Chapter 386 - 382: He Must Be Really Drunk

After dinner, Monica Coleman personally walked the group to the manor’s gate.

"I’m truly sorry about today. I know things were awkward and it ruined the mood."

Monica Coleman’s voice was filled with sincere apology. Wendy Duncan stepped forward and gently patted her arm, offering comfort. "Monica, don’t put so much pressure on yourself. These things with children can’t be rushed. Jasmine and I are both mothers, so we understand how you feel. We don’t blame you for what happened today, so please, don’t worry."

Jasmine Sterling, standing beside them, nodded in agreement with Wendy Duncan.

The smile on Monica Coleman’s face was tinged with resignation and bitterness. Finally, her gaze landed on Cecilia Sterling.

"Cecilia, I truly do admire you and like you a great deal. What I did today was wrong, and I hope you won’t take it to heart. In the future, if you ever need help with anything, please don’t hesitate to come to me. I’ll definitely help in any way I can!"

Monica Coleman then turned to Jasmine Sterling. "Jasmine, and about your housekeeping company... If you run into any trouble, just tell me. I still think it’s a very promising idea."

Jasmine Sterling quickly replied, "Thank you, Monica. But this is just a small idea, I couldn’t possibly trouble you with it. Besides, I’ve already found a true industry professional to help me. If I can’t make it work even with their help, then I’ll just give up on this whole business idea. It would save me from wasting the money Cecilia worked so hard to earn."

Monica Coleman was about to say something more, but Cecilia Sterling cut in. "Miss Monica, you’re being far too kind. You really don’t need to apologize for today. If an apology is necessary, perhaps you could try calming down and having a good, heart-to-heart talk with your daughter."

She could see how desperate Monica Coleman was to apologize for the day’s events, but the person who truly needed an apology was Shoshanna Perry.

Although Cecilia didn’t know what kind of person Shoshanna was, based on today’s incident, Shoshanna Perry was clearly the only one who had been hurt.

Monica Coleman fell silent. It wasn’t that she was unwilling to apologize to her daughter; rather, the dynamic she had with her children, established over so many years, had become deeply ingrained. She had long since forgotten how to truly communicate with them.

But this was a problem for Monica Coleman to consider and solve herself. To put it bluntly, it was a family matter.

As an outsider and someone of a younger generation, Cecilia Sterling had no place to say anything more. Seeing Monica Coleman’s silence, she took the initiative to say goodbye. "Miss Monica, it’s getting late. You should head back and get some rest. Next time, I’ll have my mother invite you over to our home."

Monica Coleman finally snapped back to reality and nodded. "Yes, of course."

*

「Downtown—The Hard Candy Bar!」

Quentin Perry and his crew were living it up. The bar’s pounding music and the frenetic, writhing crowd showcased the nightlife befitting a modern, international metropolis.

A round of shots was poured. After losing a game, Quentin Perry downed three in a row. The fiery alcohol seared its way down his throat, jolting his senses, and the buzz rushed to his head, bringing on a wave of dizzying disorientation.

Quentin Perry laughed and flopped back onto the sofa in their booth. Amid the cheers and jeers of his friends, someone pushed a pretty girl sitting nearby onto him.

The scent of her perfume filled his nostrils. Quentin Perry glanced over. The girl was attractive, with a slender waist, and felt soft against him.

Normally, he would have seized the moment and pulled her into his embrace. But today, he just wasn’t interested. He’d seen plenty of beautiful women; they were all a dime a dozen, with nothing unique about them.

When Cecilia Sterling’s face flashed through his mind, the girl before him paled in comparison. He let out a laugh and pushed her aside. "Go hang with whoever brought you. I’m not in the business of stealing another man’s prize tonight!"

The girl shot an embarrassed glance at the guy who’d pushed her. He then leaned in and whispered in Quentin Perry’s ear, "What’s up, Quentin? She’s not good enough for you? She was in an international beauty pageant!"

"Tacky!" Quentin, slightly drunk, said with a cheerful, squinty-eyed grin. "So boring, so boring!"

"You call *this* boring?"

His friend was clearly shocked. They’d been bros for years, and he’d picked this girl specifically because he knew Quentin Perry’s type.

Finally, he nodded in understanding. "Alright, I get it," he guessed. "You’re holding out for someone like Yvette, aren’t you? I actually tried to get her to come tonight, but she said no. I swear I’ll get her to come out next time, deal?"

"Yvette? Which Yvette?" Quentin asked, his eyes hazy with drink.

His friend shook his head with a wry smile. "Man, you must be really wasted."

But the next second, another guy with a furious look on his face pushed through the crowd into their booth. "Fuck," he spat, "guess who I just saw?"

"Who?"

"Yvette Garrett!" The newcomer glared at the first friend. "Didn’t you say you asked her out and she said no?"

The first friend looked just as shocked. "Yeah, I fucking asked her! Where did you see her?"

The newcomer sneered. "Who else would have the balls to poach someone from right under our noses? Jonah Goodman, that’s who!"

"Fuck!"

Cursing, the friend shot to his feet. "I’ve let that bastard get away with too much. He dares to steal Quentin’s girl?"

He looked ready to charge out.

But Quentin grabbed him, holding him back. "Hey, what’s the big deal? Sit down!"

With a firm tug, he pulled his impulsive friend back down.

"Quentin, it’s Yvette!" the friend exclaimed, looking at Quentin in disbelief. He was acting completely out of character. Yvette was the girl Quentin had been most interested in lately, and now his arch-rival, Jonah Goodman, had snatched her up, yet he was completely unfazed!

’Is this even the same Quentin Perry I know?’

Quentin looked completely unbothered, a playful grin on his face. "I’m letting him have her!"

His two friends exchanged a look of utter disbelief. They knew what kind of guy Quentin Perry was.

When he set his sights on a woman, he wouldn’t rest until he had her. Anyone who got in his way and spoiled his fun was guaranteed to regret it.

That was precisely why Quentin Perry and Jonah Goodman were arch-rivals—because Jonah was the exact same way.

The two even had remarkably similar tastes in women and frequently clashed when they "ordered the same dish."

And now, Quentin was actually saying he’d just let his rival have her?

"I’ve got my eye on someone better now."

Quentin wagged a finger in front of his friends’ stunned faces and made a shocking declaration. "I’m telling you guys... I... Quentin Perry... might... actually... be in a real relationship!"

!!!

As soon as the words left his mouth, the jaws of his friends on either side of him hit the floor.

They exchanged a look, both silently asking the same question: ’Just how much did he drink tonight? He has to be completely plastered!’

The next second, Quentin suddenly shot to his feet, grabbing his jacket off the sofa. "I’ve gotta head home early. I need to scope things out tomorrow morning before my mom leaves the house. You guys keep drinking... put it on my tab..."