CHAPTER 48: DRUNK

The three-person celebration continued for a while until Aria suddenly received an urgent call, prompting her to leave, leaving only Ethan and Lillian behind.

Lillian, on the other hand, was extremely lightweight. It was obvious she was already drunk after just two bottles of wine—but for some reason, she kept at it, and the results?

Well...

"~You know," she slurred, "we’re still strangers. Kinda. I mean—I barely know anything about you..."

Lillian had completely shed her usual shy and reserved shell around him. The alcohol seemed to have worked some kind of magic transforming her into a chatterbox.

Ethan just raised a brow, but didn’t interrupt her chatter, after all, even he was curious about how she saw him.

"But for some reason," she continued, her voice dropping to a softer and confused whisper, "I can’t help but trust you. It’s really weird."

He continued listening.

"I thought it’ll be really hard to make friends again after —" she paused, probably thinking of an unpleasant memory from her expression.

"Alright," he said gently, standing up and moving to her side. "That’s enough wine for tonight."

She pouted, "just one more gla—"

"Nope."

She started to protest, but before she could finish the sentence, all the alcohol seemed to hit at once and she just slumped against him.

Ethan let out a quiet sigh, then tapped the side of his watch. "Athena, get me her address."

{Right away,} She answered.

"Alright, Midas. Let’s go."

With that, he scooped her up in a princess carry, because with how drunk she was, he seriously doubted she could manage more than a few steps without face-planting into the floor.

She was surprise as he picked her up, then giggled before burying her face in his chest, "~you smell really nice." She whispered.

Ethan said nothing in response and just walked towards the elevator with her in hand.

Thanks to Athena, the Valet was already waiting with his car by the hotel’s entrance, so Ethan just had to take the keys from him.

He placed her gently in the passenger seat and adjusted the seatbelt. Lillian, already asleep, murmured something incoherent as he closed the door before her head slumped to the seatbelt.

Ethan got into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and pulled out of the hotel’s gate. The roads, at this hour, were mostly empty so the drive to Lillian’s apartment didn’t take long.

The building soon came into view. It wasn’t one you’d call luxurious, but it was better when compared to Ethan’s.

Ethan pulled up to the apartment’s parking lot and turned off the engine. He then stepped out, circled the car, and opened her door quietly.

She stirred slightly as the door was opened and the cold air hit her, "Mm... Ethan?"

"Yeah. We’re here," he replied softly.

Carefully, he lifted her into his arms again. She instinctively leaned into him, again, muttering something incoherent under her breath.

He carried her toward the building entrance and thankfully the place had elevator access. A few residents passed by, some eyeing him with curiosity and others with concern, but no one said anything.

When the elevator doors opened, he stepped in and said, "Athena, which floor?"

{Fifth floor, room 5B.} She had information on every single one of Ethan’s employees so it wasn’t surprising that she knew this.

Pushing the buttons, the elevator slowly took him to the fifth floor before it opened with a soft ding, revealing the hallway of the fifth floor.

Walking out to it, Ethan paused outside Room 5B and carefully reached into his pants, retrieving the key Aria had handed him earlier.

"Just in case," she’d said with a smirk when she’d noticed Lillian’s third glass getting filled before leaving.

Sliding the key into the lock with relative ease, he pushed the door open with his shoulder and stepped inside.

Careful not to bump her into anything, Ethan walked through the living room and gently laid her down on the couch, since her bedroom door was closed and he didn’t want to rummage through her space without permission.

But before he could release himself from her grip around his neck, they suddenly got tighter and with a surprising display of strength, he was pulled towards her.

Ethan’s face stopped just inches above hers as her open eyes scanned his face, resting on his lips.

"Y’know... Aria was right," she stated and blushes, whether from the alcohol or her thoughts, graced her cheeks "you’re really, really handsome..."

Her face inched dangerously close to his and it was obvious enough what she was aiming for.

But he chose not to close the remaining distance.

Instead, he slowly reached up and gently unhooked her arms from around his neck.

"You’re drunk, Lillian," he said softly. "You won’t remember any of this tomorrow."

Her smile faltered at her words before she pouted.

"That’s not fair," she whispered, "this is the only moment I can do this."

The last part was mumbled low enough for Ethan to miss so he only got the first part.

"No," Ethan replied, brushing a stray strand of hair from her cheek, "what wouldn’t be fair is if I took advantage of that."

Her grip slowly loosened and moments later, she was asleep again, peacefully this time, her deep breathing assured him of that.

Ethan stood up slowly, watching her for a moment longer before pulling a throw blanket from the side of the couch and draping it over her.

All this felt familiar to him and he hated how moments like these only reminded him of her.

Ethan didn’t know how far drunk Lillian would’ve taken that kiss but he was sure that he’d overwrite a memory of Olivia with whatever the outcome was.

But that meant he’d be taking advantage of a vulnerable Lillian and as much as he was determined to go to any extent to achieve what he wants, this was the line.

He let out a deep breath and stepped away, walking toward the kitchen to leave a bottle of water on the counter and jot down a note on a sticky note before pasting it on the bottle.

"Drink this when you wake up. -Ethan"

Then, without another word, he stepped out of her apartment and closed the door behind him.

He let out another breath that he didn’t know he was holding in until he got to the car. As calm as he seemed, there was the undeniable reaction of his body to Lillian.

Had she kissed him, he knew every ounce of reasoning would’ve been thrown out the window.

With another moment to calm his racing hormones, he ordered Athena, "text Aria and tell her Lillian is home alone and she’s drunk."

{Done,} she answered and went silent again.

A moment later, Aria’s response came, "Thanks, I’ll be there in a few minutes."

Sighing, he leaned back on the driver’s seat and only left when he saw Aria walk into the apartment building.

__________

The drive back home wasn’t long either and before he knew it, he was already pulling up in their small car park.

Walking up the stairs, he reached his door and unlocked it, but instead of silence, like he expected, the sound of his television came from the living room.

He walked to the living room to find a blank faced Isabela looking at the TV. Clenched tightly in her visibly trembling hand was the remote.

Turning to the TV, he noticed that it was a news report and shown on the screen were six individuals.

"Just a few minutes ago, reports confirmed a fire outbreak in Tech Square, Midtown in a gaming lounge known as THE GRID," the news anchor reported, "Authorities on the scene say it was a result of faulty wiring in the vape shop just beside it, and the damage was extensive enough that initial responders struggled to identify any remains."

"However," the reporter continued, "authorities have now confirmed the identities of six bodies recovered from the scene. All are believed to be members of an underground tech syndicate tied to multiple acts of cyberterrorism, digital espionage, and some of the most high-profile data breaches in recent years."

There was a pause as he switched the papers in his hand.

"The group in question..." He glanced down at his notes "is known as the Vigilants."