Chapter 29
Lisbeth drank the third glass without hesitation, though her throat burned with searing pain as the liquor traveled down to her stomach, which immediately churned violently.
Leopold watched her with an inscrutable gaze.
"That should be enough." Jake couldn't stand it anymore.
Leopold replied indifferently, "She chose to drink on her own. No one forced her."
"Exactly," Bentley added. "These three glasses were her penance. Now that she's drunk them, we can consider the past settled."
Lisbeth stumbled, steadying herself against the coffee table. Her face had turned ghostly pale. "Are you satisfied now?"
Leopold remained silent. It was Bentley who poured another glass. "One final drink. After this, spend the night in that room over there. Tomorrow morning when you come out, everything will be forgiven."
Lisbeth instinctively looked toward Leopold, who said nothing, seeming to tacitly approve of the arrangement.
Her lips twisted into a bitter smile, mocking herself for the tiny hope she'd still harbored.
This entire setup was Leopold's trap. Even if she died from alcohol poisoning right here, he would welcome it, might even feel relieved.
Without his ex-wife in the picture, Leopold and Elora could be together without complications.
Jake blocked the additional glass. "Three is enough. Don't go too far."
Bentley glanced at him and grinned. "This is Leopold's decision, not mine. Lisbeth drugged Leopold before, which has been bothering my sister."
"To prove her innocence and ensure Leopold won't pursue this matter—including the incident where her mother struck my sister—she just needs to drink this glass."
"You need to show some mercy." Jake couldn't understand how Leopold had become so cruel.
Forget that this was once his beloved wife—even if she were a complete stranger, he shouldn't be forcing her to drink one glass after another. It could be fatal.
He looked at Leopold. "Enough. Lisbeth can't handle alcohol. These three glasses already show her sincerity."
Leopold smirked. "She's not rushing to refuse, yet you're anxious on her behalf. Anyone who knows you would say you're my friend. Anyone who doesn't might think there's something between you two."
"What are you implying?" Jake's expression changed. Such insinuations were an insult to both him and Lisbeth.
"Then step aside."
Lisbeth grabbed Jake's arm, her voice raspy from her burned throat. "Please move."
"Lisbeth!" Why was she being so stubborn? If she would just yield a little, beg for mercy, this could all be over.
If Lisbeth knew what he was thinking, she would have laughed. This setup was a trap from the beginning. They wanted her life.
"Why are you pretending to be the good guy?" Leopold shot Jake a cold glance. "That assistant is still sitting in detention. The police chief is your uncle."
Jake's face froze.
Lisbeth gently pushed him aside and took the glass from Bentley's hand. This drink was darker than the previous ones.
She looked at Leopold and asked calmly, "If I drink this, you'll let the past be the past, no grudges held? Can you keep your word?"
Leopold's face remained expressionless. "Yes."
Lisbeth looked at the glass and smiled faintly. "Three years ago, you saved me. For my sake, you were stabbed. I've never forgotten."
Each word seemed painfully difficult to speak. Those memories had never faded; they remained deeply etched in her mind.
"When you were unconscious, I said that if you woke up, I would grant you one wish—anything at all."
Leopold had eventually awakened, but he never made that wish. He'd even forgotten about it.
But Lisbeth remembered, vividly.
"I'll consider this your wish. Today I fulfill it. From now on, I owe you nothing. We're even."
When they were in love, she had carried this debt happily. She'd always hoped to be better to him, to somehow compensate for the wound he'd suffered, the blood he'd shed.
Now that love was gone, she couldn't blame him. He had simply forgotten her. He had simply fallen in love with someone else.
But it didn't matter, Lisbeth thought. Nothing was more important than being alive.
Love was just life's seasoning. In the face of survival, it was insignificant.
Lisbeth raised the glass and drained it in one gulp.
Leopold's hand, resting on his knee, clenched involuntarily. For reasons he couldn't understand, an unbearable pain spread through his chest, as if it might destroy his heart.
"Leopold, I no longer owe you anything."
As Lisbeth finished speaking, the glass slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor.
Her vision blurred, and her stomach churned violently. She felt like she might vomit, but refused to show any weakness in front of them.
She turned toward the designated room.
Leopold suddenly said, "You can go."
Bentley looked at him in shock. "Leopold!"
After all the effort to lure Lisbeth here and get her drunk, letting her leave now would ruin the rest of their plan.
"Leave," Leopold repeated, turning his head away, unwilling to look at her again.
Lisbeth lowered her eyes. Since drinking that last glass, she hadn't looked at Leopold once, as if trying to cut him out of her heart completely.
She turned to leave, stumbling with her first step.
Jake immediately moved to support her, but she shook off his hand. She continued walking, one step at a time.
Bentley grabbed her arm. "I'll take you."
Lisbeth pulled away and steadied herself against the doorframe. As she was about to leave, someone else grabbed her arm—Leopold.
"Either I'll take you, or Jake will. Choose."
"Let go." Lisbeth had no strength left. Her stomach was in agony, her body weak, feeling as if she were a burning flame.
Leopold repeated, "I won't let you leave alone. If something happens to you, I can't bear that responsibility. If you don't want Jake to take you, then I will."
Lisbeth managed to say, "Leopold, be a man. For Elora's sake, you should keep your distance from other women."
This time, Leopold didn't forcibly hold onto her. Elora's name acted like a switch, instantly suppressing all his impulses.
Lisbeth gently freed herself and walked out of the room, step by step.
Leopold watched her retreating figure, his hands clenched into tight fists. "You're being reckless. If you leave now, whatever happens is not my responsibility. Lisbeth, did you hear me?"
He thought this would frighten her into staying, but Lisbeth didn't even look back.
Leopold kicked the door violently, creating a thunderous noise.
He didn't understand why Lisbeth was so stubborn and unyielding.
Just like before, when she had stubbornly tried to make him remember their past, persistently showing him photos and videos every day.
No matter how he refused, how he cursed or humiliated her, she wouldn't stop. She had obstinately stayed by his side.
And now, her steps away from him were equally determined.
His expression was so terrifying that no one dared to speak. Bentley felt disappointed but didn't dare anger Leopold further.
Only Jake, his friend of many years, spoke up.
"Leopold, you'll regret this."
As a witness to their relationship, Jake knew how deeply Leopold had once loved Lisbeth. He also knew what kind of stubborn woman she was.
Her love burned like an eternal flame; her hatred would be just as intense.
"I won't regret it," Leopold answered without hesitation, his mind filled with the image of Lisbeth's retreating figure.
His voice was low, as if speaking to others, but also to himself. "I will never regret it."
He left. The gathering ended just like that.
Bentley and his friend left the room. The friend couldn't help asking, "Are we really giving up? After all the trouble to get her to drink the drug."
"Give up? Hell no. The drug has weakened her—she won't get far. We'll intercept her now."
Bentley quickened his pace.
The man followed closely. "Bentley, can I have a turn with her too? She used to be a star. Her face might be horrifying now, but her body is fantastic. Look at those curves—they set me on fire!"
"After I'm done with her, you can have your turn."
Bentley intercepted Lisbeth at the club entrance, carefully taking hold of her and steering her toward the adjacent hotel.