Chapter 12 Eleanor thought Josef and Bernard had a good relationship, but it turned out Cedric introduced them.
It seemed like this party Josef organized wasnât just for her to meet a few friends â he also wanted to get a project through Bernard.
But that was fine; discussing a project would take time, which would give her a chance to figure a way out.
With that thought in mind, Eleanorâs tense body relaxed a little.
Just as she took a breath, Josef suddenly signaled to her to drink up.
Unable to feign ignorance any longer, Eleanor grabbed her glass and gulped down its contents.
She seldom drank, as Bernard disliked the smell of alcohol, so she had managed to abstain completely.
The sudden consumption of a strong liquor caused her eyes to well up with tears.
Observing this, Josef swiftly embraced her and helped by patting her back.
Bernardâs icy gaze fixated on the hand wrapped around Eleanor.
Through her teary eyes, she perceived a flicker of anger in his gaze.
However, as her vision cleared, all she found was indifference and nothing more.
Bitter laughter escaped Eleanorâs lips. Bernard only viewed her as a replacement and had never truly cared for her, so what had she expected?
Once Eleanor regained her composure, Josef embraced her and addressed Cedric, âThis girl has no experience and cannot handle alcohol. Please forgive her.â
Cedric simply smiled and remained silent, yet the woman beside him suddenly grew infuriated. âWhat do you mean by that, Mr. Caporal?â
Josef raised an eyebrow and responded calmly, âMaâam, I made no mention of you. Why are you becoming so agitated?â
The woman was left speechless and stomped her foot, then turned to Cedric and whined, âCedric, look at him, what he said was so mean! Letâs not talk to him anymore, letâs go.â
Cedric, a mildâtempered man, patted her hand. âNorene, you know Mr. Caporalâs personality. He didnât mean anything by it.â
Norene wouldnât let it go. Being the top girl in the club, she didnât want to hear âno experienceâ after being with Cedric.
She couldnât argue with Josef, but taking it out on his woman was no problem.
âWhatever, I wonât stoop to your level. Weâre here to have fun, right? But just sitting around is kind of boring. Letâs play a game.â
Everyone perked up at the mention of a game.
âWhat kind of game?â
Norene took out some cards and put them on the table.
âCards in teams, and whoever loses takes off a piece of clothing.â
âInteresting.â
Naturally, Josef wouldnât refuse this kind of scene, and everyone else agreed too.
Cedric, worried that Bernard might not be comfortable with this, glanced at him. âBro, they always play a little wild. If you donât want to...â Before he could finish, Bernard took the cards from Norene. âHow do you play?â
Cedric was stunned. His cousin Bernard usually disliked places like this. But today, Josef just suggested that he meet a woman who resembled Ms.
Ratliff, and not only did he come but now he was patiently playing games with them. Wasnât this a little odd?
Norene hadnât expected Bernard, rumored to be uninterested in women, to agree so readily. She laughed, happy with the situation.
âItâs simple, Iâll teach you.â
After explaining the rules, Norene gathered everyone to draw lots for teams.
Eleanor sat stiffly on the couch, feeling uncertain about what to do.
As she hesitated over how to refuse, Norene seemed to read her mind and spoke before she could voice her thoughts.
âEveryone who came has to participate. You wonât refuse, will you, Ms. Shultz?â
With that said, everyoneâs eyes turned to her.
Eleanor felt uneasy under their scrutiny, as if not playing would be a party pooper.
A Second Chance At Forever novel (Eleanor and Bernard)
ï¤Chapter 11 Impulsive Vow to an Enigmatic Husband (END)
ï¤Chapter 1765 (END)
She couldnât afford to offend anyone here, so she had no choice but to play.
Seeing her wise decision, Norene finally left her alone.