A Night of Desire

Linden Jennings, however, roared, his face flushed with anger, "River Sterling, what the hell are you talking about! Poppy would never leave me!"

River Sterling bared his teeth, licked the corner of his lip, and spat. He raised a fist but didn’t actually strike back. He just sneered and said, "Why wouldn’t she? Women are the most heartless creatures! When you think they love you, what do you think they really love? Some women love you for your immense fortune, others for your dashing good looks."

"If you were some broke, ugly brute—a total piece of trash—do you think they’d still love you? Poppy Vance is a woman, too. So why would she be any different?"

Linden Jennings shot to his feet, ready to throw another punch, but River Sterling suddenly shoved his face forward. "Go ahead! You already hit my right cheek. You want me to offer you the left one now?"

Linden’s outstretched hand froze. He said resentfully, "Don’t you dare compare Poppy to those women you mess around with!"

Seeing this, River Sterling frowned, seemingly disappointed he hadn’t taken another punch. He opened his mouth to say more, but Seth Quinn, who had been silent until now, cut in with a sharp, "That’s enough!"

He glanced at Linden Jennings and River Sterling, then continued, "I asked you guys to come here because it’s been a while and I wanted us to catch up like brothers, not for you to start a brawl! Both of you, sit down!"

River Sterling reluctantly walked back to his seat and sat down. Linden was pushed down onto the sofa by Chase Childs.

He thought about getting a new glass, but then decided against it, grabbing the bottle and drinking straight from the neck.

Seth Quinn frowned, a worried expression on his face. "Linden, take it easy on the drinks," he said.

Linden Jennings chugged half the bottle in one go before wiping his mouth unceremoniously with the back of his hand. He looked at Seth and said, "Isn’t this what you do at The Tuberose? Why come here if you’re not going to drink?"

...

By the time they left The Tuberose, Linden Jennings was, without a doubt, completely drunk. The other three weren’t drunk, but they’d had a fair bit to drink as well.

None of them were in any condition to drive, so River Sterling used his phone to call a designated driver for Linden Jennings.

They didn’t have to wait long at the entrance of The Tuberose before the driver arrived.

The moment River Sterling saw the driver, he made a scene. "A woman? Is she even capable?"

The female driver was just taking the car keys that Chase Childs had fished out of Linden Jennings’s pocket. She gave River an impassive glance and said flatly, "Don’t worry, sir. I will get the client to his destination safely."

River Sterling, probably emboldened by the alcohol, decided to press the issue. "Safely to his destination? Are we supposed to believe that? A woman, huh? Haven’t you heard that the biggest menaces on the road are female drivers?"

"That only refers to a certain subset of female drivers. Not all of us are bad at driving!" the driver replied, her expression calm and her tone neither servile nor insolent.

River Sterling gave her a second look. Her face was palm-sized, framed by a pair of large, black-rimmed glasses. She wore no makeup—not even a touch of lipstick, it seemed.

Her ear-length bob, combined with the glasses, made her look stuffy, dull, and uninteresting.

She was dressed in a t-shirt and long pants that completely hid her figure, marking her as a frumpy, conservative woman at a glance.

River Sterling couldn’t help but grin. ’A woman like this still exists these days?!’

He raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling the urge to mess with her. "You don’t look like you drive much, do you? You’re a rookie, right? So how are we supposed to trust your skills? How about this: swear an oath for us."