บท 16: Chapter 16: To Drink or Not to Drink
By his slurred speech, Charlotte Cooper could tell he had had quite a bit to drink.
Ignoring her discomfort, she nodded at him, "Mr. Stanley, it's been a while."
Mr. Stanley picked up a glass of liquor, poured two glasses, then stumbled over to Charlotte, "There were too many people last time we drank, I couldn't properly toast to you, Miss Cooper. Let's have a drink now that we meet again."
Intentions aside, he poured Moutai.
Charlotte didn't like alcohol, and her alcohol tolerance was average. Faced with this, she could only give a forced laugh, "I'm nowhere near as heavy a drinker as you, Mr. Stanley. How about this, I'll drink a glass of red instead."
Having said that, she picked up a glass of red wine.
Mr. Stanley's face sunk at her gesture, "Is Miss Cooper not giving me face?"
"I really can't drink." The smile on Charlotte's face slowly faded.
The atmosphere grew tense, everyone at the table was watching the two of them, but no one dared to interject.
Stanley Group was extremely wealthy and has invested a lot in the entertainment industry. If anyone dared to intervene, they would probably be blacklisted the next day.
"Even Henry Russell wouldn't dare to talk to me like this." Mr. Stanley stared at her, his expression twisted.
Charlotte slightly raised her chin, in recent years the Stanley family's power has indeed grown, he was confident enough to make this statement.
"Mr. Stanley, I've heard a lot about you, you're even more handsome in person. Charlotte has a cold, she just took antibiotics this afternoon. Doctor said she can't drink. How about I drink this glass for her?"
No one expected Lara Milan, who was sitting there, to stand up in the midst of the tense atmosphere.
Nor did Charlotte.
To stand up at this time would doubtless enrage Mr. Stanley.
Lara Milan picked up the half bottle left on the table, "Let's not do just one glass. You are such a big figure, stooping so low to come here. How about I drink the rest of this bottle for you?"
Grasping the half bottle of liquor, Lara's heart thumped and her calves started to cramp. But she didn't dare to sit down. That man said he wanted to get along well with Charlotte, but Charlotte is very cautious, it's not easy to win her favor. This is a fantastic opportunity.
"You'll drink? Good!"
Mr. Stanley laughed coldly, his face, full of flesh, turned red.
"Go ahead, I'll watch."
Lara looked at the wine in her hand, her heart sinking.
Although she can hold her liquor quite well, she wasn't prepared to drink this much. She just intended to placate him, she didn't expect Mr. Stanley, drunk as he was, to be so troublesome.
The director saw the tension and came forward to intervene, but the moment he stood up, Mr. Stanley caught sight of him, gave him a stern glare and barked, "Sit down!"
Charlotte wasn't sure what Lara was up to. She had been mad at her in the afternoon, but now she was suddenly appeasing. Charlotte felt there might be some hidden agenda.
In front of Mr. Stanley and everyone else's gaze, Lara did start drinking straight from the bottle. She drank half a bottle of liquor like it was water, swaying slightly.
After finishing, she showed the empty bottle and said with a smile, "Mr. Stanley, how about that?"
"Good capacity."
After Mr. Stanley said this, he tipped out the soup from a bowl on the table, poured half a bottle of beer and a bottle of red wine into it, added half a glass of rice wine.
The soup bowl was already half full, Mr. Stanley swayed it and then handed it to Lara who was barely standing, "Drink this, and we'll let bygones be bygones."
Lara's flushed face instantly turned pale, others at the table also changed their complexion.
Looking at Mr. Stanley's sinister eyes, Lara trembled.
She realized it wasn't just about Charlotte anymore. She probably offended the man the moment she stood up.
She stretched out her trembling hand to receive the bowl, ready to drink, when another slender white hand suddenly touched the edge of the bowl, "Enough!"
Lara looked surprised at Charlotte who had suddenly spoken up.
"What, you're going to drink it for her?"
Seeing the large bowl of booze, Charlotte felt her stomach lurch, "Mr. Stanley, I really can't drink."
"What if I insist that you drink?"
Charlotte Cooper's hand tightened around the bowl.
"I'm sorry, I can't drink."
After she said this, she put the bowl back on the table forcefully.
The bang startled everyone at the table.
The fat on boss Stanley's face trembled, a ruthless look emerging in his eyes. No one in the circle had dared to disrespect him for a long time, yet this Charlotte Cooper was impervious to threats and persuasion, stubborn to the bone.
He picked up the bowl, gripping Charlotte Cooper's collar with his other hand. "Today, you have to drink whether you want to or not."
Charlotte Cooper struggled, her mouth tightly shut, refusing to open it.
Boss Stanley's eyes were bloodshot. He pulled at her hair, causing much pain and compelling her to open her mouth.
Seizing the opportunity, he poured the alcohol down her throat.
Charlotte Cooper choked violently on the booze, ceaselessly coughing, her eyes watering.
"There's no one in A-City who dare not give me, Flow Stanley, due respect."
Charlotte Cooper, choked by several gulps of booze, struggled to break free, but his grip on the back of her collar was iron-clad.
People around the table were scared silly, as the director frantically made phone calls below, his hand trembling intensely.
He couldn't afford to offend either of these two big shots, so he could only seek help elsewhere.
The crowd nearby was in chaos, scattering to avoid the two.
The only sounds echoing in the whole private room were Flow Stanley's furious roars and Charlotte Cooper's struggling.
Suddenly, a 'crack' echoed around the room as china shattered.
The director looked up to see Charlotte Cooper, who had at some point thrown her bowl, her eyes glaring at him furiously.
"Are you fucking looking for a death wish?" Flow Stanley gripped tighter on her neck, slamming her against the table. The bowls and chopsticks on the table were knocked to the floor.
Charlotte Cooper struggled furiously, grabbing whatever was at hand and throwing it at him.
Flow Stanley bit open a bottle of alcohol and poured it into her mouth. A pungent aroma of wine filled her face.
The director, shocked to the core and regardless of Stanley's possible rage, tumbled in front of him and grabbed his hand forcefully. "Boss Stanley, this has to stop. If anything happens, the Russells won't let you off."
"The Russells? Henry Russell? He's nothing! Skinny as a sickly seedling. Apart from treating people's injuries, he's useless..."
"Slap!" The sound of the slap was exceptionally deafening.
Flow Stanley's head turned with the force of the slap, looking up at Charlotte Cooper in shock.
Charlotte Cooper was a total mess, her face swollen and stained with green soup, hair scattered around, clothes crinkled. Only her eyes were brightly shining, intimidating everyone present.
"Watch your filthy mouth."
Flow Stanley's eyes bulged as he glared at her, looking as though he wanted to eat her alive. He forcibly pushed the director away and walked towards Charlotte Cooper step by step.
Charlotte Cooper was only 1.74 meters tall with barely a hundred pounds of weight. Facing a nearly 200 pounds Flow Stanley, she was like a frail lamb in front of a wolf.
Yet she held her head high, not showing the slightest hint of fear.
"I love this fearless side of you." Flow Stanley said with a malicious grin, reaching out to grab her shoulder and leaning in for a kiss.
Charlotte Cooper promptly evaded him and immediately smashed a beer bottle over his head.
Blood trickled down his face. Flow Stanley licked the blood, a glimmer of bloodlust flashing in his eyes.
The actors at the party huddled together, not a single one dared to step forward and intervene.
Just as everyone thought that Charlotte Cooper wouldn't be able to escape, a loud 'bang' was heard coming from the door!
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