The production team clamored inside the sophisticated Coittè resto-bar. The modern lounge bar counter and lounge area design epitomizes sleekness and sophistication with a sultry bar color scheme of blacks and greys accented by onyx highlights and textured rich jewel-tone fabrics, stimulating a heightened sense of seductive opulence. The place was soaked with smiles and laughter. Hundreds of conversations are told in loud voices, all of them competing with the music that dominates the atmosphere.
Sumire and the whole team were having their fun time. The staffs grabs bottles of alcohol from the counter accompanied by the clinking of glasses filled with wine, beer, whiskey, tequila, champagne, or any other alcoholic drink from the others at their table. The team occupied the entire area.
They talk happily and some of them sing at a karaoke nearby. Eiryss was the first to sing and showed off her singing talent accompanied by the applause of other people around. Sumire was quietly sitting and eating on the left side of the table located in the corner of the resto-bar next to her co-actor, Trevor who was chatting with the Head Director along with the producers, scriptwriters, and other members of the project team at the large round table.
Victoria Scarlet, on the other hand, is sticking to and flirting with the producer. She even bit her lower lip and make her bulging busts more noticeable, seductively licking the side of her lip with the remaining wine.
While everyone was having fun, the producer suddenly asked the actress.
"Victoria, where is your first sponsor that helps you enter into the entertainment industry?"
Out of nowhere, the Assistant Director asked made Victoria stunned. She was suddenly petrified in her seat. The actress didn’t expect that question nor did she think the Assistant Director knew about her first sponsor that she had long forgotten.
Victoria sat up. "He already found another talent so he let me go." Victoria gritted her teeth and her hand fisted beneath the table. She cast a glance at Sumire who was busy chewing her food and not minding around.
The second lead actress wanted Sumire to be the last person to know about that sponsorship issue with her.
"Oh, really? I heard something different." The Assistant Director added that Victoria became more uncomfortable in her seat.
"That's the truth." Victoria abruptly replied and couldn't look at anyone in the place. Her face was twisted in nervousness at what the Assistant director said.
"All right, I'll believe you. Honestly, when I first saw you at the KCA building, you were familiar to me. If I remember it correctly, you had the face of someone I saw at CION."
When the latter word was uttered by the Assistant Director, Victoria was completely frozen cold in her seat. She was extremely tense. Her heart pounding so hard, trying to make its way out of her chest. She could not comprehend how the Assistant Director found out about that place.
"CION? You mean that red light brothel, infamous for being visited by high-profile billionaires?" The scriptwriter suddenly butts in as Victoria's eyes widened. She was breathless out of fear of finding out her hidden secret.
"I don't know or have been to that place," Victoria said, trying to hide the intense anxiousness she had. She simply sips on the wine to ease the intense feeling of nervousness.
"Oh, I've haven't gone to dwell in that place before. But I've heard that from one of the talents at KCA. According to her, there are a lot of courtesans have gone rich in that place and 30% of today's famous artists are from there." The Head Director seconded while sipping his wine too.
"Well, there's nothing wrong with being a courtesan." The Assistant Director said that he even glanced at Victoria's place.
"Trevor, I heard you have a next project right after the shooting is done." The producer changes the conversation as he notices Victoria's uncomfortable at their table. She was feeling antsy that she's started drinking the wine, one after another. Victoria had a high alcohol tolerance, so drinking more glass of strong beverages wouldn't make her fall drunk easily.
"Yes," Trevor answered sparingly and turned his gaze to Sumire. His eyes were darted on the maiden who didn't pay attention to anyone in the place. The producer was about to ask again when Sumire's phone suddenly rang and vibrated. She frowned. 'Who is it?' The maiden quickly checks the caller.
The cool and calm demeanor she had earlier was replaced by irritation. Sumire cursed inside her mind when she read the name of the caller: MORT
Her annoyance and anger sleeping in her chest came to life again. Nostrils flared, Sumire turned off the man's call and took the nearby bottle of vodka that was placed on her right side, she swallowed the wine in one gulp and angrily dropped the empty bottle on the table. That wine was intentionally placed by Victoria near Sumire. The cunning actress knew the maiden's alcohol tolerance was low. She could easily carry out her plan for Sumire later.
Trevor frowned while facing the maiden. "Who is that?" he asked, but Sumire shot another glass of wine and swallowed it whole.
"Unknown number," Sumire replied and slightly massaging her temple. 'If that's an unknown number who called her, why is Sumire acting like this?' Trevor asked in his mind watching the maiden successive pouring of wine into her glass. Everyone at the round table noticed her unusual habit of drinking. Sumire's dark aura strongly disperse and they all could feel her bad mood. Victoria mischievously grinned.
"It seems that Sumire is heartbroken. Let's drown ourselves in wine tonight!" Victoria cheered and stood up, she held two bottles of hard wine. She rudely passed in front of Trevor and went to Sumire's left side. Sumire is now mediated by Trevor and Victoria.
"Cheers everyone!" Victoria said as she raised her glass of wine. And the rest of the team at their table also raised glasses.
"Cheers!" They seconded. Victoria immediately turned to Sumire.
"Here, enjoy yourself." Victoria half-heartedly laughed as she poured two kinds of tequila into Sumire's glass. Even though the maiden hated Victoria's existence, she still drank the wine she gave her as her anger towards Mort prevailed.
A few hours later, the midnight moon was at its peak, Sumire and the team were all heavily drunk. Some of them have fallen asleep in their seats disorderly and are out of their usual selves. Alcohol has completely overtaken their sanity. Some of them continued singing at the karaoke with their voice out of tune.
Trevor was snoozing and fell asleep next to Sumire while the maiden was lying face down on the table, eyes could hardly be opened. Her cheeks and nose are already reddened. Bottles of wines were messily arranged on the table.
Everyone was got hammered except for one person, Victoria. She had a vile and meaningful smirk on her face as she looked at her drunken companions. But her lips lifted high, grinned when she saw Sumire drenched in alcohol.
One by one, Victoria called someone to pick up the drunken staffs except for Sumire's bodyguard, Sam. When all the teams have gone home, Victoria and Sumire were left outside the resto-bar.
Night activities reign the area. A bunch of drunkards roaming the road, youngsters had a drag race in the middle of the night. A horde of strippers started to lure men to the nearest den, the nightclub.
With her condition, Sumire was almost shoved on the road. She was so drunk that she could barely walk. Her vision is getting blurry and all she could do was to hold on her bag tightly. Victoria left her and was talking someone on the phone.
Sumire slightly flinched when her phone rang and vibrated. Eyes slightly closed, she instinctively answered the call without looking at the caller's name.
Even before the other line can speak, the maiden preceded. "Doo.. you know... Engr. Ashlaa-nov? That damn hunkkkk...yet gay man. He tricked Shuu..mire'sh... heart. Howw can he do shush awful t-thing... to heerr?! He had her heeaaarttt...brokkk--een and tooyyyed her feelingshh! Ooohh, Shumire'sh poorrr and fragile heart, she mushh..be sooo saaddd shshshs... "
Sumire mumbled incomprehensibly making Mort frown. She was completely out of her character. He could even hear her small squeaks. Out of those jumbled words, Mort understood nothing, but one thing he was sure of. The maiden is drunk.
"You're drunk. Where are you?" Mort asked in a serious tone and Sumire suddenly laughed on the other line.
“You’re being… ridicu-lush…’ m not that drunk… I… hic… ” her speech slurred.
Jaw-clenched, Mort's grip on the phone tightened when he heard the voice in the background the person Sumire hated the most.
"Let's meet at the address I emailed you. Bring five men with you." Victoria said to her interlocutor and turned to Sumire who was now sitting with her face resting on her knees.
"This bitch is going to die soon," Victoria added, and crack a maniacal smile. From there, Sumire's call ended.