Free Web NovelChapter 153: Spiked Drink
No One’s POV
Amelia stood just inside the glass balcony doors, her nails digging so hard into her palms that she almost drew blood. Her eyes were glued to Vivien, who was currently surrounded by a circle of laughing, chattering girls from high-profile families.
"Look at how fast they change their colors. Tsk," Amelia muttered to herself. "They were practically running after me, begging for my attention when I was the one standing next to Dominic! Now, just because this poor bitch arrived with him, she’s suddenly the one getting approached?!"
A bitter smirk crawled onto her face as a plan formed in her mind. She looked back to see Enzo was nowhere in sight.
"I wonder how all those snobbish heiresses will react once they find out you actually came straight out of a middle-class gutter!"
Spotting a passing waiter carrying a tray of fresh champagne and fruit cocktails, Amelia stepped forward and ordered him to stop.
She looked down at the sparkling glasses, she whispered as she ordered him to spike one of the drinks with a sedative she kept in her bag.
The waiter looked up at her with pure horror, his hands trembling. But before he could refuse, Amelia casually slipped a massive stack of bank notes into his pocket.
Greed instantly took over the young man’s fear. He swallowed hard, nodded quickly, and disappeared back into the kitchen corridor.
A few minutes later, the waiter returned, subtly nodding toward a specific glass of bright pink cocktail on his tray. Amelia’s smirk widened.
"I wonder how will everyone- specially Mrs Velente will react once she sees the girl she’s dreaming of making her daughter-in-law is being a freak and throwing herself middle of the party."
She smoothed down her dress and began walking gracefully toward Vivien’s circle.
Meanwhile, Vivien felt like her head was spinning at a million miles per hour.
Surrounded by all the high-society girls throwing rapid-fire questions at her, she was completely overwhelmed. She hadn’t even gotten a single chance to practice how to act like a wealthy socialite!
"Which prestigious family are you from, dear?" one girl asked, tilting her head.
"Oh my god, where did you buy this gorgeous gown? It suits your figure so beautifully!" another chimed in, eyeing the dress.
"Please, you must tell us the secret of how you managed to melt the freezing cold heart of Mr. Valente! I am so incredibly jealous, haha!"
"I... uh- " Vivien stammered, If I tell them I’m just his assistant who got dragged here after a dream about fried chicken, they might actually throw me out of the window.
"Why don’t you answer them, Vivien?" a sweet, melodic voice suddenly rang out over the chatter.
Vivien blinked and looked up. Approaching the group with a perfectly soft angelic smile on her face was none other than Amelia.
And there we go... right on cue with the classic white-lotus soft girl drama, Vivien thought to herself. She quickly masked her annoyance and forced a sweet smile right back. "Oh! What a pleasant surprise to meet you here, Miss Amelia. Didn’t expect!"
The surrounding heiresses looked between the two of them, their eyes lighting up with fresh gossip. "Oh! Do you both already know each other?!"
"Of course you would meet me here, since I am Dominic’s closest friend," Amelia said, her voice rang out as she tilted her head. "Or, well... you could say we are much more than just friends," she added, throwing a pointed hint about their intimate history to the surrounding girls. freewebnσvel.cѳm
"Oh, I really didn’t know that," Vivien replied instantly, her smile remaining perfectly bright and innocent. She widened her eyes, playing the part of a completely ignorant, naive girl to absolute perfection. "Since he was completely occupied with me the entire day... you know, personally choosing my dress, managing my styling, picking out my jewelry. He barely had a second to breathe, let alone mention anyone else."
Amelia swallowed hard, her face turning pale as the words slapped her right in the face.
The surrounding heiresses traded quick, amused glances, hiding their smirks behind their hands. High society was brutal, and they were already deeply enjoying this mysterious new girl’s effortless ability to put the arrogant Amelia in her place.
Catching sight of the trembling waiter out of the corner of her eye, Amelia frantically signaled him over. The young man quickly stepped forward, offering the silver tray of drinks to the group. Vivien politely raised her hand, about to refuse the alcohol, but Amelia cut her off aggressively.
"Oh no, Vivien, how could you possibly refuse?" Amelia insisted, her voice loud enough for the nearby guests to hear. "You absolutely must try these. This is the finest, most exclusive wine you will ever taste in your life, I can personally guarantee it..."
As she reached for the glass, she leaned in just enough to mutter under her breath so only Vivien could hear: "Since you’re far too broke to ever buy it yourself."
"Here, let me hand it to you personally," Amelia smiled out loud, picking up the specific spiked glass and forcing it into Vivien’s hand.
The other girls urged her on, laughing and lifting their own glasses. Trapped by the pressure, Vivien reluctantly lifted the glass to her lips. But the exact moment the liquid neared her nose, a distinct scent caught her attention.
Back when she was Viella she had tasted various kinds of wine and alcohol. She clearly knows this isn’t what wine supposed to smell like. Something was deeply fishy about this wine. It smelled more like... Vivien’s brain clicked.
This thing is definitely spiked, she realized, her fingers freezing.
Amelia’s eyes practically gleamed with manic triumph, but seeing Vivien suddenly stop, her smile faltered. "Why did you stop? Oh, please don’t tell me you can’t even handle a single glass of fine wine? What a total crybaby. Go ahead, drink up!" she kept urging, her voice growing slightly desperate.
"She won’t be drinking that."
A deep voice silenced them. The surrounding heiresses instantly gasped and took several hasty steps backward, clearing a wide path.
Everyone in the elite circle knew that Dominic Valente absolutely detested having women crowd around him.
Only Amelia remained frozen in her spot, her body slightly trembled as she looked up at him.
Dominic walked right up to Vivien’s side, his towering frame immediately shielding her from the crowd. "She can’t handle strong alcohol," he stated flatly. He reached out, smoothly placing a tall glass of fresh fruit juice into Vivien’s empty hand. "Have this instead if you really want to make a toast with them."
Before Vivien could even process his sudden rescue, Dominic’s large hand wrapped around the stem of the spiked wine glass she was holding, effortlessly pulling it from her grip.
He turned his chilling gaze directly onto the pale woman standing in front of them, extending his arm to hand the poisoned drink right back to her. freēwebnovel.com
"Why don’t you enjoy it instead, since you claim it’s such a remarkably fine wine... Amelia?" he said, his voice dropping hinting he was annoyed.
The exact second her name left his lips, a violent shiver racked Amelia’s entire body. The weight of his dark gaze felt like crushing her under an immense pressure. For some reason, looking into his hollow eyes, a horrible intuition screamed inside her brain that he already knew exactly what she had done.
"I- I..." she stammered out, her jaw trembling as she stared at the glass of wine held right in front of her face, completely unable to form a sentence.
Vivien poked her head out from behind Dominic’s broad shoulder, her eyes sparkling with pure mischief as a smug smirk crossed her face.
"Yes, Amelia, you really should drink it. After all, it’s the best fine wine, right?" she mimicked in a high pitched, mocking tone, tossing Amelia’s own words back at her.
Amelia’s face flushed red. She was trapped, and she knew it.
Dominic took a slow step forward, his towering her. "I said, drink it," he commanded, it left absolutely zero room for refusal.
With trembling hands, Amelia reached out and took the glass. Knowing everyone was watching, she shut her eyes tightly and gulped the entire spiked liquid down her throat. She wanted to throw it but Dominic kept on his watch till she swallowed it.
She forced a completely fake smile onto her face, though her eyes were wide with rising panic.
"I-I actually have to go... my partner for tonight must be waiting for me," she stammered, her voice cracking. Desperate to get away before the sedative started kicking in, she turned on her heels and practically fled, hurrying back toward the ladies room as fast as her heels could carry her.
Vivien couldn’t help but let out a satisfied giggle, thoroughly enjoying the self-inflicted defeat. But her laugh instantly froze in her throat when Dominic suddenly turned around and fixed his intense gaze right on her.
"You really attract far too much trouble," he said flatly. Vivien blinked and looked around, realizing the other high-society girls had already scattered, entirely intimidated by Dominic’s frosty presence, leaving the two of them completely alone in the corner of the ballroom.
"You’re the one who dragged me to this crazy party in the first place anyway," she muttered under her breath, crossing her arms and looking out toward the crowd. But as she thought about everything that had just happened, a sudden, question popped into her mind. She turned back to him, her eyes wide. "Um, Boss- "
"Call me Dominic," he interrupted smoothly.
"Huh?" Vivien blinked, looking completely dumbfounded.
"I said, call me Dominic for tonight," he ordered, his gaze locking onto her face, watching her every expression.
"Oh..." Vivien cleared her throat, shifting her weight from one heel to the other. Saying his actual name felt incredibly intimate and bizarrely awkward. "Um... Mr. Dominic?"
"Only Dominic," he commanded, his expression unblinking.
"Only Dominic..." she copied him blankly, her brain momentarily short-circuiting.
Dominic’s face instantly became even colder, his eyes narrowing at her cheekiness.
Oops, definitely the wrong time to make a joke, Vivien thought to herself, a cold sweat breaking out on her neck. She quickly swallowed her nervousness and finally spoke his name properly. "Dominic..."
The moment the name slipped past her lips, a sudden, intense heat flushed across her cheeks.
Her heart did a strange flip in her chest. Feeling completely overwhelmed, her mind went entirely blank, and she totally forgot the serious question she was about to ask him.
"I-I need to go... check out the refreshments!" she stammered out, dismissing herself frantically as she spun around to escape the tension.
The corner of Dominic’s lips rose into a deeply satisfied smirk. He stood perfectly still, his hands resting casually in his tuxedo pockets as his eyes tracked her running straight toward the grand buffet and food section.
"What a silly girl," he muttered softly under his breath, his dark eyes glinting with warmth. "...my silly girl."
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To Be Continued
