Kris Cooper draped his suit jacket over Vera Wave’s damp clothes. He raised an eyebrow; seeing the waiter still stunned, he frowned and was about to snap, but the waiter quickly regained his composure.
"Please wait a moment. I’ll have your bill ready shortly."
Moments later, Kris Cooper, with Vera shrouded in his suit jacket, carried her out of the private room. Vera, still clutching an empty wine bottle, was struggling and shouting incoherently.
"Let me go... I haven’t even had my dessert yet..."
Her voice immediately attracted many curious glances. When Kris Cooper swept his gaze over them, everyone quickly turned their faces away, not daring to look again.
Exiting the restaurant, he pushed her into the back seat of a taxi. Kris Cooper then pushed her feet fully inside before sitting down next to her.
Putting his hand up to stop her head as it slid towards the window, Kris Cooper replied in a deep voice.
"Esteredge Residental Area."
As he spoke, he reached over, snatched the wine bottle from Vera’s hand, placed it aside, and then pulled her into his arms.
"Vera, be good now. Stop fussing. I’ll take you home."
"I don’t want to!" Vera pushed his arm away. "I have to work, I have to earn money. Without... without money, nothing works... everyone... everyone bullies me..."
"Silly girl!" Wrapping his arms around her again, Kris Cooper frowned, his heart aching for her. "Rest assured, Brother Kris is back. No one will dare bully you anymore!"
"Brother Kris?" Vera nuzzled against his shoulder. "Who’s that?"
"Do you really not remember me?" Kris Cooper asked.
"You?" Vera lifted her face, squinting her drunken eyes, and studied him carefully for a long moment before suddenly giggling. "Nonsense! I... I of course recognize you... You... you’re the headliner! I... I still owe you 90,000 USD! Don’t... don’t worry, I... I won’t default on my debt."
Kris Cooper cupped her face. "And what about what you promised me before?"
"Before?" Vera squinted, trying to remember. "Oh... you mean about giving you a massage? Didn’t I... I already... already ma... massaged you?"
"I’m talking about marriage!" His voice turned grim.
"Marriage?" Vera stared at him, but his face was too blurry to see clearly. She blinked, and the face she saw was Harry Snowpine’s. "Marriage?! What are you talking about marriage for? What did you say back then... You said you’d marry me as soon as you came back from abroad... Liar! Bastard!"
She lunged, clawing and hitting at him like a little lunatic.
"If you liked my money, you should have said so earlier! I can give you money... I’ll give you however much you want! Why did you have to say you liked me? If you wanted to break up, just say so! Why did you have to lie to me? It’s not like I would’ve clung to you..."
Kris Cooper’s brow furrowed tightly. He let her claw and hit him, his frown deepening with each passing moment.
The car drove into the residential complex and halted below Building 2.
Kris Cooper paid the fare, pulled Vera out of the car, and supported her to the second floor. Taking out the key Tommy Taylor had given him, he unlocked the door to apartment 202.
As it was an old building, the apartment was quite small, consisting of just a living room and a bedroom.
Because Kris Cooper had needed it urgently, Tommy Taylor had only managed to have someone treat the walls overnight. However, the furniture and all the necessities were brand new, making the place look tidy and cozy.
He helped her into the bedroom and settled her on the bed. Then, Kris Cooper casually removed her high heels.
"Alright, sleep for a bit!"
"I’m not sleeping!" Vera kicked the blanket half off herself. "Let’s keep drinking!"