NOVEL NEXT Chapter 754: Just one drink.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, in one of the decent restaurants —
Zenith frowned as she checked her reflection in the mirror. She was supposed to be here with Ryan, but since he had been called away at the last minute for something 'important', she had been left alone to entertain the business partners until he returned.
Normally, this wouldn't have been a problem. She had handled situations like this before. But these new partners weren't easy.
From the moment they arrived, they had been drinking heavily, insisting she join them. She had refused several times, but under their persistent urging, she had ended up taking a few shots —far stronger than she could handle.
Now, her cheeks carried a faint flush, and her head felt heavier than she wanted to admit. She splashed a bit of cold water on her face, willing herself to stay sharp.
"It's fine, Zenith. You just have to hold out for a little longer. Ryan must be on his way back," she muttered to herself, reassuring herself. This was her job as the CEO's secretary —to manage things in his absence. She couldn't let herself falter. "Come on, Zenith!" she cheered herself in a whisper, splashing another round of cold water to her face.
"Hey!"
A soft voice interrupted her, and Zenith opened her eyes to glance at the mirror, noticing an elegant woman looking at her from behind. There was a kind smile on her lips.
"Are you fine?" she asked.
Zenith blinked and then, with a polite smile before shaking her head. "Yes, I am good. Thank you for checking."
"I think you have gotten a bit drunk," the woman noticed before subtly gesturing towards her cheeks that were flushed red. "If possible, avoid taking more alcohol. It might put you in danger. You know, it's not always safe."
Zenith simply nodded her. "I get it. Thanks once again."
The woman gave her one last kind smile before she exited the washroom.
Zenith's gaze followed her until she was out before she turned to look back at herself in the mirror. Although she wasn't feeling her best at that moment, she was still fine.
"I can manage," she muttered softly, taking a deep breath in before tearing a good number of tissues from the corner and dabbing them over her face to wipe away the water from her face.
When she felt it was better, she straightened her posture. Glancing at herself one last time, she stepped out of the washroom and headed to the private dining room they had booked for the evening.
As she entered, she saw everyone pause as if she had stepped in the moment they weren't expecting her.
"I hope I didn't take too long?" She spoke a bit awkwardly, and the men there suddenly laughed.
"Oh, no, no, no, Secretary Zenith." One of them stood up with his glass of whisky and walked towards her with a different kind of smile. "You didn't interrupt or come back late," he said, extending his hand out for her. "It's just that you entered just at the time when we started talking about you."
Zenith felt something was wrong, especially when she saw that smile on his face. Her eyes darted to look at his hand, which he had held out for her. Since she wasn't comfortable putting her hand into his, she politely avoided it, asking, "About me? I hope that's not something bad." She then gestured the man towards the seat he had abandoned. "Please let's sit down. Otherwise, if Sir arrives and sees you standing like this, he might scold me for it."
She didn't wait for him to refuse. She simply walked and took her seat, which was at a decent distance from them.
The men exchanged a small glance. But just when Zenith was about to notice it. They all returned to normal.
"We were just talking good about you, Secretary Zenith." One of them said, and just after, another one added.
"Yes, you have nothing that could stir a negative gossip about you. So, we were just appreciating Mr. Foster's luck for having you by his side."
Zenith rubbed her nose. Although there was nothing wrong with those words, it still made her feel uncomfortable for some reason. Smiling politely, she said, "Oh, thank you, but I feel I am luckier. Mr. Foster has always been quite patient with me. He had taught me several things that had made me what I am today."
"Of course!" they cheered together before clicking their glasses.
Zenith smiled but said nothing more. She checked the time on her watch one more time. And just when she was about to excuse herself to make a call to Ryan, one of them interrupted her.
"Why aren't you having your drink, Ms. Zane? Please…"
Zenith stared at the glass in front of her before she respectfully refused. "Oh, I am truly sorry, but I think I will let it pass this time. I am not quite feeling well."
"Please don't say it like that, Ms. Zane," the man insisted, his voice already a little slurry in effect of the alcohol in his system. "If you don't take it, we might get bored. Just this last drink and then, we won't ask you."
"But —"
Before she could refuse, the previous man who had stood for her again got up to come to her side. But right then, Zenith stopped him.
"It's fine, I will have it. Please don't take the trouble of getting up."
The man paused and smiled.
Zenith reached for the glass, raising it a little before bringing it to take a sip. She didn't want to, but it was her job to keep them accompanied until Ryan arrived.
"It's fine," she muttered to herself under her breath. "Just one drink and I will be done for the evening." She reassured herself that it was as easy as sipping a mocktail.
But little did she know that it wasn't that easy. Something worse for her was there in the plans by those men. And they were very close to getting it successful.