In the BMW Bar, the trendy slow-paced dance music echoed, and in the central performance area, a dozen provocatively dressed and attractive young women were energetically performing vibrant dances.
Louie sipped from a highball glass, taking a small sip of the Louis XVI, a premium liquor that ordinary people wouldn't even think of. Bella had vodka in her glass, as per her insistence. When the vodka arrived, Louie deliberately poured a glass of authentic Russian vodka for Bella.
Bella took a small sip and immediately started coughing violently. She felt a burning sensation in her chest.
"What's wrong, Bella? Doesn't vodka taste good?" Louie feigned innocence, intentionally teasing her.
Bella was in a predicament. She had hoped to embarrass Louie, but it turned out she was the one having a hard time. She couldn't drink the vodka, as it might send her straight to the hospital. Despite this, Bella's competitive spirit wouldn't allow her to back down.
"I like sipping it slowly. What's the problem?" Bella shot a glare at Louie, then turned away, refusing to argue with him.
Arabella, sitting beside them, was drinking cocoa liqueur, a drink well-suited for girls. Even though Arabella, who had never drunk alcohol before, found it smooth and pleasant, she wrinkled her nose at the strong alcoholic smell when she sniffed Bella's vodka.
"Arabella, why did you choose cocoa liqueur over vodka?" Louie, looking at Arabella's cute expression, teased, "Be careful; vodka is strong. If you drink it, this petite body of less than a hundred pounds might not make it. We'll lose another lovely flower." With that, Louie glanced at Bella, who was sitting silently on the side. "You're not like our Bella here. She's a heroine. Vodka is nothing to her; she might just finish the whole bottle in one go."
Arabella took Louie's words seriously, murmuring, "I think this vodka is too strong; it must be unpleasant to drink."
Bella glared at Louie and picked up her glass, taking a big sip. As the liquid went down, she started coughing violently, tears streaming down her face.
Seeing that he had been a bit too harsh on Bella, Louie hurriedly changed his tone. He moved closer to Bella, patting her back gently, and said, "Bella, don't drink anymore. This isn't suitable for you."
Louie's concern only fueled Bella's anger. With gritted teeth, she retorted, "Don't push it too far. Tonight, I'll drink just to show you." Saying that, she grabbed the glass and, despite coughing heavily, was about to down the whole drink.
Louie, sensing trouble, swiftly took the glass from Bella's hand, spilling the liquid on the floor. "Stop it." Louie's face turned stern, a daunting aura emanating from him. He then scolded, "Bella, you're not a child. Don't you know how to take care of yourself?"
Bella was intimidated by Louie's aura. She softened, her fiery attitude replaced by a vulnerable one. She coughed a few more times, tears still flowing. Opening her mouth, she bit down on Louie's arm, leaving a distinct bite mark.
"Why are you bullying me? You're a bully," Bella cried, her defiant spirit now replaced by a girl on the verge of tears. "You always like to bully people. Last time, you bullied me, and now you're doing it again. I don't like your flirty behavior. Why do you always have to bully me?"
It was only now that Louie recalled his past actions, how he had intentionally angered Bella after their intimate moment in the car. Since then, Bella had been acting strange every time she saw him. Louie hadn't realized it was because of his flirtatious nature. Perhaps past experiences had made him less serious about relationships.
Louie embraced Bella, his right hand gently wiping away the tears on her soft and pale face. With a wry smile, he said, "Alright, I admit I was wrong. I didn't mean to."
Bella sobbed, "You did it on purpose."
"Fine, I admit it was intentional. Look, you've already bitten me, so we're even now." Louie extended his hand towards Bella, indicating the bite mark she had left. With red eyes, Bella glanced at the mark and then playfully bit down again, this time gently grazing it. "You asked for it." With that, Bella struggled out of Louie's embrace, stood up, and declared, "I'm going to the restroom."
Once Bella left, Arabella lowered her head, sipping on her cocoa liqueur, seemingly contemplating whether she should speak up. Louie noticed her hesitation and chuckled, asking, "Arabella, do you have something to say?"
Arabella hesitated and said, "I don't know if I should say it."
"Go ahead."
Arabella stammered, "I think Mr. Louie is too harsh on Bella. I've been at the company for so long, and I've never seen Bella cry. It's probably because Mr. Louie bullied her too much that she ended up crying."
Louie pinched Arabella's nose and teased, "You little one, what do you know? You're young but think a lot."
"I'm already twenty-three," Arabella protested. "I'm not a child."
"Right, right, our Arabella is a beauty. How could she be a child?" Louie said, sitting beside Arabella. He rested his hand on her smooth shoulder and leaned in with a smirk, saying, "Arabella, since you're not a child, give me a kiss to prove you're not a child." With that statement, Louie winked, eager to see Arabella's embarrassed reaction.
Arabella pouted, seemingly annoyed by Louie's teasing. She stared at him with watery eyes, her chest heaving up and down. Louie found it amusing, thinking, "Let's see if you'll still dare to call yourself an adult later." However, just as Louie was feeling pleased with himself, Arabella suddenly moved fast and planted a quick kiss on his lips.
This left Louie dumbfounded. He hadn't expected the usually shy Arabella to initiate a kiss. He looked at her, then at the drinks in front of her, sighing, "All because of this liquor."
Arabella blushed, quickly finishing the cocoa liqueur in her cup. A peculiar glow appeared on her rosy cheeks.
"Mr. Louie, I like you." With the help of this sip of alcohol, Arabella uttered words that even Louie didn't anticipate.
Louie blinked, looking at Arabella's slightly dazed eyes. He sighed and said with a wry smile, "Arabella, you must be tipsy."
"No, I'm not drunk. I'm very clear-headed, and I know what I'm saying." Arabella nestled into Louie's arms, murmuring, "I like the masculine aura that Mr. Louie exudes, I like it when Mr. Louie takes me for a fast ride on the road, and I also like the way Mr. Louie talks."
"But... but I'm not a good person." Louie didn't know how to handle this innocent girl's confession.