She returned her attention to the wine on her table and took another sip from the class. It still had a bitter taste but it was better than the first.
Axel on the other hand had gotten tired of waiting. He had tried calling his grandfather several times but the old man rejected his calls. His patience was wearing thin and any moment from now, he would snap.
He dialled his grandfather's number again and to his relief, he picked up.
"Just wait a bit, Axel, he will be there soon. Maybe he is stuck in traffic". His grandfather spoke before he could say anything.
"Really grandfather? Traffic? Is that really the excuse you came up with?" Axel asked and from the sound of his voice, it was obvious that he was irritated.
"I don't know why he isn't there yet but just wait a little longer. Please". His grandfather pleaded and Axel could only agree.
"Okay, just one more hour. If he doesn't show up, I will leave". Axel said and hung up without waiting for what his grandfather wanted to say.
Not one, two, but three hours had passed yet there was still no sign of his grandfather's friend and the strings holding Axel's patience had finally snapped. The only thing stopping him from hitting the table was that he was in a public place.
He was about to stand up when he saw Hannah taking her own sweet time looking at the people around them who were either eating or chatting in hushed tones.
She tried to take a sip from her glass but it was empty so she turned the remaining content of the bottle into her glass.
Axel's eyes darted between her and the bottle on her table. He leaned back in his seat and a sly smile crept up on his face.
Things are about to get interesting.
The wine she had ordered had at least 35 percent of alcohol in it. Half a glass or one at most would do nothing but the entire bottle…. He wasn't sure what would happen to her.
When Hannah noticed that her bottle was now empty, she called one of the waiters and ordered a second bottle of the same wine. The waiter came back with her order and she noticed he was giving her an apprehensive look. When she looked back at him, he quickly brought his eyes down and left.
As soon as he left, Hannah opened the bottle and continued drinking.
Axel almost jumped from his seat when he saw the waiter approaching Hannah with another bottle. What was she doing? He stayed back in his seat and watched her drink continuously. After some time, he noticed that her movements were becoming awkward and she looked a little lost.
Was she already drunk?
He was about to go to her when two people stopped in front of him. He narrowed his eyes at them because he didn't know them. Not until when the old man stretched his hand forward for a handshake.
"Good evening Mr Miller." The old man greeted him. "We were supposed to meet earlier today but I had to pick up my granddaughter from the airport". The old man explained, pointing at the lady standing next to him.
Axel took the old man's outstretched hand. So this was his grandfather's so-called friend. His eyes darted between the old man and the lady next to him before greeting him.
"Good evening to you too Mr…" Axel drawled, waiting for the man to provide his name.
"Warren". The old man said.
"Good to see you, Mr Warren". Axel said to the old man. "Take your seats". He offered and they both sat down.
"Sorry for the inconvenience again Mr Miller". The old man apologised. "I was supposed to meet with your grandfather but when I heard you were coming instead, I thought it was best to bring my granddaughter along".
Axel only nodded without saying a word. He looked barely interested in what they were saying.
The old man laughed awkwardly as the silence was stretching longer than normal.
"Let me introduce you both," the old man said, trying to fill in the silence. "Mr Miller, this is my granddaughter, Brittany Warren. She is going to be the next CEO of Steel industry after I retire. Brittany, this is Axel Miller, CEO of Starlight industries".
"Nice to meet you". Brittany stretched her hand forward for a handshake with a polite smile on her face. Axel just looked at her hand before looking straight to her face, but he didn't take her hand or say anything, he only nodded at her before going back to look above their heads.
Brittany withdrew her hand shyly but she was still smiling. On the other hand, her grandfather furrowed his eyebrows.
Was this what his friend meant when he said that his grandson was a little impolite? He had expected Axel to be rude and a bit arrogant but this was too much.
He was about to speak some sense into Axel when the latter stood up abruptly.
"That would be all for now. If you have anything else to discuss, meet me at my office". And with that, Axel walked away from them straight to Hannah's table.
He had been watching Hannah since she ordered a second bottle. She had already drunk more than half of the bottle and he was worried that she would start embarrassing herself soon before that happened, he had to get her out of there.
He got to Hannah's table and sat in front of her.
"What are you doing? Why are you drinking so much". He asked sternly but she didn't respond. Instead, she poured more of the wine in her class and gulped everything at a go.
Axel tried to grab the bottle from her but she reached it before he did and poured more wine into her glass. He tried to grab the bottle from her again when she raised her head to look at him and her eyes met his.