Chapter 176: Chapter 176: Drunk

The area was empty, and a sense of loneliness suddenly welled up inside Caleb Bishop. It felt like he was always alone.

For some reason, Naomi Kenway’s face suddenly appeared in his mind. He had thought they would never have contact again, yet she was worming her way into his every thought.

So many years had passed, but Naomi Kenway’s passion and radiance were still vividly imprinted in his mind, leaving a scar on his heart.

He sometimes recalled that period. ’No one would ever love him the way Naomi Kenway did…’

Caleb Bishop returned to the banquet, a smile plastered back on his face.

He faintly heard people discussing him. Looking closely, he realized they were his old classmates—ones he had a terrible relationship with, who had always looked down on him.

“Look, isn’t that Caleb Bishop?”

“Caleb Bishop? Miss Kenway’s little boy toy? How’d he manage to latch onto her?”

“You can’t just say that. The man was the academy’s famous prodigy, hahaha!”

“Isn’t Naomi Kenway married now? Why is he here? Did he find another sugar mama to cling to?”

…

Caleb Bishop pressed his lips together, his grip on the wine glass tightening.

*

Just after coaxing Ian to sleep, Naomi Kenway suddenly got a call from Chloe Murray. When she answered, however, it was a bartender’s voice on the other end. He said Chloe was drunk and kept calling Naomi’s name, asking her to come and take her home.

As soon as he finished speaking, Chloe’s voice came through the line, still calling her name. Her voice was slurred and intermittent; it sounded like she was completely black-out drunk.

After agreeing, Naomi quickly threw on her coat, grabbed her car keys, and headed out. When Nanny Warren asked where she was going downstairs, Naomi just said she was going out to pick up a friend.

It was already very late, and a sense of worry grew in Naomi’s heart as she stepped on the gas.

Following the location the bartender gave her, Naomi found the club. And just as she expected, Chloe Murray was dead drunk.

Naomi felt both worried and angry. She first helped Chloe up from the table, then gently patted her face a couple of times. “Hey, wake up. Are you conscious? Why did you drink so much? Don’t you know drinking is bad for you?”

Chloe groggily opened her eyes and grinned at her, revealing a set of perfectly white teeth. “Nina, I can’t believe you came to get me. I missed you so much those years I was abroad. I missed your little cookies…” She shook her head. “I’m not that drunk. It’s just this liquor… it’s a little strong… Huh, why do you have two heads?”

She held up a fair finger, as if seriously trying to count.

Naomi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She put an arm around Chloe’s shoulders. “Come on, I’m taking you home.”

“This stuff is delicious, you should try some.”

Naomi couldn’t push her away in time and was unexpectedly fed a mouthful of liquor.

She wasn’t too concerned at first. Her tolerance for alcohol was high, something she’d built up over the years.

But the liquor in her mouth was incredibly strong. She quickly grabbed the bottle from the table to check it, and her expression changed instantly. “You actually made me drink something with such high alcohol content?”

Chloe had already closed her eyes, seemingly asleep again.

Resigned, Naomi helped Chloe up from the sofa and started walking toward the exit.

Driving was definitely out of the question now. She would have to find a designated driver.

*

Ethan Shaw had an important bid today, so he returned much later than usual. He didn’t have dinner right away, instead subconsciously asking about Naomi Kenway and Ian Shaw.

Nanny Warren replied, “The Madam has already coaxed Ian to sleep. As for the Madam… she just left, saying she had to go pick up a friend. She looked to be in quite a hurry.”

Ethan Shaw’s brow furrowed. “She went out by herself?”

“Yes.”

“It’s so late. Why didn’t you have a bodyguard go with her?”

Ethan Shaw took out his phone.

*

The cool night air cleared Naomi’s muddled thoughts a little, but she could feel her cheeks getting hotter and hotter. ’I can’t believe the alcohol is kicking in this fast.’

Naomi had already requested a designated driver on an app.

Her phone rang, and Naomi hit the answer button.

Ethan Shaw’s voice came through the phone, making Naomi jolt. Belatedly, she glanced at the screen and realized it was actually Ethan calling her.

His voice on the other end still had its usual cold tone, but for once, it held a rare hint of anxiety.

Ethan Shaw asked where she was.

Naomi glanced back. Her brain was already running at a sluggish pace.

“I’m… I’m at… Where is this? Let me think…”

“Naomi, send me your location.”

Naomi continued to wait by the roadside with Chloe Murray, shaking her head hard to clear it a little.

’It’s been ten minutes. Why isn’t the driver here yet…’

Naomi glanced at the app, only to realize she hadn’t hit the “Confirm” button. The request had never been placed.

She smacked her forehead in frustration, feeling hopelessly stupid, and quickly tapped confirm.

Beside her, Chloe Murray was still passed out. Naomi was just glad Chloe didn’t seem to feel like throwing up.

A blinding white light flashed across her vision. Naomi rubbed her eyes and confirmed they were headlights.

The next second, a tall figure approached, completely blocking her view. She shuffled to the side, but to her surprise, the person moved with her.

’Who is being so obnoxious?’

“Naomi.”

Naomi shivered at the coldness in the voice.

’Oh, it’s Ethan Shaw…’

’Wait, why is Ethan Shaw here?’

Her brain felt like a pile of mush; she couldn’t piece together what had just happened. Hesitantly, she asked, “…Ethan?”

Ethan Shaw’s gaze was fixed on Chloe Murray, a look in his eyes that could kill.

“Naomi, did you come out this late just to drink with another man?”

His voice was as cold as ice shards, laced with the sound of gritted teeth.

Her instinct for self-preservation made Naomi subconsciously avoid his gaze, which looked as if it could swallow her whole.

Feeling someone trying to separate her from Chloe, Naomi held onto Chloe’s shoulders tightly. The one thought remaining in her mind was that Chloe was drunk and she had to get her home safely.

The man’s strength was too much. Annoyed, Naomi snapped, “Hey, who do you think you are?”

The pulling and shoving sobered Chloe up slightly. She only saw Naomi beside her and called out in her usual clingy way, “Babe…”

The color drained from Ethan Shaw’s face. “Naomi, you’ve really got some nerve. Keeping a ’babe’ on the side now, are we?”

Naomi felt her hands being forcefully pulled away before she was swept into a searingly hot embrace. Her body was suddenly lifted off the ground, and she subconsciously clutched the suit jacket of the person in front of her.

“You…”

Naomi struggled to get down. “Kara! I can’t leave Kara behind! Put me down! Let me go!”

“Let you go? So you can run back to that man? Don’t even think about it!” The corners of Ethan Shaw’s handsome eyes were tinged with red, a clear sign of his immense anger.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep