Underground parking lot.
Ryan Quinn brought a chill with him as he opened the Cullinan’s passenger door and plopped onto the seat, "Bro, everything you asked is done. Talia accepted the bags and the car."
Adrian Jennings placed his slender fingers on the steering wheel, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly, "Did she suspect anything?"
Ryan replied honestly, "She did. She asked if the car was from you. I teamed up with Yvonne to muddle through it. Talia trusts Yvonne a lot, so she probably won’t think much more about it."
Adrian gave a heavy "hmm" in response.
For a moment, Ryan didn’t know what to say. Adrian stared blankly into space, and the car was so quiet you could hear the warm air blowing.
Ryan knew he was thinking about Talia again and tactfully kept quiet, not wanting to disturb him.
After a while, Adrian spoke, "I really want to see her."
"Hold on a moment." Ryan pulled out his phone, "I’ll help you come up with something."
Ryan dialed Yvonne Coleman’s number.
"Hey, Yvonne, when I delivered the car to Talia earlier, she didn’t seem in a good mood. She looked completely wilted like a frost-beaten eggplant, probably still feeling upset inside. I’m really worried that if she keeps it bottled up, it might cause problems. Tomorrow’s Saturday, she’s not working. How about you take her out tonight and talk it over?"
Yvonne complained on the other end of the line, "Sigh, Talia liked Adrian Jennings so much. How could she move on so quickly after the breakup? Why is it that she’s so upset, yet Adrian can just turn around and act like nothing’s wrong, showing up with a female star? You men are all cold-hearted creatures!"
Ryan subconsciously turned his head to look at Adrian.
Lately, he’s visibly lost weight.
He even had faint dark circles under his eyes, clearly not sleeping well for several consecutive nights.
Adrian’s love for Talia was something others might not see, but Ryan saw it clearly. After all these years as good friends with Adrian, it was the first time he saw Adrian so invested in a woman. Usually calm and self-controlled, he was almost depressed from the breakup.
Obviously a diehard romantic, yet he had to bear the labels of being a "heartbreaker" or "big player," even as a bystander, it was hard to watch.
Ryan chatted with Yvonne a bit more, and she mentioned that she would ask Talia out for drinks.
Ryan acted curious, "Which bar are you heading to? I’ll pick you up later."
Yvonne didn’t think much of it and easily gave the name of a bar.
"Alright then, take good care of Talia tonight. I’ll come pick you up later. Also, don’t drink too much, or you’ll end up with a headache and stomachache again."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it, nagger."
Ending the call, Ryan shrugged, "All set. We leave for ’Nightfall’ bar in twenty minutes."
Originally, Talia had no plans for the night. She intended to stay home after dinner, catch a show, and then go to bed.
Just shortly after dinner, she received a call from Yvonne, inviting her out for drinks.
During the day, Talia worked hard to keep herself busy, so she wouldn’t have time to think about Adrian.
But at night, longing grew wildly, suffocating her with a heavy heart.
A breakup felt like a severe illness with no remedy but to numb herself with alcohol.
Talia needed to release her emotions.
The white McLaren sped through the winter night mist like a specter.
In the outdoor parking lot of Nightfall bar, luxury cars were gathered.
Talia tossed her car keys to the valet and stepped on the stairs in her suede high heels, heading into the bar.
At eleven o’clock at night, nightlife was just beginning. The bar was crowded, lights flickered, music blared, and in the central dance floor, people writhed and swayed recklessly, indulging themselves.
This was a hotbed of ambiguity and excess.
Talia walked into the bar, frowning at the noisy voices and music.
She didn’t really like places .
"Talia, over here!" Yvonne waved at her, with Winter Donovan standing beside her.
Talia walked over, and Yvonne skillfully led her to the bar counter, seating her on a high stool, "Leo, three Mojitos, please."
The bartender smiled and skillfully began mixing drinks.
Yvonne leaned over and whispered in Talia’s ear, "This bartender named Leo is twenty-six, he’s a ’star’ at this bar. What do you think? Handsome, right?"
Talia raised her eyes to assess the man in front of her. He wasn’t tall, about 5’9", with delicate features, a handsome face, and slightly curled hair, giving off a J-pop idol vibe.
Indifferently, Talia withdrew her gaze, "He’s alright."
Yvonne giggled, "Do you fancy this type? He’s the young pup I told you about. Many girls come to this bar just for him."
Right then, a girl approached Leo, flirting and handing over a thick stack of red bills.
Talia shook her head, "Too many other women around, not suitable."
"What’s there to be afraid of? It’s just for fun, no marriage involved." Yvonne raised an eyebrow, "Why should only men fool around while we women can’t? Adrian’s seen out with a female star, and you’re here staying chaste for him? Play! Let loose and have fun!"
Talia frowned, "I... I’m not interested..."
"That’s because you haven’t enjoyed the fun yet."
The bartender placed the three Mojitos in front of them.
Yvonne smiled, "Thanks, handsome."
The bartender caught Yvonne’s gaze, and smiled seductively, "No need to thank me, beautiful."
There was an unspoken, growing flirtation in their eyes.
Talia exchanged glances with Winter, both looking bewildered, their large eyes filled with surprise.
Did they just hook up like that?
After finishing a drink, Talia’s gloom only increased. As the saying goes, drowning your sorrows in alcohol only makes them worse, and it couldn’t be truer.
Under the influence of alcohol, she missed Adrian even more.
Yvonne tried to console her, "No worries, girl. If you don’t like him, I’ll introduce you to others. Didn’t I say I’d book you a male model last time? This bar has plenty of exceptionally attractive male models. Wait here, I’ll call the manager over. Tell me what type you like, and I’ll book it for you."
Talia had already downed three drinks, feeling a bit woozy, she muttered incoherently, "No..."
Yvonne, tipsy as well and amidst the bar noise, didn’t catch that, "What? You want it?"
Talia shook her head, "I don’t enjoy that messy stuff..."
Yvonne: "What? You just like looking at those six-packs?"
What was she talking about? Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on noᴠelfire.net
Talia, drunk, cheeks flushed, gaze blurry.
Ten minutes later, five male models, all over six feet tall with eight-pack abs, lined up in front of Talia, shouting in unison, "Hello~~~"
Talia, drunk, giggled foolishly, "Hello there."
Honestly, they were quite good-looking.
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit booth in the bar, Adrian Jennings looked at the just-received deduction message on his phone, his face dark and stormy, "She used my card to book male models for Talia?"