Bound To The Seduction

Chapter 36: What are you afraid of?

"It's okay, Mr. Salva..."

"Mr. Salva, we were just starting..."

"We just arrived..."

The old men lied through their teeth with voices full of nauseating flattery.

Sarah poked the poor chicken on her plate with the fork as myriad emotions flooded her heart. Should she respond as a friend or a total stranger? Yeah, she shouldn't have come today. In her absentmindedness, she failed to notice Henry's gaze locked onto her.

Not long later, the room was lively again and Sarah had lost her appetite. Henry sat calmly in the room and would occasionally say a word or two.  Sarah deliberately avoided looking at him and minimized her presence but still, had to raise her glass of water for a toast whenever others did so.

Mr. Dawson must have noticed Henry's gaze because he suddenly cleared his throat and introduced Sarah. "This is one of Mascarada Corp's sales representatives, Sarah Suarez. She is also a friend of CEO Chen. I believe you two have never met before."

Sarah decided to play along. "Fatty, are you kidding? How can a small employee like me have a chance to meet him?"

Henry raised his eyebrows slightly and an evil smile appeared at the corner of his lips. "Since this is our first meeting..."A hint of teasing appeared in his calm eyes. "Will Ms. Suarez do me the honor of sharing a toast?"

This sudden request took everyone by surprise. This was the first time Henry took the initiative to propose a toast to anyone. Everyone made a mental note to treat Sarah better when they saw her.

Before she had a chance to respond, her glass of water vanished and a glass of white wine appeared in front of her at lightning speed. Excellent. The way he phrased his request left no room for her to refuse; otherwise, she risked offending everyone in the room. She took a deep breath and raised her new glass for a toast. It was just one glass of wine. Nothing unusual.

After the toast, Sarah sat quietly looking for an opportunity to sneak out and go home. Henry kept refilling his glass with more wine and he'd already downed the entire bottle. Sarah started wondering if he was heartbroken and was here to drown his sorrows.

An hour later, Sarah successfully sneaked out of the VIP room and headed to the rooftop for some fresh air. She returned to the regular dining area, sat in an isolated area, and enjoyed a tiramisu. Another hour passed and Henry hadn't left the room yet. She was beginning to worry that too much alcohol might hurt his stomach. After contemplating, she decided to go back and check on him.

As soon as she opened the door, she almost collided with someone walking out. The man lost his balance and leaned on her for support. She was about to push him away when she heard that familiar voice whisper into her ear, "Help me out."

Sarah helped out a drunk man under the watchful eyes of all the dignitaries. Their intimate position sent a different message to them and they all smiled in unison. when they got to the parking lot, Henry let go of her and walked towards his car. Although he was not as drunk as he pretended to be, his steps were still a little unsteady.

Sarah sighed and followed him. "Hey, you can't drive like this. You are drunk," she said, unable to hide her concern, "do you want me to call a taxi for you?"

"Rich people have drivers," Henry responded without looking at her. "Did you forget that?"

Right. How could she forget that? There was indeed someone in that car parked close to the road. Her concern was unnecessary. As she watched, the driver's door opened and the supposed driver alighted. He whispered something to Henry, bowed a couple of times in apology, and got into a nearby taxi in a hurry. Henry sat on the driver's seat and rolled up the windows.