Although Autumn Linden had a sweet and docile personality, she was incredibly endearing. A pure and lovely girl like her always unconsciously softened people’s hearts. She was quite popular among her classmates and got along well with her roommates, who had even gone out of their way to organize her birthday party.
With Zoe Lancaster’s arrival, the college boys were instantly dumbfounded. Someone asked Autumn, "Is this your sister? She’s so beautiful."
Zoe’s beauty was universally acknowledged. Even if there were female celebrities present today, they wouldn’t have been able to overshadow her radiance in the slightest.
Autumn proudly held Zoe’s hand and introduced her, "That’s right! I told you she was prettier than a celebrity. I wouldn’t lie to you."
Zoe offered a faint smile and greeted them. "Thank you all for taking care of Autumn. Whatever you want to drink today, it’s my treat."
Cheers instantly erupted around the table. They were just young adults, after all, without much scheming in their hearts. Zoe also hoped that Autumn would be well-liked at school and make more friends, so naturally, she wouldn’t be stingy about paying for some drinks.
The young people had a rich variety of games and soon started playing a drinking game. Unfortunately for the birthday girl, Autumn drew the penalty "Miss" card. Her cheeks flushed as she threw caution to the wind and declared, "Bring it on!"
Autumn had never really drank before. After getting that card, she was repeatedly asked to drink with the others. After downing three glasses, the girl’s face was as red as a freshly ripened peach, and her gaze had turned hazy. Out of the goodness of their hearts, her classmates let her off the hook.
Soon, the other "Miss" card—a two—was called out.
Zoe tilted her head to look at her. "Are you alright?"
Autumn patted her cheeks, her lips bright red. "I-I’m so dizzy. I need to rest for a bit."
Zoe helplessly poured the girl a glass of water. "Now do you know what your alcohol tolerance is? Next time, if you don’t have someone close to you around, don’t drink like this, got it?"
She had intentionally wanted to teach her a lesson. Girls at this age were the most prone to not knowing their limits. Telling her a thousand times wasn’t as effective as experiencing it once. Autumn nodded in a daze.
Zoe ruffled her hair and said softly, "If you’re really feeling awful, I’ll go buy you some hangover medicine. Stay here and be good."
It was unclear if Autumn even heard her, but she gave a vague nod. Zoe grabbed her purse, stood up, and left.
There was a pharmacy right across from Riverbend Tavern. Many people who got drunk or drank too fast would go across the street to buy medicine; doing business here truly required a smart mind.
Not long after Zoe left, Autumn felt her stomach churning wildly. She covered her mouth and hurriedly stood up. Without even telling her classmates, she opened the door and rushed straight to the restroom, puking her guts out. She didn’t stop until she was practically throwing up stomach acid. She washed her face and stumbled her way back, her vision spinning dizzily.
***
"Sheffield, that kid from the Carter family intentionally caused trouble. He hid that stuff on our premises, and it was almost discovered. How should we handle this?"
Sean Sheffield strolled along with a cigarette clamped between his teeth. He walked with a lazy swagger, but his playboy expression carried a ruthless edge. "Everyone knows exactly what kind of temper I have. Crossing me means this isn’t over. If he tries any more dirty tricks, chop his hands off and send them to the Carter family."
The manager’s expression didn’t change. "Understood."
As they passed a corner, Sean pinched his cigarette and looked down to flick the ash. For a moment, he wasn’t looking ahead.
That was until a soft body crashed into his chest. A very faint scent of body wash drifted into his nose—it smelled like gardenias, quite pure and innocent. The girl’s forehead bumped against his rock-hard pectoral muscles, and she gasped in pain.
Usually, Sean was fairly patient with women. But today, his territory had been messed with, and he was harboring a burning rage. He lowered his eyes. In the dimly lit corner, he couldn’t quite make out the face of the little shorty who had bumped into him. His tone was deceptively casual. "Seems like just about any blind fool dares to crash into me these days."
The girl spoke in a delirious daze, "I’m sorry... I drank too much..."
Sean frowned. "Since she’s so capable of drinking, take her away and let her drink to her heart’s content."
With that, he turned and left, not giving the girl in front of him a second glance. The manager’s expression turned serious, and he immediately shot a look to his subordinates. The men instantly stepped forward and grabbed Autumn’s arms.
***
Zoe returned as quickly as she could; she was gone for no more than ten minutes. When she didn’t see Autumn in the private room, she asked her roommate, "Where’s Autumn?"
As if just realizing it, the roommate replied in confusion, "She was just here. Did she go to the restroom? Her phone is still here."
Zoe frowned and glanced at Autumn’s phone, which had a little bunny phone case, resting on the table. Still feeling uneasy, she turned around and ran toward the restroom.
But there was no sign of Autumn there either.
Although this place had many security cameras, heavy foot traffic, and guards downstairs, it was ultimately an establishment with a low safety factor. Zoe’s heart inexplicably seized with panic. Drunk people usually couldn’t control their malicious urges. Autumn was a good girl, but that didn’t mean others harbored good intentions.
She frantically searched every private room, pushing open almost every door on this floor to look around. When she didn’t find her, she could only go downstairs to search. After tossing about for nearly half an hour, she still came up empty-handed.
Zoe’s hands were trembling, and her face had gone slightly pale. She was like a cat on a hot tin roof. Riverbend Tavern was simply too big; checking room by room was far too inefficient. What if Autumn had been taken away? What if something happened...
She didn’t dare to imagine.
The more she thought about it, the more panicked she became. Zoe even pulled out her phone, ready to call the police.
That was until—
"Mr. Hawthorne, I really have compressed the profit margins on this project to the absolute minimum. Could you possibly give me one more percentage point?"
Zoe whipped around.
She saw a group of people coming down the stairs. The man leading them wore an oversized black overcoat that accentuated his tall stature and long legs. In the gloom, he looked exceptionally noble and eye-catching as he was flanked by an assortment of people.
For some reason, Zoe’s eyes grew slightly hot. She called out in a hoarse voice, "Simon Hawthorne—!"
Her shout caused many people over there to look at her in astonishment. In their eyes, for someone to be so reckless as to call out Simon Hawthorne’s full name directly was simply far too arrogant.
They thought Mr. Hawthorne would ignore it.
Unexpectedly, Simon paused his steps slightly. He cast a faint glance her way. His pupils held no ripples of emotion; they were calm and indifferent.
Zoe was burning with anxiety, only wishing for him to come over so she could beg him for help finding Autumn. At a time like this, power and influence were undoubtedly the most useful tools.
But—
Simon merely glanced at her without lingering, as if she were just some brazen, insignificant stranger. He turned back and continued walking, not taking Zoe seriously at all.
Zoe’s face paled slightly. She finally remembered that the two of them were actually having a conflict right now. It was entirely reasonable for him to ignore her. But she had no other choice. The situation was an emergency, and time was of the essence; she absolutely needed Simon to step in and help.
Zoe fiercely clenched her fists and ran toward him with reckless abandon. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, she grabbed Simon’s fingers, swallowed hard, and spoke in an embarrassed yet decisive tone:
"Hubby—"