Chapter 394 - 390: Currying Favor

They watched as Quentin Perry carried his drink over to another table and said a few words. The next thing they knew, the beautiful women from that table were heading their way. Quentin’s friends stared, their eyes wide with astonishment.

Quentin Perry squeezed back through the crowd, carrying the drinks from Cecilia Sterling’s table. He was about to turn back to escort them over when a buddy grabbed his arm. "Quentin, you’re the man! Sealed the deal already?"

"Watch your mouth!" Quentin chided, though he couldn’t hide the smug delight on his face. "Later, all of you stay away from the prettiest one. And keep your mouths shut. Don’t ruin my happiness!"

His choice of words made his buddies exchange glances.

’He usually says, "don’t ruin my fun." Today, it’s "happiness"? It seems Quentin is genuinely into her.’

’Then again, it was understandable. This one was definitely prettier and had a better aura than the others. The only question was whether this was just another fleeting crush for Quentin or if he was actually serious this time.’

The bar was packed, so Quentin Perry doubled back to clear a path for Cecilia Sterling with his arms, worried some creep would deliberately press up against her.

The group arrived at VIP table #2. Besides Quentin Perry, there were three other guys and two girls already there. They all stood up and greeted the newcomers enthusiastically; it was obvious they were seasoned veterans, completely in their element in a place like this.

The seating arrangement seemed casual, but in reality, it had been subtly orchestrated by the original group as the newcomers took their seats.

The moment Cecilia Sterling sat down, Quentin Perry smoothly slid into the seat beside her.

Estelle pursed her lips at the sight. ’Then again, when she remembered Cecilia saying she was just treating him like a male model, she felt a bit better. At least Quentin Perry was handsome enough to meet the standard.’

Only Sarah Harris, carefree as ever, sat down and immediately started laughing and chatting with the handsome men and beautiful women on either side of her.

Cecilia Sterling didn’t pay her cousin much mind. They were out to have fun, and she wasn’t worried about anything happening right under her nose.

Mostly, it was because she knew her cousin’s tolerance for alcohol. Strangely enough, everyone in their family could hold their liquor remarkably well. Whether it was a holiday celebration or some other happy occasion, no matter how much they drank, it was rare for any of them to get truly drunk.

"I didn’t expect to run into you in a place like this."

Quentin Perry poured Cecilia a drink himself, leaned close to her ear, and spoke loudly over the music, "Last time at my place, I left in a hurry and didn’t get to say a proper hello. Let’s start over. I’m Quentin Perry!"

Cecilia Sterling raised her glass and looked at him with a slight smile. "Cecilia Sterling!"

"I just heard the waiter say that the good tables here get booked half a month in advance," she said. "You must come here often, huh?"

Quentin Perry’s expression faltered for a second before he broke into a grin and nodded, not denying it. "Yeah. My friends love planning get-togethers. Lorcain is pretty boring, so we just come here for drinks to pass the time."

As soon as he finished speaking, he seemed to remember something and quickly asked, a little hesitantly, "That day at my house... my mom didn’t say anything bad about me, did she?"

Cecilia Sterling shook her head.

Quentin Perry let out a visible sigh of relief and enthusiastically raised his glass. "Come on, everyone, a toast to our new friends!"

Everyone cheered at the sight. "Welcome, welcome! Bottoms up, everyone! No holding back!"

Cecilia was fond of a good drink.

Besides, the whole point of coming to a place like this was to get pleasantly buzzed. Cecilia was the first to drain her glass.

Quentin Perry raised an eyebrow at that. ’He was thrilled. He took it as a sign that Cecilia was willing to play along, that she wasn’t as unattainable as she first appeared.’

’He had a chance!’

With that thought, Quentin Perry became even more attentive. "Here, don’t just drink. Have some fruit."

"Is that drink too cold? Should I mix you one that’s room temperature?"

"If you don’t want to drink anymore later, just let me know. Don’t overdo it, or you’ll feel terrible tomorrow."

"Even if you do drink too much, don’t worry. I’ll make sure you all get home safely."

Although Cecilia maintained a somewhat aloof demeanor, she wasn’t a killjoy. She accepted a drink from anyone who proposed a toast with her.

Estelle had initially been worried that Quentin Perry had ill intentions toward Cecilia. But after watching him for a while, she saw that he was behaving himself. While he was obviously trying to get close to Cecilia, he hadn’t done anything inappropriate, which helped her relax a bit.

"Sweetie, I’m going to the restroom!"

Estelle Goodman told Cecilia and then squeezed her way through the crowd toward the restrooms.

Seeing her go, Sarah Harris announced, "Anyone else need the restroom? Go now! When everyone’s back, let’s play a game. Do we have a deck of cards? I’ll teach you guys a really fun one!"

"I’ll go buy a deck. There’s a convenience store at the intersection up ahead." Hearing this, Quentin Perry immediately stood up and volunteered. He made sure to flash a smile at Cecilia. "Wait for me. I’ll be quick."

Cecilia Sterling nodded. She then saw the man and woman sitting next to Sarah Harris also get up and head for the restrooms.

Sarah Harris brought her drink over to Cecilia, saying happily, "Cuz, here’s a toast to you. Thanks for bringing me out tonight. I’m having a blast."

Cecilia looked at her cousin with an indulgent smile. "As long as you’re having fun."

The two cousins clinked glasses and drank. Then, Sarah Harris leaned in close. "Cuz, I think that handsome guy who was sitting next to you likes you. You can tell, right?"

’Of course I can tell,’ Cecilia thought. ’Probably everyone here can tell.’

"Aren’t you interested? I think he’s really handsome, like a movie star."

Cecilia smiled and shook her head. "Not interested. You only think he’s good-looking because you’ve never seen my boyfriend."

The number one thing she looked for in a boyfriend was looks. He had to have that raw, masculine energy, that sexual tension.

Saul Thorne checked all those boxes, which was why she had been the one to make the first move.

Sarah Harris was skeptical at first, but then she remembered that her cousin never exaggerated. Her eyes instantly lit up with excitement. "Then you have to let me meet him! Ask him out tomorrow—dinner’s on me!"

"He’s really busy lately. Maybe some other time, when there’s a chance."

Sarah Harris pouted, disappointed. "All right, then. I’m still really curious about him..."

Meanwhile, Estelle Goodman came out of the restroom after washing her hands. She had only taken a couple of steps before someone grabbed her arm.

Her first thought was that it was some drunk creep. She whipped her head around, ready to snap, only to find it was her older brother, Jonah Goodman.

"Estelle!"

"Jonah?"

The two of them stared at each other, their eyes wide with mutual surprise.

Jonah Goodman stared at her in surprise for a long moment before finally speaking. "What are you doing here?"

Estelle had always been the good girl of the family, so running into her here was a real surprise.

Before Estelle could answer, Jonah Goodman’s expression brightened as if he’d guessed something. "Did Cecilia bring you?"

The only time he’d ever seen his little sister hire male models and party hard, it had been Cecilia’s idea. So, Jonah Goodman’s immediate assumption was that if his sister was at a bar, she had to be with Cecilia.

Seeing Estelle nod, the smile on Jonah Goodman’s face widened. "Where are you sitting? I’ll go over and say hi. I haven’t seen her in ages!"