Chapter 49 Responsible

Chapter 49 Responsible
Lucian's POV

I never showed up to parties with dates. Never had rumors about girlfriends. My life was basically centered around the office, contracts, and meetings.

So in summary a lot of people assumed that I was gay.

But that night when I met Riley—everything changed.

The moment I stepped out of that restroom, adjusting my cuffs, and Riley somehow stumbled out behind me fixing her skirt, it was the worst timing ever.

Honestly, I never thought she would step out of the restroom at the same time as me.

How the hell am I supposed to explain this to anyone who sees us?

Unknowingly to me, my men were standing right there just outside the restroom waiting for me.

The second they saw a woman walk out after me adjusting her skirt like something had just happened, their eyes widened like they had just witnessed history. “Boss?!” one of them had shouted, shocked.

I can remember vividly, one of my men even slumped and fainted out of shock. He'd woken up a few moments later.

Another started laughing loudly. “Finally! The ice king melts!” He shouted.

They were all shocked to see me with a woman, but what they didn't know was that I didn't even know this woman—I have never seen her before. It just happened that she stumbled into the male restroom and was too drunk to realize she's doing it wrong.

While my men kept shouting and making teasing comments about what they’d just witnessed, I only rolled my eyes. “It’s not what you think,” I said immediately, but they weren’t listening.

I turned around to look at Riley so I could ask her to explain to my men and tell them that it's not what they are thinking and nothing happened inside the restroom. But upon turning around, I couldn't believe the crazy bitch was still fighting with her skirt hook, she couldn't even stand straight to fix her hook, she was too drunk to see things clearly.

I huffed, suddenly disappointed that the only evidence I’d been counting on to tell my men the truth—that I had nothing to do with the drunk lady—was useless.

I hissed and slapped my forehead in frustration.

She was still there, struggling with the hook of her skirt. If she didn’t fix it, the skirt wouldn’t sit properly on her waist, and she’d be completely stripped if it fell off her body.

Since my men were already thinking I was responsible for her, I had no other option but to step closer and angrily yank her hand away from her waistband. Then I helped her fasten the skirt into place.

While I fixed her skirt, she touched my face as if she were admiring a sculpture. “You’re so fresh, boy—” she slurred drunkenly.

My men heard her, and they all started shouting and teasing me even more.

“You’re so fresh, boy!” one of my men mocked, mimicking her voice, and they all burst into laughter

Riley, who was stupidly drunk and had no idea what the joke was about, even joined them and laughed. She laughed so hard her eyes nearly watered.

Then they'd circled Riley like children around a new toy. “What’s your name, lucky lady?” one of them teased.

Riley, still drunk, still smiling, looked at them and said proudly, “Riley.” Then she looked at me and whispered loudly, “Is he always this grumpy?”

My men burst into louder laughter. “Riley, do you know you just achieved the impossible?” another one joked.

I couldn't believe my men were really doing this to me. They wouldn't even listen to what I've to say, they just concluded that Riley was my woman.

I tried to step away from the drunk Riley but she kept clutching onto my jacket like a toddler walking behind her father.

My men wouldn’t stop teasing, and before I knew it, I found myself smiling softly.

“You made our boss finally look at a woman!” another of my men had suddenly said.

The smile on my face immediately disappeared and I clenched my jaw. “I don’t know her,” I insisted, still trying to explain myself.

“Can’t you see? She's drunk and she walked into the wrong restroom.” I continued to speak, but they kept going…they didn't even care to listen.

“Yeah, yeah, wrong restroom, right. We get it.” They'd continued to tease me.

Riley on the other hand just stood there and kept blushing and smiling, enjoying the attention like it was a game.

And then, in the middle of all that teasing, she suddenly went quiet.

Her eyes rolled slightly and before anyone could react, she collapsed right there on the floor.

I remembered how I'd stepped back immediately. “She’s not my problem,” I said coldly.

“What? Did she just pass out?” My men asked in shock.

I hissed and looked ahead, “Call someone…maybe a friend or her mother…just check her phone and get a contact or something.” I ordered then I turned around to walk away, but I suddenly paused again.

I noticed that all my men had crossed their arms. None of them even made an attempt to carry out my order.

I turned and looked at all their faces. “What are you doing? Get her phone and call someone already!” I barked.

“Boss, you can’t leave her like this. She came out of the bathroom with you.” One of my men had suddenly spat.

I'd frowned. “That means nothing.” I fired back.

One of them smirked again. “It means everything, Boss. You should take care of her.”

To cut the story short, that night, my men had practically forced me to be responsible for a total stranger I've never met before in my life.

“Carry her, Boss. We’re not moving until you do.”