Chapter 106 Christmas Eve
Chapter 106 Christmas Eve
Scarlett's POV:
My phone rang the moment I stepped into my apartment. It was Charles.
"Why aren't you replying to my messages?" he complained.
"For one, I was chatting with Rita, your woman, and I just got home," I answered straightforwardly.
"Rita is not mine," Charles corrected, a hint of annoyance in his voice. He then sighed heavily and changed the subject. "Anyway, I've been told in the meeting that there's something wrong with the project I'm working on. I'm leaving for Besceinga for a business trip."
"Oh. Okay," I replied flatly, not knowing what to say. But I must admit, hearing his voice made me want to see him.
"I won't be back until the birthday party. Don't worry. I'll send an assistant to help you with the preparations in the following days," Charles patiently explained.
It somehow upset me that he was leaving, but I did not show it. "When are you leaving?"
Charles paused for a moment and answered, "I'm already at the airport."
"I see. I'll... I'll hang up now." I thought I would be able to see him again before he left. I did not expect that he would leave all of a sudden.
"Wait." Charles stopped me from hanging up the call and added, "I miss you, Scarlett."
For a moment, the sound of his voice was the only thing I could hear. The house had never felt so empty, that was until now. When Charles lived here with me, despite the endless bickering, it was not lonely.
"I heard that there's a big white rose garden in Besceinga. I'll take you there sometime," Charles said, probably to make up for his absence, An inexplicable feeling surged into my heart. All I wanted right now was to be wrapped in his tight embrace.
"Charles..." I took a deep breath and continued, "Have a safe flight."
With that, I hung up the call without waiting for his response. I gazed at his number on my screen and fell into deep thought. My heart and soul left with him when he said he missed me.
I had been restless since Charles had gone on a business trip. I could not focus on my work, nor could I eat or sleep well.
Time quickly passed by. Before I knew it, it was already Christmas Eve. The company was on a holiday today. So even though I had nothing to do, I had no choice but to stay at home. I did everything to occupy myself. But I could not run away from the desolate feeling whenever I had a minute to spare.
I held my phone and debated whether I should call Charles or not. It had been a week since we last talked. He had not called nor messaged me since he left.
'It's Christmas Eve today. Should I message him first?' I bit my lips and hesitated.
Just then, a notification popped up. Charles had sent me a voice message. I clicked on it, and his pleasant voice rang into my ears.
"Honey, happy Christmas Eve. I love you."
My heart pounded wildly in my chest. I could not help but giggle and roll on the bed as I listened to his deep and sonorous voice over and over again. It was only at this moment that I felt at ease. I pondered hard on how I would reply to his sweet message. In the end, I decided to just send him a smiley emoji. I waited for his response, but none came.
In the evening, Abner and Nina came over to celebrate Christmas Eve with me. They even brought a bottle of red wine for us to drink.
That bottle did not last long, though. We drank it all up in just an hour. Meanwhile, Nina did not seem satisfied with it. She slumped on the sofa and kept asking us to go to the bar.
However, it was already deep into the night. It was already too late for us to book an appointment in the bar. All of a sudden, it occurred to me that Charles had taken home a bottle of wine. With that, I staggered to my feet and made my way towards the wine cabinet.
"Let me help you." Abner also stood up and stretched out his hand, so I would not stumble on the way.
I ignored his outstretched hand and staggered to the wine cabinet. Charles liked putting his stuff here. As a result, my home was now filled with his belongings.
There were all kinds of expensive liquors in the wine cabinet. I must have drunk too much that the world seemed to be spinning around. I shook my head to see clearly, but I still could not find the bottle of wine Charles had brought recently. "Which one do you want? Let me get it for you," a familiar voice behind me said.
"I don't need your help, Charles," I replied crossly. As I did not see what I was looking for, I just randomly selected a bottle and returned to the living room.
"You're drunk. Let me help you," the man offered. Since when did Charles become a gentleman? I tried my best to open my eyes and then turned to look at him. It was only then that I realized it was Abner. Although I was moved by his kindness, I refused it. If Charles found out about this, he would be jealous again.
The thought of him made my heart ache.
I missed him so much. I could not stop thinking of him.
The alcohol was making me more emotional. Right now, Charles was all I could think about.
Dizzy, I stumbled a few steps back. For a moment, I could not even remember where I was or what I was doing. Suddenly, I lost my balance. Fortunately, just as I was about to fall, someone caught me.
"Charles, you didn't have to do that. Your arm hasn't recovered yet," I complained.
"What are you talking about? Charles isn't here. That's Abner!" Nina shouted while laughing at me.
Charles's POV:
I finished two days' worth of work in a day so that I would be able to get home earlier and surprise Scarlett. I must admit, I was a little tired. But I could no longer bear being away from the woman I loved.
At this moment, I stood in front of her door with a suitcase full of gifts.
But as I opened the door, Scarlett surprised me first.
Abner was holding her arm intimately. Even from afar, I could see that she was as drunk as a skunk. I had no idea how much she had drunk. But judging from her flushed face, it must have been a lot.
"What happened?" I asked with a scowl. It seemed that Scarlett had been fooling around while I was away.
"Eh? If Charles isn't here, why do I hear his voice?" Scarlett looked around, trying to find where my voice had come from. Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.
I was right in front of her, and yet she could not see me! I could not help but stare daggers at her. She was so drunk that she had not realized that I had arrived.
Abner looked at me. But instead of letting Scarlett go at once, he took his time and helped Scarlett onto the sofa.
"Charles, Abner and I came here to keep Scarlett company. She's too lonely to be alone on Christmas Eve," Nina explained when she noticed my long face.
I nodded in response, not in the mood to say anything more. All I wanted right now was to teach Scarlett a lesson. Without a word, I walked over and put my gifts and the bouquet of white roses on the tea table.
"Charles, you're so romantic!" Nina exclaimed. She then picked up the bouquet and gazed at it with appreciation. Well, it was obvious she just wanted to lighten the mood.
At that moment, Scarlett leaned forward to me. Her eyes were closed, and her nostrils were flaring as though she was smelling me.
"This is Charles's smell," Scarlett mumbled.
"What smell?"
"The smell of cold blood," she answered with a chuckle.
I looked at her sourly, unable to believe how ungrateful she was. I worked so hard just to see her on Christmas Eve. But what did she do? She liquored up and even told me I was cold-blooded. Scarlett put her hands on her hips, looked at me discontentedly. "This is my home. Why did you come in without my permission?" she asked, her lips curled into a pout.
"This is our home," I corrected. On second thought, I realized that it was futile to argue with a drunk person.
Scarlett ignored my words and instead ordered Abner, "Abner, open the bottle."
Nina seemed to be the only sensible person among them. She winked at Abner and tried to smooth things over. "Why don't we call it a day? It's getting late. I think me and Abner should now leave."
"I don't want this to happen again," I warned. My mood had now reached its lowest point.
Scarlett staggered to her feet and protested,
"Charles, how dare you threaten my friends?! I still want to drink!"
I rubbed my temples in exasperation. Scarlett's stubbornness was giving me a headache. But then again, arguing with a drunk person was like talking to the wall. With that, I opened the bottle of wine on the tea table, poured three glasses, and took one. "I'll drink this on behalf of Scarlett." "Let's end this Christmas Eve party with this glass of wine," Nina said to us with a smile.
After drinking it all up, she grabbed Abner's hand and urged him to leave. However, he seemed to have something else to say.
I raised my eyebrows at him. "Anything else?"
"You should also leave," Abner said firmly.
A sneer tugged at the corners of my mouth. "I own this house. I am Scarlett's husband, and I will soon be the father of her child," I replied with a mocking smile.
"Abner, stop it. Let's go." Nina's tugged at Abner's sleeve. "If we don't leave now, you two will fight to the death!"
Abner laughed scornfully but left in the end. Once the two were gone, I returned to the sofa and looked at Scarlett. "Didn't you see my message?"
Scarlett tilted her head and pondered for a moment. "Hmm. I saw your message."
"Then why didn't you reply?" I was getting frustrated with her. It irked me that she was treating me as if I was indispensable to her.
"What are you saying? I replied to you," Scarlett defensively said. Her words were slurring because of the alcohol. There was also a pitiful look on her face as she spoke.
"I didn't think that was a reply. A smiley? What does that even mean? So rude," I scoffed. I felt helpless. We had not talked for days, and that was the only thing she had said to me.
"Don't be mad. I'll reply to you again." Scarlett rummaged in her pocket in search of her phone. All of a sudden, I remembered that she got drunk in front of Abner today. I could not help but feel jealous. I grabbed her hand and reminded her, "I told you not to get drunk around men. What if they take advantage of you?"
"Everything will be fine as long as it's not Rita."
I never expected that Scarlett's tongue was sharper when she was drunk. What she just said ticked me off. I lost my mind. Before I knew it, I was kissing her hard like there was no tomorrow. However, Scarlett bit my lips hard, which made me withdraw in pain.
"You want me, don't you?" she whispered, her eyes brimmed with tears.
"Yes," I answered frankly. It was not something that should be hidden. I wanted her more than she could imagine, and it was driving me crazy.
To my surprise, tears streamed down her face, and she began undressing in front of me. "I'll make love to you, but promise me you'll disappear from my life forever after that."