Love Unspoken

Off to the side, Quinn stood with an air of awkwardness, oblivious to the stir her presence was causing.

Her gaze swept over the influential men gathered around her, and the fact that Alexander hadn't simply excused himself indicated their importance.

Galen, ever the diplomat, proposed a change of pace. "Why don't we continue the merriment with Alexander and myself joining the drinking? As we've already established, this is a social gathering. Let's keep business out of it." A ripple of agreement spread through the crowd. "Indeed, we almost forgot that today is just a social event," someone echoed.

"Let's keep the drinks flowing," another voice chimed in.

Glasses were raised in toast, but the middle-aged man, Stellan, interrupted the cheer. "Since when do we drink without discussing business? Alexander mentioned earlier that if he wins, I'll work with him at no profit." "If I win, I don't want your rates to increase by five percent. Instead, how about having your assistant here escort me home tonight? That's a fair request, isn't it?"

His words, though seemingly innocent, carried a weighty implication that wasn't lost on anyone. This cunning man had noticed Alexander's reluctance to let Quinn drink and had crafted a ploy around it. Quinn's lips pressed together in a tight line, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on Alexander.

Alexander, for his part, remained silent for a moment before responding. "Stellan, your tastes are as particular as ever."

Stellan's laughter rang out in response. "If we're not talking business, we've got to talk about something else."

"We've traveled from far and wide to attend this gathering, and we don't want to dampen everyone's spirits."

Alexander countered, "Wouldn't I be taking advantage of you then, Stellan? How about this: if you can finish all the drinks on the table, I'll give you an additional fifty percent."

Stellan was taken aback, his disbelief evident. "You're not drunk, are you, Alexander?"

"Of course not," Alexander replied. "Including your companion here, I see you both can hold your liquor; this amount shouldn't be too much to handle, right?"

Stellan's expression fluctuated as he surveyed the liquor on the table-there were at least twenty bottles. Even if he could finish them, he might end up in the hospital. But Alexander had added that his assistant could help him drink, too. This changed the game. If the assistant couldn't handle it, so be it; Stellan stood to make almost all of the profit, essentially getting a complete discount from Alexander-he'd barely be making anything himself. Grinning, Stellan said, "Alexander, you've made this promise in front of all these people. There's no backing out now."

Alexander smirked, crossing his legs. "Of course not."

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Stellan's female assistant looked troubled but maintained a smile as she grabbed a bottle of liquor, unscrewed the cap, and began gulping it down.

As she finished the bottle in one go, someone immediately applauded. "Impressive tolerance. Stellan, your assistant is quite something!"

Stellan laughed heartily, waving his hand modestly. "This is nothing yet."

Quinn felt a pang of unease. She stole glances at Alexander, who was puffing away on his cigarette casually, not even offering her a glance. She couldn't fathom his intentions.

Just moments ago, she thought Alexander was going to ask her to drink. Why would he make such a decision? Was it because of the mere five percent that annoyed him, or was it something else?