Chapter 157
A deal with the devil
Chapter 157 favor. He implied sheâd be divorced if she Marcus was clearly mocking Shirley, hinting that her sharp tongue and lack of gentleness were keeping her from winning Benjaminâs favor didnât change her ways.
shirley truly didnât understand what Janine sane in him. A real man wouldnât pick on a woman. Shirley had near liked Marcus, but now she had a reason to hate him. A grudge between them had been formed.
Instead of getting upset, Shirley offered a polite smile and said, âMr. Finch, thatâs a rather oldâfashioned view. Everyone had different tastes; you canât generalize. Iâll finish my three, and you can do what you wantâ
With that, Shirley drank the remaining two glasses, then fixedher gate on Marcus. The message was clear: sheâd already had her three glasses, and now it was up to him to decide how many classes he, as a man, would drink Marcus had a completely new view of Shirley now. He had always seen her as a proper, relined woman, never realizing she had such a fiery, bold sideâespecially given her elegant graceful demeanor at social events Since they never interacted personally outside those occasions, be assumed she was rather dull. He hadnât expected anyone in Elderstone to dare challenge him to a drink, and now things were getting interesting.
Marcus gestured for someone to bring six glasses and filled them with wine.
Marie, looking worried, tagged at his sleeve. âMarcus.â Î âItâs alright,â be reassured her, patting her hand. Picking up one of the glasses, he fixed his gaze on Shirley. âMs. Weiss,â he said with a hint of amusement in his voice, âwatch closelyâsix glasses.â
With that, he downed them one after another. The room erupted to applause and cheers.
Shirley leaned in close to Benjamin and whispered, âAre you satisfied now?â
âWhat does it have to do with me?â Benjamin replied coldly.
Shirley blinked. âLooks like youâre still not over it. If I get drunk later, are you going to leave me here?â she asked.
Benjamin didnât answer. Instead, he asked, âWhat do you think?
Shirleyâs brow furrowed slightly. âWhy donât you just beat me up?â
âBeat you? I donât want to hurt my hand,â Benjamin said, his expression remaining cold as he stared at her with disdain. âDonât think flattering me will work. Stay away from me.â Shirley had been drinking heavily, and now the alcohol was hitting her. A rosyblush spread across her delicate, soft face as she became tipsy, making her even more alluring. She reached out and took Benjaminâs arm, gazing at him with misty eyes.
âBenjamin, tell me... What can I do to make you forgive me? she murmured.
Benjaminâs eyes turned cold as he said firmly âLet go.â
Marcus had just finished all six glasses of wine, and the lively cheers were fading. Benjaminâs voice broke the silence, startling everyone. All eyes turned to him.
Benjaminâs expression was icy, and he exuded a coldness that made others instinctively step back. âI said, let go.â
Seemingly fearless, Shirley held even tighter to Benjaminâs arm. âI wonât.â
Benjamin gripped Shirleyâs wrist and said in a low, menacing voice, âLet go, or Iâll have someone throw you out.â
All eyes were on Shirleyâs delicate wrist, as they feared Benjamin might break it the next moment At his words, Shirleyâs eyes grew somber, but then a smile played on her lips. âIf you dare, throw me out yourself,â she challenged. âAfter all, itâs a husbandâs responsibility to deal with his wile.â