Chapter 2 I'm Having Fun!

Elena was sipping her third glass when a tap on her shoulder startled her. She turned to find a face she knew all too well—Sofia, her best friend since college.

“Elena? Oh my gosh, is that really you?” Sofia shouted so her voice could be heard over the deafening thump of techno music.

Elena only gave a crooked smile, raising her glass as if making a toast.

"Hi, Sofia. What a coincidence meeting you here. Come on, keep me company until I’m drunk!" Elena invited.

Sofia pulled up a high chair next to Elena, her face etched with anxiety.

"Elena, what are you doing here? This is your wedding night! You should be in the bridal suite with Morgan, enjoying your first night. Why are you here at 'The Crown' in that sexy dress, drinking yourself blind?"

Elena laughed, but the sound was hollow and pained.

"First night? Morgan is busy celebrating it with someone else, Sof. So I thought, why shouldn't I do the same?"

"What do you mean?" Sofia grabbed Elena’s hand, stopping her before she could order another drink. "Morgan left you? On your first night?"

Elena nodded slowly, her eyes growing glazed from the influence of the alcohol. "He left for another woman. He said I wasn't a priority. He even brought a suitcase, Sof. He threw me away like trash."

Sofia covered her mouth with her hand, shocked and furious. "That bastard! I can't believe he did that to you. So, what now? Don’t tell me you’re going to do something crazy just to get back at that coward."

"I don't want to cry anymore," Elena muttered, pulling her hand away and reaching for her glass again. "Tonight, I just want to forget I’m Morgan’s wife. I want to be the Elena who is free."

"Just consider me a widow already," Elena added, raising her glass high. It didn't matter if Morgan ever came back; Elena wanted to vent her frustration in her own way!

Unbeknownst to them, from a dark velvet sofa in the VIP area, a pair of sharp blue eyes watched their conversation intently. Elijah sipped his whiskey, a faint smile playing on his lips as he watched Elena begin to sway.

Sofia quickly snatched the glass from Elena’s hand before her friend could take another gulp. She could see Elena’s face was flushed deep red—just like a boiled lobster—from the potent alcohol.

"Elena, enough! Your face is beet red; you’ll pass out if you keep this up," Sofia said firmly, pushing the glass to the far end of the bar.

Elena pouted, trying to reach for her drink with unsteady movements.

"Give it... give it back, Sof. I’m still... I’m still sober!"

"Sober? You can’t even sit up straight!" Sofia gripped Elena’s shoulders, trying to stabilize her friend’s wobbling body.

"Let’s go home. I’ll take you to my apartment. Don’t go back to Morgan’s mansion tonight," Sofia urged. It was shameful—a bride spending her night at an exclusive bar without a husband in sight; what would people say?

"I don't want to go home!" Elena struggled weakly, her voice raspy with emotion. "I want to dance. I want to prove that I’m... I’m beautiful, right? I don't deserve to be thrown away!"

Just as Elena tried to stand, her legs gave way. Her body tilted backward, nearly slamming into the club’s hard floor. Sofia let out a small shriek, unable to catch Elena’s weight in time.

However, a large shadow suddenly appeared. With lightning-fast reflexes, a pair of powerful arms wrapped in an expensive suit jacket caught Elena by the waist before she fell.

An elegant, masculine fragrance—a blend of sandalwood and dark chocolate—instantly flooded Elena’s drunken senses. Elena looked up with blurred vision, and the first thing she saw was a sharp jawline and the deep blue gaze of a young man.

"It seems your wife—I mean, your friend—has reached her limit," Elijah said in a heavy, deep baritone that sounded incredibly sexy.

Sofia froze. She recognized this man.

"Aren’t you the one who used to be a bartender here, Elijah?" Sofia asked.

Elijah only gave a thin smile, a mysterious curve that didn't reach his cold eyes. He neither confirmed nor denied Sofia’s question.

"Perhaps your memory is a bit too clouded by alcohol, Miss," Elijah replied shortly. His voice was low, yet it carried a vibration that made the hair on Sofia’s neck stand up.

In reality, Elijah was no bartender. He was the owner of the entire building—in fact, half of the city's entertainment district was under his control. However, he preferred to move in the shadows, letting the world know him as someone else, or not at all.

Elena, still in Elijah’s embrace, began to ramble. She leaned her head against the man’s broad chest, feeling comforted by the warmth of his body.

"Who are you?" Elena murmured with her eyes half-closed. "You smell better... much better than that traitor," she rambled incoherently.

Elijah looked down at the woman in his arms. Elena’s flushed face and alcohol-laced breath did nothing to diminish her beauty in his eyes. On the contrary, her current vulnerability triggered a predatory instinct within him.

"I am the one who will help you forget your terrible night," Elijah whispered softly, yet his tone was intensely possessive.

Sofia, sensing something was wrong, tried to reach for Elena’s hand.

"Elijah, thank you for helping her. But I can take her home now. Let me look after her," Sofia said.

Elijah’s blue eyes flicked to Sofia, and she immediately halted as she felt the pressure of his powerful aura.

"She can’t even stand, and you want to drag her out? She needs a place to rest, not the jostling of a taxi," Elijah stated with a tone of absolute command.

Suddenly, Elena grabbed Elijah’s lapel and said, "Why don't we just go to a hotel, Young Man?"

Sofia choked on her own breath at Elena’s wild offer. Her anxious face turned deathly pale. "Elena! What are you saying?! You’re wasted!"

Elijah, who was usually calm and controlled, felt a stir in his chest. The corner of his mouth curled into a meaningful, lopsided smirk. He looked at Elena, who was still clinging flirtatiously to his expensive suit, then turned to Sofia with an undeniable gaze.

"You heard her yourself, didn't you? Your friend requested it," Elijah said, his voice heavy and husky.

"B-but she’s drunk! She doesn't realize what she’s saying!" Sofia argued, trying to grab Elena’s arm again.

Elijah protectively pulled Elena closer into his embrace, blocking Sofia’s hand. His dominant aura radiated so strongly that Sofia shrank back. "Don't worry. I will make sure she gets the rest she needs. Go home, Miss. Tonight, Elena is under my watch."