Chapter 20 Drinking. Scarlett‘s POV:. Mr. Walker‘s driver took me to a high–end bar not far from the cafe. He ushered me inside and led the way to a long corridor of lush private rooms. Before long, he stopped in front of one and knocked on the door. “Come in. ” A deep, attractive male voice called from the inside. The driver opened the door and gestured to me to go in. I nodded at him and walked into the private room. The room was dimly lit, but it exuded a cozy ambiance. It was also fair in size. Most of the space was taken up by large, nicely upholstered seats and a small table. Mr. Walker was sitting on the sofa and swirling the contents of his glass. The rust–colored liquid, which I assumed was whiskey, glinted in the light. “Have a seat, please. ” I saw a flash of amazement in his eyes the moment he looked at me. He gestured me to take the sofa opposite him. “Thank you. ” I sat down. Then, he said bluntly, “One million dollars a year plus birthday and holiday gifts. He spoke as if he was pitching a business proposal. My go–to reaction was a tentative. chuckle. “You‘ll have to explain what‘s happening here, Mr. Walker. I‘m not sure I understand,” I said. directly. “I watch your show. You look pure. ” He looked at me up and down. “But I don‘t believe anything I see on a screen. Not right away at least. I had to see it in person first. Many stars look pure through a TV set but not all of them really are. ” I was starting to get a sense of what he wanted to happen, and I immediately thought of stopping it before it turned into something that could not be undone. After a few moments, Mr. Walker began to hesitate. He looked at me with scrutinizing eyes as if he was trying to read my every move. When he was about to speak again, we heard a big commotion outside. Someone was trying to enter our private room. The driver outside tried to stop that person. But obviously, he did not succeed. The door swung open violently, and Spencer, who was a little out of breath, rushed over to “Scarlett, you‘ve got to come with me. You‘ve got to stop Charles. He‘s drinking himself to death right now. “What? Where?” I jumped up from the sofa. “David and I have been trying to stop him, but he won‘t listen. You know how he is. He‘s as stubborn as a mule. He won‘t listen to either of us. “Take me to him. Spencer and I were only halfway to the door when I suddenly stopped. “No. Call Rita. She should be the one to talk to him. Charles listened to Rita, not me. I could not even get him to take some medications for his fever this morning

“But Scarlett…” Spencer protested, but I was already walking back to my seat. I ignored him until he gave up and left. Charles‘s POV:. Earlier this evening, Scarlett phoned me and told me that she was going to file for divorce even without me. I got so upset that I was able to power through my fever and dragged myself to the bar. To my relief, Spencer and David were also there. I went through three rounds of shots without blinking, and as soon as I started slurring my words, Spencer and David stopped the drinks from pouring in. They tried to stop me from drowni ng my sorrows, but they failed. F inally, they decided to call Rita. “Charles, you‘re burning up. You‘re not wel l. You can‘t drink anymore. ” Rita walked ov er to me, sat down beside me, and grabbed my . gl as s. I leaned back on the sofa , shut my eyes, and pinch ed the bridge of my nose. “Hey, Rita, we‘ll leave him to you, all right? We‘ll just step outside for a bit. Don‘t worry. We won‘t come in unless you call us. ” Spencer‘s words implied something. Did he really think that I wou ld have sex with Rita in such a dirty private room in a bar? . I shot Spencer a warning look. He got it so quickly that he grabbed David‘s arm and started dragging him out. I started yelling. “No! Stay here, bot h of you!” . “But we want to give you and Rita some privacy. ” Spencer grinned cheekily at me. I wanted to punch him in the face. I flashed him a menacing look. Then, h is throat bobbed, and he let go of Dav id‘s arm. He settled back on his seat. “Fine. ” I got a new glass , filled it with wine, an d started drinking again. “Slo w do wn. Spencer and David winced as I downe d the contents of my glass. They ur ged Rita with their eyes to stop me. Rita reached out and attempted to take away my glass again, but this time, I was able to dodge. “Please, Charles. Enough already. ” She reached out for my glass again. S he did it over and over even if she failed and failed. I was starting to get extremely annoyed. Suddenly, I was not in the mood to drink anymore. I tossed my empty glas s to the floor, and it rolled on the carpet. “Are you d one?” Spen cer asked. I glared at him. “Then it‘s time to go home. Come on. ” Rita heaved a sigh of reli ef and held my arm to help me up. But I shook off her hand. I climbed to my feet and w ent straight for the door. I walked out of our private room and staggered through the corridor. Then, I saw Scarlett talking and laughing with a man outside another private room. I instantl y recognized the man she was with. It was Mr. Walker who had asked her out before. Scarlett looked gorgeous today. She was wearing a blue dress, and per usual, she carried herself w ith dignity and grace. She seemed to be enjoying her conversation with Mr. Walker

In fact, she wa s laughing at something that he said. I stood there as my heart cracked and rage seethed out of it. The thought of her dressing up for another man made me want to drag her away from that pompous Mr. Walker. Scarl ett‘s POV: . “Sc arle tt!” . Mr. Walker and I were outside of our private room and saying our goodbyes when I heard someone yell my name. I turned my head and saw Charles standing outside another private room a few feet away. The warm light cast terrifyin g shadows on his gloomy face. He looked poised for a fight. t h e . “Spencer, David , take Rita bac k to hospital. I kept my eyes fixed on him. He spok e to somebody inside the private roo m, but I did not catch what he said. Then, Spencer and David walked out. Rita followed suit . Charles started speaking to Spencer and David. He appeared to be giving them i nstructions, and then Rita started protesting. Charles must be asking his frie nds to take Rita home because the next second, Rita flashed me a vicious look. Right then, I thought that I had to get out of there. Sure ly, Charles was going to make . flashed me a vici ous look. Right then, I thought that I had to get out of there. Surely, C harles was going to make trouble for me again. He was obviously angry for God knew what, and he was ready to take it out on me. But I was too slow. Next thing I knew, Charles was dragging me by the ar m toward the private room he, his friends, and Rita had just vacated. He slammed the door shut, grabbed my neck, and pinned me against the wall. “Charles!” Rita screamed and pou nded on the door. “Come on, Rita. Let‘s go,” Spe ncer coaxed her. “No! I‘m not leaving here until they come o ut!” Rita half–sobbed. “Take her away , Spencer!” Ch arles shouted. I gasped as I tried to pry Charles‘s stron g hand from my neck. I felt like I was tryi ng to bend a steel pipe with my bare hands. “What the hell are you doing, Charles? Let go of me!” I st ruggled to finish my sentence. “All this time, I thought highly of you, Scarlett But maybe I shouldn‘t have. What are you doing having drinks with an old man? Are you hoping to get some new sexual experience or something?”. What was he talking about? Mr. Walker was only around thirty years old. He was not old a t all. And even if he was and I was trying to sleep with him, what did Charles care? The reason I agreed to see Mr. Walker was that Charles was being difficult with the divorce. “It‘s non e of your business!” . “I‘m still your husband. If you want sex, just ask me for it. Don‘t be so depraved that you‘re willing t o hook up with a disgusting geezer. ” The anger in Charles‘s eyes was unlike anything I had ever seen bef ore. He tightened his grip around my neck, and I dug my nails in his hand, but he did not seem to notice. “I don‘t wa nt anything from you. “Okay. So Pierre wasn‘t enough, huh? Now you want some older lover? Why are you acting l ike you‘re running out of men to sleep with?” . “It has no thing to do with you. “It has everything to do with mel Grandna is not in good health. Do you think your scandalous private lif e will help him sleep well at night? What do you want, Scarlett? Do you want many different men? I‘ll give them to you! How about Spencer and David? Would you like to sleep with them, too? Fine! Go! Have at them!” . “Don‘t talk to me like I‘m the one acting out since the beginning. You‘re the one who asked me for a div orce. Why can‘t you just man up and make it happen?”