Back to Love: A New Beginning
Chapter 172

Chapter 172:.

When we arrived at the restaurant, I got out of the car and saw Charlene standing in the doorway.

It was then that I realized that she was also going to be attending tonight’s dinner. I knew she would also go out of her way to help her brother’s case.

Charlene was wearing a short white dress that showed off her long, toned legs. She wore her hair loose that cascaded down her shoulders. Sapphire earrings gave her a look that was as charming as it was sexy. She gave us a look and nodded.

Derek asked us to wait a while instead of rushing in.

As he took the last puff on his cigarette, a familiar car pulled up in front of the restaurant. Aaron got out of the car and walked toward us.

“Sorry. There was a traffic jam.”

“Come on.” Derek stubbed out his cigarette and got in.

I didn’t know why Aaron was here too, but I knew that everyone’s presence on such an occasion had a specific purpose. Both Aaron and Charlene were good at socializing.

I was the only one who was useless and came to eat. The other group consisted of three people. After shaking their hands one after the other, Derek introduced us to the presiding judge, Edward Jackson. The other two were a presiding judge and a lawyer.

We all sat at a round table.

I was nervous to be around the dignified judges.

After the plates were served, Derek ordered two expensive bottles of wine. They talked politics, economics, culture and even entertainment.

However, they didn’t utter a word about Lean’s case. Although they didn’t mention it, I thought everyone knew the purpose of the dinner. I didn’t bother to start a conversation because I didn’t want to say the wrong thing and make a fool of myself.

The lawyer and the presiding judge didn’t smoke. Derek got up, lit a cigarette for Edward and poured them wine. I had never seen him compliment anyone, so his gesture shocked me. He was a carefree person who hated hypocritical occasions like this.

However, life sometimes forces us to do things we don’t like. The scar on his body where Lean had stabbed him had not faded.

But Derek was willing to suffer to help his brother regain his freedom. I wondered if they shared a bond of brotherhood. Derek’s concern and care made me believe it was true.

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But I wanted to know if Lean felt the same way. Judging from what he said the other day, I could tell he hated Derek. If things went according to plan and Lean got out of jail early this time, would he be grateful to Derek or would he still be arrogant?

A couple of minutes later, everyone got a little drunk and seemed to relax. Charlene had exceptional social skills, so she would jump into conversations no matter what the topic.

I, however, was the opposite. I opted to remain silent.

Edward sat next to Charlene and kept coaxing her to drink.

However, she handled the situation gracefully and drank only what she could. However, after emptying a few glasses of wine, Edward got drunk, or perhaps pretended to.

His manner of speech and demeanor became presumptuous. When Charlene mentioned Lean’s case, Edward refilled his glass and winked at her.

“That’s easy. Miss Eason, if you drink this, I’ll make it all easier for you,” he said through his teeth. It was then that I realized they hadn’t mentioned Lean’s case before because they had been waiting for the right moment.

Edward had filled Charlene’s glass with alcohol, not wine. Ordinary people couldn’t drink it in one gulp.

Charlene’s face flushed as she glanced at the glass. Without warning, Edward took the glass in one hand and rested the other on Charlene’s shoulder.

“Miss Eason, I’ll give you a drink if you like. Please don’t embarrass me and drink it.”

“Yes, Miss Eason. You must drink it,” said the presiding judge and the lawyer.

Charlene forced a smile and turned away from them. “Okay, Mr. Jackson, I’ll drink it. I can do it myself.”

However, Edward didn’t want to let her go easily, he leaned closer to her and smiled, “I’ve never fed anyone before.”

My eyes widened in horror. The alcohol seemed to bring out people’s true colors. They weren’t as decent as they looked.

Edward pushed the glass against Charlene’s mouth and the alcohol dripped onto her clothes. She was worried about Charlene. She hated Edward but she had to remain polite because she couldn’t afford to offend him in any way.

“Mr. Jackson, women’s drinking ability is less than men’s. Let me do it,” Derek said in a calm voice.

Edward glanced at Derek and then looked at me. “I don’t understand.Is Miss Eason Mr. Sullivan’s wife? If so, I’m jealous of Mr. Sullivan. He’s lucky to have two beautiful women by his side.”

I swallowed saliva as my face flushed with embarrassment. I didn’t know how Derek would answer this question. If he agreed with Edward, I would be embarrassed and humiliated. If I denied it, Edward would not let go of Charlene.

I grabbed the tablecloth and silently stared at my glass as my palm sweated.

“She’s my girlfriend!” another man’s voice exclaimed, breaking the silence.

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