself and spotted a figure in the distance, rubbing his eyes in confusion.

"That looks like my girlfriend. Help me get her back. I need to ask why she dumped me!"

He started to chase after the woman.

Benjamin grabbed his collar.

"You're so drunk you can't tell the direction. There's no woman there."