NovelEnglish
Chapter 173 Favor or Request
Josephine dared not get her hopes up because every time she did, utter disappointment followed.
He didn’t urge her to drink, no doubt. But he kept Sierra out of this altogether, didn’t he?
She sat silently, staring at her toes. Time seemed to crawl by.
Everyone was watching Eva as she drank. Her alcohol tolerance was indeed excellent, but she started
swaying after downing five or six bottles.
She excused herself to go to the washroom. Staggering, she walked about a dozen feet away before
squatting next to a dustbin, retching and vomiting uncontrollably.
Kale’s face darkened.
Josephine saw Eva’s condition and felt sympathy for her.
Shiftily, Kiran looked back and forth between Josephine and Lewis out of the corner of his eyes. His
expression was incomprehensible.
Kale took a bottle and said, “I’ll go on while Eva’s using the washroom.”
They were halfway there, and it would be a pity to give up now.
He needed only to finish two or three bottles and let Eva handle the rest. Then, they would seal the
deal.
However, he missed the glint in Lewis’ eyes.
He wasn’t familiar with Lewis and naively thought Lewis was just another businessman.
Those who knew Lewis would have known it would take inexplicable mercy on Lewis’ side to strike
another deal with him in the future after things turned out this way, let alone acquiring the 50 percent
increase Lewis offered.
It would be fortunate if Kale’s business operations could run as usual after this.
At least, that was how Kiran saw it.
Kale’s quite a heavy drinker too, but he had already drunk a considerable amount before this. He could
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇttake another four bottles at most, nothing more.
Eva took her time in the washroom and returned to her seat only after Kale finished another four
bottles.
She picked up where she left off without a single word and proceeded with her task as everyone else
watched.
The “assistants” present at the event weren’t exactly assistants. Most were specifically hired
to drink for their employers.
They were great drinkers and lived off that skill, so they could only take everything that came their way,
even if they encountered people who would deliberately force alcohol on them.
Josephine watched Eva swig those bottles of liquor as though they were water. Some of it trickled
down her neck and dampened the front of her shirt, attracting the attention of those watching her to her
chest.
Josephine pressed her lips together and averted her gaze. She looked at Lewis.
The top few buttons of his shirt were unfastened, leaving his collar open. He sat slackly on the sofa
with a cigarette between his fingers. His expression was indifferent, deeming everything happening
around him nothing but a meaningless farce while he was an onlooker and nothing concerned him.
Toward the end, Eva started losing her momentum. She continued drinking robotically, but Josephine
noticed her eyes were already closed.
There were still five or six bottles on the table.
Eva drank sluggishly, taking a few sips at a time and going to the washroom now and then.
She kept this up until it was 5 am.
Everyone was sleepy.
One man said, “It will be morning by the time she finishes drinking. Chairman Alvarez, shall we call it a
day?”
Lewis said unhurriedly, “What’s the rush? As per Mr. Wallace, we shouldn’t spoil the fun.”
The man who spoke shut up and remained in his seat.
They were in a partnership, and he and the others had come to a consensus to take the opportunity to
maximize the benefits they could get from Lewis during Alvarez Corp’s crisis.
Alvarez Corp was a large enterprise and wouldn’t simply go bankrupt, no matter how severe the crisis
was; it was only a matter of time before it recovered.
Making the most of its crisis now could ensure more profit for them in the long run.
Nevertheless, as the party of weaker bargaining strength, it was clearly impossible for them to take
advantage of Lewis.
His attitude toward Kale was proof that he didn’t give a damn about them.
Even without them, Lewis could have easily engaged new partners. The smaller enterprises would
blatantly fight over the opportunity to establish a partnership with Alvarez Corp, even if none of the
larger ones would.
To put it bluntly, everyone had been through the same phase. Aristocrats aside, most of the
larger enterprises started small.
It was natural for an owner to replace his pet if it turned against him. That was the harsh reality of life.
Lewis was determined to watch Kale down every bottle, so he remained seated, and the others could
only follow suit.
After Eva returned from the washroom, she passed out despite Kale’s effort to wake her
1.
Kale was peeved. Seeing only two bottles were left, he made up his mind and chugged them down.
He finished both bottles without a pause and put the bottles down heavily on the table. Before he could
speak, he turned toward the dustbin and barfed.
Those sitting beside him scowled and scooted further.
After puking, Kale groggily turned toward Lewis and said, “Chairman Alvarez, I finished the liquor.
You’d better keep your word.”
Smiling, Lewis stood, smoothed out the creases on his sleeve, and picked up his coat. “It’s morning.
Let’s dismiss. I had fun tonight.” With that, he turned and left.
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Josephine was sleepy when she saw him leaving. She snapped out of it and immediately went after
him.
After Lewis left, the others looked at Kiran.
“President Kiran, I don’t think I understand what happened.”
“Me too. We agreed there was room for discussion, but we’ve been sitting here all night and seemed to
have achieved nothing.”
Kiran nudged his glasses and stood. “That’s how he is. You guys weren’t exactly polite, so, naturally,
the bargain failed.”
The others were puzzled further.
They had been behaving their best, hadn’t they? Kale was the only one persisting on getting at
Josephine, trying to slap Lewis in the face.
Who wouldn’t be irked if an inferior business partner demanded to have his assistant for the night?
Though not particularly vital, an assistant had his own worth.
There was an unwritten rule in this industry-an assistant could be offered to another as a favor but not
to be asked for as a request.
Otherwise, that would be an insult to the other party.
As this thought crossed their minds, everyone looked at Kale with hostility. This fool ruined everything
for them.
Lewis walked briskly. Josephine had to jog to keep up with him.
Lewis ignored her completely and got into his car.
Josephine was in a dilemma. It seemed inappropriate whether or not she followed him into the
car.
He looked furious, and Josephine dared not get in on her own.
Twisting a corner of her sleeve, she stood before the car door and pursed her lips like a child who
made a mistake.
Shortly after, the car window rolled down.
“Do you need an invitation to get in?”
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