Chapter 49
"Ms. Aroma," Jayce called her name. Seeing her pause, Jayce turned to Henry and said flatly, "Do you have a death wish?"
There was no emotion in his voice-just a simple statement of fact. If Henry's insomnia weren't brought under control soon, it would only be a matter of time before it killed him.
Everyone else in the room froze, wide-eyed. To them, it sounded like Jayce was standing up for Victoria and taking a direct shot at Henry. The tension was suffocating. No one dared to breathe.
Barrett, his childhood friend, caught on quickly and tried to mediate. "Henry, your health is the most important thing."
The atmosphere in the private room turned heavy. Henry, however, seemed utterly unaffected. His magnetic voice cut through the silence. "Drink this bottle of vodka, and we'll call it even."
Victoria turned to see Henry pointing at the bottle of strong vodka. His eyes locked on hers.
She pressed her lips and thought, "He's ruthless. I'd insulted him publicly, embarrassing him in front of everyone. There is no way he'd let me off easily.
Asking me to drink is likely the lightest punishment I can expect."
Barrett tried to intervene cautiously. "Henry, maybe we just let it go".
Henry gave him a frosty look. "You seem awfully concerned about her."
Barrett thought, "Of course I care-that's Victoria."
But outwardly, he kept up his clueless grin. "No, it's nothing like that."
"Then, shut up." Henry's tone was icy.
He shifted his gaze to Eric, who had suggested the "mouth-to-mouth" drinking stunt. "Since you don't seem to care about your fiancée, I'll be sure to pass along your thoughts to her. I'm sure she'd love to know you better. She probably won't mind, right?"
Eric went pale on the spot. Unlike the others, he wasn't particularly smart or capable and often got sidelined at home. Securing a decent engagement had taken everything he had. If his fiancée found out about this, she'd definitely call off the wedding.
"Henry, I was wrong. Please don't do that-I won't dare again," Eric begged.
Henry waved dismissively. "Why are you apologizing to me? I'm not your fiancée." A bodyguard, who had been quietly standing by, stepped forward and dragged Eric out of the room.
Henry crossed one leg over the other and leaned back. His breathtakingly handsome face was shrouded in shadows. "If anyone else tries to pull a stunt like this to disrupt my family harmony, I won't hesitate to kick your entire family out of Lanceser."
Henry finally turned to the masked girl across from him and raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you drinking?"
Victoria's feelings were complicated. Just moments ago, she'd been thinking what a lousy man Henry was, but then he went and dealt with the person who had made that awful suggestion. She didn't know how to feel about him.
Not that it mattered-Victoria already decided he wasn't worth her time. Business was what mattered right now. She walked back, picked up the bottle, and double-checked. "Mr. Harrison, your word is good?"
Henry's response was calm. "I never go back on it."
Victoria thought, "Bullshit." She rolled her eyes internally but said nothing. She tilted her head back and began to drink. The burning vodka seared her throat and filled her mouth. Tears welled up in her eyes, though fortunately, the mask hid them.
Everyone watched her, stunned. Barrett slapped his thigh, barely stopping himself from cheering. He thought, "Damn, Victoria, you're badass."
Henry shot him a glance. "Did you take something?"
Barrett was startled and quickly shook his head. "Henry, don't even joke about that. I'm a law-abiding, upstanding citizen."
Henry let out a faint scoff, not bothering to respond. His gaze shifted back to Victoria. The bottle of vodka was now empty.
Finally, Victoria slammed the empty bottle onto the table. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to suppress the rising wave of discomfort. She had never drunk anything so strong before, let alone an entire bottle.
While she still had a shred of composure left, she knew she had to leave quickly. "Mr. Harrison, I've finished the drink," she said, standing up and forcing her legs to stay steady.
Henry waved his hand, and Victoria took that as her cue to leave. Without hesitation, she turned to go. "I didn't say you could leave." Henry's voice rang out, stopping her in her tracks.
Victoria froze and thought, "What? He isn't letting me leave? If I don't leave soon, I'm going to pass out."
Barrett immediately caught on and jumped up. "Alright, let's head down to the lounge and take a lap."
The others quickly got the hint, scrambling to their feet and filing out of the private room. Jayce, however, remained seated on the sofa, his eyes fixed on Victoria. It was clear she was starting to sway slightly-the alcohol was hitting her hard.
Her trembling fingers managed to pull a small box from her pocket. She opened it and took out a scented tablet, snapping it in half before holding it under her nose.
The sharp, minty aroma immediately filled her senses, temporarily suppressing the dizzying effects of the alcohol. It was just a prototype-a scent tablet designed to counteract the effects of alcohol. It wasn't perfect yet, and she made a mental note to refine it further later.
Henry's deep eyes glimmered with interest as he watched. "What's that?"
Victoria answered honestly, "It's a scent tablet I developed to help counteract alcohol."
Henry didn't hold back his praise. "Ms. Aroma, your talent for crafting scents is truly impressive."
Victoria gave him a faint smile. "It's alright. Mr. Harrison, can we talk about business now?"
Henry lifted his hand slightly, motioning for her to sit.
Without hesitation, Victoria took a seat on one of the sofas. Her tense body relaxed just a fraction as she said, "Mr. Harrison, I value my freedom and don't like being tied down. So instead of signing a long-term contract, how about if we settle each project individually?"
The bright light overhead cast a glow on Victoria's figure. The golden butterfly mask on her face was both dazzling and mysterious. Behind it, her clear eyes held a glimmer of determination that gave Henry a strangely familiar feeling.
Henry's expression remained neutral as he studied her. "And if you decide to run? Where would I find you?"
Victoria's mouth twitched. "I'm not going to run."
Henry responded flatly, "If it's not written down, signed, and sealed, I don't trust it."
Victoria thought, "This man is impossible."
She took a deep breath, but the alcohol she'd fought off earlier threatened to rise again. "Mr. Harrison," she began, "I'll adjust my formulations based on your condition to help you recover as quickly as possible. Does that work for you?"
Henry said with a faint smile, "Ms. Aroma, you are a miracle worker now? Claiming you can cure anything just like that." His deep voice carried a teasing edge, casual and dismissive. It was obvious he didn't take her words seriously. To him, it was simple -no contract, no deal.
Victoria felt helpless, just looking at him. With a sigh, she placed the fragrance product on the table. "Take this and try it first. If it works, we can discuss the next steps. How does that sound?" Her entire demeanor radiated resistance, yet Henry's eyes glinted faintly with intrigue.