Chapter 5

Seeing Gloria stumble towards him, Gavin instinctively reached out, but quickly pulled back, letting her upper body collapse onto his lap.

Gloria immediately sensed the danger behind her and tried to get up, but Gavin held her down firmly. "Hey, sweetheart, I know you like me. I messed up earlier, and I made you suffer. Can you forgive me?"

Gavin's words were intimate, as if they were much closer than they actually were.

After speaking, Gavin slowly reached out and helped Gloria up from the floor.

Feeling the eyes on her from behind, Gloria lowered her gaze to avoid them, cold sweat dripping onto the floor as she reached the peak of her discomfort.

Gavin's outstretched hand came up empty, and he frowned.

This woman seemed to fear Sebastian more than he had anticipated.

"With me here, Judge Windsor can't do anything to you. Get up." Gavin extended his hand again.

A flicker of hesitation crossed Gloria's eyes.

Judging by the attitudes of the people in the room, this man seemed to be on par with Sebastian in terms of status.

Maybe she could really seek his protection.

Just as this thought emerged, Sebastian's mocking voice came from behind her. "Mr. Miller, you're overstepping. If you have the energy, why not handle your own affairs first? Or, ask the person involved if she needs your protection."

Sebastian set his glass down with a clink that sounded particularly harsh to Gloria's ears.

She knew Sebastian too well.

If she didn't make a statement soon, Sebastian would expose her past in the next second.

Even if it was false, who would dare to take in someone accused of being a malicious instigator?

Especially in a place where all the employees were women.

It had been hard enough for Gloria to find this job. If they found out about her supposed crime...

She couldn't imagine where she would go.

"Thank you, Mr. Miller." Before Gavin could speak, Gloria stepped back, respectfully thanking him. "I did wrong Judge Windsor, but thank you, Mr. Miller, for speaking up for me. Let me toast to you."

With that, Gloria turned and poured herself another drink, pretending to take a sip.

Gavin's eyes narrowed as he grabbed her wrist, bringing the glass to his own lips instead. "Didn't your boss teach you how to please a guest properly? If you sat in my lap and fed me like before, I'd be even happier."

Gloria froze.

Was it her imagination, or was there something different in Gavin's eyes?

In the few seconds she was stunned, Gavin downed her drink in one gulp, then looked provocatively at Sebastian. "Indeed, wine served by a beautiful woman is always sweeter. Has Judge Windsor never tasted it?"

The atmosphere grew tense.

Everyone exchanged glances, sensing something was off.

But with two powerful figures at odds, no one dared to speak up.

A sudden phone ringtone broke the silence in the room.

Everyone looked towards the source of the sound, relieved.

Sebastian answered the call with a cold expression.

In the otherwise silent room, a soft female voice could be faintly heard. "Seb, it's so late. Aren't you coming home?"

Everyone understood immediately.

It was Sebastian's fiancée calling.

Hearing Amara's voice again after three years, Gloria's already pale face turned even whiter, and she couldn't help but dry heave silently.

Back then, Amara had used that same tone to accuse her to Sebastian.

That was the beginning of all her suffering!

Amara said something else, but Gloria couldn't hear a word of it.

It wasn't until Sebastian hung up and stood up to leave that she snapped back to reality.

Gavin crossed his legs, looking like a victorious general. "Almost forgot, Judge Windsor already has a fiancée. Why would he care about other women? Ms. Jones is sick again? You should hurry back to take care of her. No need to worry about my case."

Sebastian glanced at him, then looked at Gloria for a few seconds before striding out of the room.

As soon as Sebastian left, the atmosphere in the room became lively again.

"Interesting. What did this woman do to offend Sebastian? I've never seen him treat a woman so harshly."

"Hey, you! How did you offend Mr. Windsor? Cat got your tongue?"

Gavin stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Who would've thought? You must be quite something to have crossed Judge Windsor. Tell us..."

Before Gavin could finish, Gloria wobbled to her feet. "Sorry."

She mumbled an apology and rushed out of the room, covering her mouth in disgust.

The strong liquor had already upset her stomach, and hearing Amara's voice had only made it worse.

These people kept bringing up Sebastian, forcing her to relive those memories!

Gloria couldn't take it anymore.

As soon as she stepped out of the room, she stumbled a few steps before everything went black.

Before losing consciousness, she thought she saw Sebastian's figure.

Back in the room.

Gavin watched her leave, unconsciously rising to follow.

A second later, a rich kid called out to him. "Mr. Miller, you really interested in her? She's not your usual type! Plus, she offended Mr. Windsor. I'd stay away if I were you."

Gavin raised an eyebrow and slowly sat back down.

Indeed, he was acting out of character.

He chalked it up to his rivalry with Sebastian. "I'm just messing with Judge Windsor. Come on, drink."

Everyone refilled their glasses, showering Gavin with flattery.

Gavin drank absentmindedly, his thoughts still on Gloria.

She didn't look well when she left.

Halfway through the drinks, Gloria still hadn't returned.

Gavin suddenly found the alcohol tasteless and set his glass down in frustration. "Where is she? Why isn't she back yet? You..."

He looked at Elodie, who had helped Gloria earlier.

Gavin changed his mind mid-sentence, "Never mind, I'll check myself!"

With that, he got up and left the room.

Everyone exchanged puzzled looks.

"Seriously? What's so special about her? Is Mr. Miller really interested?"

"Didn't you hear him? He's just messing with Judge Windsor. Don't expect Mr. Miller to settle down."

They laughed, but stopped abruptly when Gavin returned with a dark expression.

"Mr. Miller, what happened?" Sensing his displeasure, they quickly stopped laughing and asked cautiously.

Gavin glared at Elodie. "What's her relationship with Sebastian?"

He had just seen Sebastian carrying her out.

She had nestled in Sebastian's arms without any resistance, completely different from how she had acted in the room.

What was their relationship?