A Night of Desire

As he spoke, he poured another glass of wine. He didn’t drink it, just held it in his hand, toying with it.

River Sterling glanced at him and quickly added with a smile, "Right, right. You have a whole lifetime, so there’s no rush. Ahem, we all got together today so we could relax a bit, and so Linden can recharge and be full of energy to go find Poppy. Come on, Linden. Here’s to you, my friend."

With that, River Sterling poured himself a glass as well. He clinked it against the one in Linden Jennings’s hand, and they both downed their drinks in one gulp.

Seth Quinn’s frown deepened. He hissed reproachfully, "River!"

He had suggested this get-together so they could all help Linden brainstorm ways to find Poppy Vance as soon as possible, not so River could come and get him wasted.

"Linden, stop drinking. If you keep this up, you’ll have a nasty headache tomorrow. How are you supposed to drive and look for Poppy then?"

Linden Jennings waved a dismissive hand. "What’s a little alcohol? I once drank an entire bottle of vodka in one night and was right back out there searching the next day."

"Hey, hey, exactly! Don’t you worry, Seth. Come on, Linden, let’s drink our fill today and worry about tomorrow when it comes. You’ll wake up a new man, ready for anything. Come on, I’ll drink with you." Not only did River Sterling not help talk him down, he actively encouraged Linden Jennings to keep drinking.

He just couldn’t stand to see the utterly dejected look on Linden Jennings’s face when he was sober. A moment ago, for instance, he had been smiling, but the feeling he gave off was one of profound sorrow.

It was the same now. He was physically present, talking to them, but it was as if his soul was somewhere else entirely.

’If he gets drunk,’ he thought, ’maybe he won’t feel as miserable as he does when he’s sober.’

This time, Linden Jennings didn’t down the drink in one go. He took a single sip, then swirled his glass, watching the liquid inside as he unconsciously began to speak about what had happened between him and Poppy Vance.

"To be honest, I feel like it’s all my fault. Back when the Vance Family went bankrupt, Leo Vance drugged his own daughter and sent her to my bed. The thing is, Leo Vance really did dote on Poppy. He must have just been pushed into a corner back then, with no other way out, to resort to selling his daughter for money.

When I saw Poppy then, she was lying completely naked on the big hotel bed, but... I chose to leave her alone. She was only eighteen... too young. I couldn’t bring myself to touch her.

The next day, when she woke up and found herself in a strange hotel room with a strange man—me—she pretended to be calm, but I could see the terror of a frightened fawn filling her wide eyes.

So, on some strange impulse, I lied. I told her someone with ill intentions had drugged her and that I had saved her. From that day on, she saw me as her savior and fell for me, heart and soul.

And I... I didn’t turn her away. We got together, and at the same time, I started footing the bill to support the entire Vance Family. Neither Leo Vance nor Poppy’s brother, Julian Vance, were cut out for business, so I supported them.

Poppy is a proud woman. I knew she would never be able to accept the truth—or a relationship where I was the sole provider and she was just passively receiving my affection.

I mean, you’ve seen how she gets when you guys joke around, saying I’m rich and she doesn’t need to work or anything like that. She always argues back so seriously. That’s why I chose to hide the truth from her."

At this, Linden Jennings gave another self-deprecating smile. "But I should have known. There’s no such thing as a secret that stays hidden forever. She found out. And then she left the Vance family, left me, and went into hiding.

At the end of the day, it’s because I hid it from her for so long. She has every right to be angry. If I’d just been honest with her from the start, maybe we wouldn’t be in this situation today. But... who knows."

With that, Linden Jennings drained the rest of the wine in his glass.

Perhaps because the topic had grown too heavy, the other three men were silent for a moment, and the private room grew quiet.

Suddenly, River Sterling shot to his feet and bellowed a curse. "Fuck!"