CHAPTER 45: CHAPTER 45: LET BIG BROTHER HELP YOU UNDRESS

She was played!

Serena Jennings turned her head to leave, but was stopped by Patrick Rhodes.

"You’re already here, why leave?"

Beside him, the person who lost the bet with Patrick also chimed in.

"That’s right, as soon as you heard Brother Lockwood drank too much, you came running. If I knew you were this spineless, I wouldn’t have bet with Patrick on it."

The one speaking was named Zachary Aldrin, whom Serena wasn’t familiar with.

"I told you, our Brother Lockwood is quite charming! Women are all over him, especially this old hag."

Patrick spoke while casting a look at Serena.

Although the box was dimly lit, Patrick could clearly see the anger on Serena’s face.

Caleb Lockwood, after dining with Claire Shaw, happened to receive a call from Patrick and came to Modern Times together.

Zachary Aldrin knew that Serena and Caleb were going through a divorce, so halfway through drinking, he started making fun of Serena, betting with Patrick that Patrick couldn’t get Serena to come over. The loser would have to drink the entire whiskey tower in front of them.

"Come on, sit down, no one’s forcing you to stand."

Patrick, a bit drunk, grabbed Serena’s arm and pulled her over to the sofa.

Serena forcefully shook off Patrick’s hand.

Patrick clicked his tongue, "You obviously care about Brother Lockwood, so why act all high and mighty? If you’re going to be shameless, you might as well go all the way, right guys?"

The room erupted in laughter.

Caleb Lockwood calmly stubbed out his cigarette and glanced at Serena.

The mix of shame and anger on Serena’s face amused him slightly.

"As you can see, I’m not drunk, so you can leave now."

As Caleb finished speaking, the room burst into laughter again.

"Caleb, don’t chase Serena away!" Claire Shaw tugged at Caleb’s sleeve. "Serena cares so much about you, rushing over from so far... Besides, after all these years of hard work for you, even if not meritorious, she’s put in hard efforts!"

"Look how generous our sister-in-law is!" Patrick praised Claire, then Zachary chimed in:

"Exactly, one is the hostess, the other is a maid. How can they be the same?"

The group was thoroughly entertained mocking Serena, as Caleb took a sip of tequila handed by Claire and nonchalantly told Serena, "Do as you please then!"

The room was filled with laughter and joy, but all Serena could hear was the sound of her dignity being crushed.

She wished she could slap herself.

How could she be so foolish to fall for Patrick’s trick?

Turning around to leave, this time no one stopped her.

Patrick was energetically encouraging Zachary to drink the whiskey tower.

Serena had reached the door of the box but suddenly stopped.

Only Caleb noticed Serena came back.

His gaze casually followed her as she picked up a glass of whiskey and walked over to Patrick.

"A bet’s a bet, drink it up, hurry hurry, if you don’t finish..."

Woosh!

A full glass of whiskey was poured all over Patrick’s face.

The room fell silent.

This was the first time it had been so quiet here tonight.

Patrick wiped his face, staring in shock as Serena turned and strode out of the box.

In the corridor, Serena’s pace quickened.

Though she had splashed Patrick with whiskey, it didn’t make her feel satisfied.

She just wanted to get out of there quickly, but in her rush, she bumped into someone.

"You blind or something?!"

The other party was a middle-aged man, potbellied, with malice in his features, and a stench of alcohol.

Serena immediately apologized, but the man was relentless.

"You think a sorry is enough? My shoulder is bruised from you bumping into me! Such force, I wonder if you’re just as capable in bed!"

Serena didn’t want to entangle with this foul-mouthed drunk.

Seeing that Serena wanted to leave, the man grabbed her wrist.

"Did I say you could go! You’ve hurt me, you owe me an explanation!"

Serena struggled desperately, but even when people passing by saw her being harassed, no one intervened.

Serena guessed this drunk was probably a regular here.

"Wearing such conservative clothes at a place like this, aren’t you hot? Let brother help you take them off!"

The man’s hand reached for Serena’s collar, and she took the chance to wrench his wrist and give a swift kick to his nether region.

Screams echoed endlessly, as Serena ran out of the venue, sprinting down the main road for a long stretch until she saw the bustling crowd, then gradually stopped.

By making it here, that drunk likely wouldn’t catch up...

Serena shuddered, trembling with fear.

She regretted more than ever going to Modern Times tonight.

Not only did she humiliate herself, but she was also nearly assaulted.

Tears welled up in her eyes unbidden.

Though tears brimmed in her eyes, Serena managed to hold them back, not letting them fall.

The next day, Caleb Lockwood did not go to the company, and Claire Shaw also took a leave of absence.

Some said Caleb went on a date with Claire.

Others said Caleb took Claire to try on wedding dresses.

In any case, as long as both Caleb and Claire were absent from the company, everyone would connect their whereabouts together.

The Jade Pavilion.

Caleb Lockwood lay on the big bed in the master bedroom, hungover and plagued with a splitting headache.

"Caleb, here’s the hangover soup I made for you. Drink it while it’s hot!"

Claire came in with steaming hangover soup.

She wore a silky nightgown, all pink and fragrant with the scent of body wash after a bath.

She helped Caleb up, scooped up a spoonful of the soup, tasted it with the tip of her tongue to test the temperature, and fed it to Caleb by hand.

"Not going to the office?" Caleb asked.

"I’ve already taken leave. With you so drunk, of course, I’d stay to take care of you!"

"Mmm."

Caleb drank the hangover soup.

The entire bowl was fed to him by Claire spoon by spoon.

After finishing, he softly said thanks, then lay back down to sleep again.

Claire sat by the bed for a while, then suddenly lifted the quilt and slid into bed with Caleb.

She lay next to Caleb, her silk nightgown gliding smoothly even under the covers.

After a moment, she heard the even sound of Caleb’s breathing.

Claire realized Caleb had fallen asleep, a look of disappointment on her face.

At that moment, she received a message on WeChat:

joker: Got good news, wanna hear?

Claire: I’m not in the mood for your games.

joker: It’s about Serena.

Claire’s meticulously painted lips spread slowly into a grin, and her eyes grew brighter.

The Lockwood Group.

After lunch, Serena returned to her desk, only to find several uniformed men surrounding her workspace.

"Hello, are you Serena?"

"I am."

Serena nodded, watching as the other party skillfully showed their credentials.

"We are from Nanning Police Station. Someone reported you for assaulting a man last night at Modern Times nightclub. Please come with us to assist in the investigation."

Among whispers from co-workers, Serena followed the police officers to Nanning Police Station.

As soon as she entered, she saw the drunk man who had harassed her in the corridor of the club the previous night.