Chapter 6

The whiskey burned all the way from Alice's mouth to her stomach, making her feel awful.

Through her tear-blurred vision, she could vaguely see James's cold expression, which pierced her heart.

She really suspected Wendy had given her the strongest liquor on purpose. Otherwise, why would her heart hurt so much?

"I didn't say stop."

James's icy voice cut through Alice's chest like a knife.

"Keep drinking," Derek urged.

To him, Alice was just a plaything. It wasn't good for him because she offended James.

Half a bottle down, Alice's stomach churned, and her legs gave out, causing her to collapse in front of James.

He remained the aloof and powerful figure, his indifferent and distant gaze reflected in Alice's eyes.

Wendy laughed the loudest, while Oliver frowned.

Alice could hear everyone's laughter mixed with James's stern expression.

She felt both pathetic and ridiculous. She had thought she could leave James with dignity, but now, meeting him again, she was still so wretched.

Luckily, she was dying soon and wouldn't have to go through this anymore.

Taking a deep breath, she downed the rest of the bottle, coughing violently, her voice trembling, "Mr. James Russell, is this enough?"

Every inch of her skin felt like it was burning, her stomach hurt terribly, and her face was pale, looking utterly miserable.

"You're filthy."

He glanced at Alice with contempt, his voice so cold it sent shivers down her spine.

Forcing her to drink and calling her filthy were just James's ways of getting back at her.

But their relationship was over. Who she was with and what she did had nothing to do with James.

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with sorrow and disbelief, but James didn't care. His expression remained unchanged as he walked away.

James's unusual behavior shocked even Oliver. Was this the James he knew?

Derek was puzzled, staring at James's retreating figure, "Looks like your brother's in a bad mood today."

Oliver waved apologetically, "Sorry, James is under a lot of pressure taking over the Russell family. I hope Mr. Brown and Ms. Tudor won't be mad. I'll apologize on his behalf."

"I'll go check on him. You all have fun."

Though the situation was unpleasant, Oliver's manners were impeccable, and given his status, Derek had no reason to hold a grudge.

"Alright, let's meet up next time."

Wendy had wanted to stay and play a bit longer, but seeing Oliver leave, she quickly put on her coat and followed.

Everyone had gathered here for James, hoping to secure some projects.

Now that he was gone, there was nothing left to discuss, and they all left.

Derek took Alice to another room, but she was feeling dizzy and unwell.

As soon as they entered, she collapsed on the sofa, gasping for air.

Derek asked knowingly, "What grudge do you have with James?"

Even a fool could see that James had been targeting Alice from the start. Given James's character, he wouldn't go after a woman like this without reason.

The only explanation was that James knew Alice and even hated her.

Alice pinched her palm, trying to stay rational. "Yeah."

"What kind of it?" Derek pressed, leaning in curiously, scrutinizing Alice's expression.

Alice grabbed the ice water on the table and splashed it on her face, instantly sobering up a bit.

Water droplets slid down her hair, dripping onto her neck, creating a broken beauty.

"I knew he had a soft spot for Ms. White, so I tried to use my looks to my advantage, drugging him into sex."

"But he didn't fall for it and got really angry, throwing me out. Maybe because I tried to trick him before, he despises gold diggers like me."

Hearing this, Derek's frown eased a bit.

But he had tried to tempt Alice with money before, and she hadn't budged. How could she have tried to seduce James for money?

Alice guessed Derek's thoughts and calmly took out her phone to message Molly.

"You liked him before." Derek smiled, seeing Alice in a new light. "Well, I didn't expect you to have this side."

He pulled Alice into his arms, gently stroking her cheek, his hand moving downward.

Alice shivered and struggled. "Mr. Brown! Let's wait a bit before having sex. Don't you want to see how I seduce you when I fall in love with you?"

Derek held her tighter, impatiently unzipping her dress, his eyes filled with desire. "That's too long. I can't wait."

He started kissing Alice's neck wildly, his hands roaming.

Fear washed over Alice. She clutched her dress's neckline, trying to escape Derek, but he still managed to kiss her.

The strong liquor had already made her feel terrible, and with the struggle, she couldn't hold back and vomited.

Derek's interest vanished instantly. He pinched his brow in annoyance and let go of Alice.

"Mr. Brown, can I leave now?" Alice patted her chest, trying to catch her breath, thinking she could finally leave.

But Derek didn't give her the chance.

"Who said that? You're spending the night at my place. I don't believe you can puke all night."

Alice trembled, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "Mr. Brown, you brought me here tonight mainly to get close to Mr. Russell, right? If you let me go, I can get you a project from him."

Derek was about to drag her away but paused, looking at her intently. "Keep talking."

"Although I failed to seduce him, he initially mistook me for Ms. White. I have a video from that time."

"Given how much he cares about Ms. White, he would never want these videos to be seen by her. Besides, a few projects are nothing to him. He'll definitely agree."

A gleam of excitement flashed in Derek's eyes.

Recently, everyone wanted a piece of the Sunset Meadows project in North City, but the decision was in James's hands.

If Derek could secure this project, the Brown family's inheritance would be his.

If it weren't for the Harbor City Ji family also competing, he wouldn't have tried to use Oliver to get close to James.

Unfortunately, today's opportunity was totally ruined.