Chapter 4

"Sweetie, how are you doing? Did they take advantage of the situation to make you drink? I thought you couldn't handle alcohol! You're playing with your life here! Don't you know how worried I'd be?"

Evelina pouted, looking utterly pitiful:

"But I really wanted to seal this deal, you know? If it means getting the contract, I don't mind suffering a little!"

Her eyes welled up with tears as she bit her lower lip, putting on such a woeful expression that Levi's heart ached for her. He quickly said:

"It's okay, let Stella drink for you. She's got a high tolerance, she can handle it."

As he was about to escort Evelina into the private room, I grabbed his sleeve when he turned.

"Levi, I'm sick. I can't drink right now."

Hearing this, Levi furrowed his brow, visibly irritated:

"Stella, I brought you here to talk business! Can you stop being so dramatic just to get attention?"

I looked at Evelina, who was snuggled tightly in Levi's arms. She was staring at me with a challenging gaze, clearly pleased with herself.

I let out a bitter chuckle, finally giving up on explaining myself to Levi. I forced myself to enter the private room, despite my condition.In the private room, Levi's friends and the current clients looked at me with particularly mocking and amused gazes.

Seeing Levi protect Evelina as they sat down, one of them began to speak:

"If Mr. Forrester's people can down this entire row of vodka straight from the bottle today, we'll sign this hundred-billion-dollar deal with Smith Corporation!"

Evelina leaned into Levi's arms, coyly whining to him:

"Levi, but I don't know how to drink!"

She turned to look at the client, deliberately putting on an innocent expression, and asked:

"Can I have someone do it for me? I want her to drink for me."

As she spoke, she pointed at me.

Levi's expression changed slightly, not daring to meet my eyes as I looked at him. He lowered his gaze and said to me:

"Stella, you're someone who sees the big picture. You must know how important this deal is for our company, right?"

I gazed at him, finally forcing a resolute smile, concealing the misery in my heart, and said to him:

"Of course, I'll certainly follow Mr. Forrester's orders."

"Mr.When "Forrester" came out, Levi's expression flickered unnaturally. He looked at me as if wounded, seemingly displeased that I was drawing such a clear line between us.

But quickly, as if angered by those two words, he decisively issued an order:

"Fine, then drink it all."

I silently picked up the glass and, under Levi's watchful gaze, drank one after another.

A burning pain spread through my stomach, almost unbearable.

Levi's gaze shifted from initial anger to one full of sympathy.

He called out to me in a barely audible voice:

"Stella..."

But he had barely uttered the first syllable when Evelina affectionately linked arms with him, grinning as she said:

"Wow, sister Stella is really impressive, isn't she, Mr. Forrester~"

She used a playful tone, deliberately stirring up conflict between Levi and me.

Sure enough, when she uttered those last two words, Levi's expression immediately changed. He looked at me with a cold smirk:

"Of course, Stella has the best alcohol tolerance I've ever seen."

I ignored him.Until the last glass of alcohol on the table was drained, I looked at the client with a pallid face:

"The drinks are finished. Can we sign the contract now?"

"Absolutely!"

The client was thoroughly pleased, his eyes brimming with admiration.

"As expected of Ms. Winterton! Your reputation precedes you, and seeing you in person today proves you're truly a force to be reckoned with! What an impressive capacity for alcohol! Since you've fulfilled our agreement, we'll definitely sign this contract, if only out of respect for you!"

Mustering my last ounce of willpower, I gracefully nodded to the client before me with a polite smile.

Once both parties had confirmed and completed the signing, I finally couldn't hold back any longer. Seizing a moment when no one was paying attention, I bolted out of the private dining room.

Fleeing home in disarray, I rushed into the bathroom and threw up violently, feeling like the world was spinning.