A Night of Desire

After letting out a curse, he didn’t say anything else, simply stepping around Linden Jennings and heading for the door.

Chase Childs snapped back to reality and asked, "President Sterling, where are you going?"

"The mood in here is too depressing. I’m gonna go call a girl over," River Sterling replied without looking back.

Linden Jennings had just poured a full glass and was raising it to his lips. When he heard River’s words, he suddenly threw the glass to the floor. It shattered with a loud CRASH.

Even for men who were used to weathering storms, this was enough to startle them. Seth Quinn, who was sitting farther away, was fine. Chase Childs, however, got splashed with liquor. He only glanced down at it impassively before looking back up at Linden Jennings.

River Sterling, who had just reached the door, stopped in his tracks and turned around. The floor was a complete mess, littered with shards of broken glass mixed with spilled liquor.

He looked up at Linden Jennings, his eyes full of confusion, and instinctively asked, "Linden, what the hell are you doing?"

"What am I doing? River Sterling, I should be the one asking you that! What the hell do you think you’re doing?" Linden Jennings already looked somewhat drunk as he roared at River Sterling, "Can’t you stop being so fucking disgusting? Chasing women, day in and day out.

Do you think women are fucking clothes you can just change whenever you want?! Can’t you just be serious about your relationships for once? Settle down, find a woman, and actually try to have a real romance? You’re having a blast playing women now, but you’ll get what you deserve when a woman plays you in the future!

River Sterling, if you keep being so irresponsible and flippant about relationships, then don’t you fucking dare call me your brother ever again!"

River Sterling had been listening with a devil-may-care attitude, hands in his pockets and leaning casually, but Linden’s last sentence made him snap.

The fury on his face was obvious. Heedless of the broken glass and spilled liquor, he stormed over to Linden Jennings and grabbed him by the collar.

"Linden Jennings, just take a good look at the fucking state you’re in! You’re a total wreck, moping around and wallowing in self-pity all day long. A woman brought you to this, and you still have the fucking nerve to lecture me about finding a real romance and taking relationships seriously?!

What, am I a fucking idiot? Am I supposed to find love just so I can end up like you? So what if I change women every day? At least it makes me happy and keeps my life free of drama!

And that crap about how I’m playing women now, so a woman will play me later? Let me tell you something, Linden Jennings, the woman who can play me—River Sterling—hasn’t even been born yet!

You’re ashamed to be my brother? I’m the one who’s ashamed to have you as a brother!"

Linden Jennings, still sitting, was forced to crane his neck to look up at him. He sneered, "Fine. If we walk different paths, we can’t walk them together. So let’s just part ways and be done with it!"

River Sterling was choked with a rage born of bitter disappointment. He raised his fist to strike, but the quick-eyed, quick-handed Chase Childs shot forward and grabbed his arm. "President Sterling!"

"Chase, let go of me! I’m going to beat him to his senses today! Poppy left, and we get that you’re hurting, but you can’t just fall apart like this! Just look at yourself! How many days has it been since you changed your clothes? Since you shaved? Just take a whiff of yourself—how many days since you showered?

In this state, even if you find Poppy, she won’t want you back. You’re a complete wreck. What would she want with you...?"

Before River Sterling could finish his sentence, Linden Jennings threw a punch, catching him square on the right cheek.

The punch was so sudden that it wasn’t just River Sterling who was left dumbfounded; Chase Childs and Seth Quinn were stunned into silence as well.