Returning to the company, Louis was swamped with work until dusk. As he loosened his tie, he shot a cold look at his assistant, "Did you find what I asked you to?"
The assistant replied, "Mr. Martinez, I couldn't find any link between Leo and a man named Chuck."
Louis's icy demeanor seemed to thaw a little, as if he had expected this outcome. He thought, "Chuck is the man Alicia hads buried deep in her heart, and before the divorce, she won't involve herself with him easily, as she always acts discreetly."
Pushing his chair back, Louis stood up, buttoning his suit jacket with one hand. "Let someone else attend the dinner party tonight; I have something to take care of."
"Understood, Mr. Martinez," the assistant said as he helped organize the documents on the desk.
After getting out of work, Louis drove to the antique street. The sun was setting, and the sky was turning dark. He phoned Alicia, "I'm outside your shop. Come out."
Alicia sounded surprised over the phone, "I'm hanging out with my friends from work."
Louis hesitated for a moment, but eventually asked, "Are you with Leo?"
Alicia responded, "Yeah, he's my boss's grandson, so he sometimes works with us, but his real job was a doctor."
Recalling how Alicia and Leo had been joking around earlier, a sense of unease grew in Louis's heart, but he kept his voice even. "Call me when you're done. I'll come pick you up."
"Thanks," Alicia replied, her tone restrained and distant, as if deliberately distancing herself from Louis.
Louis felt uncomfortable listening to her tone, and his grip on the phone tightened slightly. After hanging up, he called his friend, Jaheer Birla, saying, "Let's grab a drink."
"Isn't it too early for drinks?" Jaheer answered with a lazy drawl, as if he had just woken up.
Louis's voice was sharp and decisive, "Bring the land sales contract. Meet me at Fever Tonight in thirty minutes, or it'll be too late."
Jaheer snapped out of his drowsiness, "OK, Mr. Martinez, you got it. I'm on my way."
Thirty minutes later, a private room at Fever Tonight was bustling with people. They were all signing contracts, going through procedures, and transferring money. After they finished, everyone left except for Louis and Jaheer.
The charming Jaheer lounged in his seat, arms resting on the back of his chair. With his beautiful eyes shining with satisfaction, he looked at Louis and asked, "Feeling down?"
Louis took a sip of his drink and replied casually, "No, at least not as down as you think."
Jaheer teased him, "Tsk, tsk, you come out for a drink and say you're not feeling down? Others who are feeling down would go find women to have fun with, but you, you buy a piece of land from me so generously. Whoa… Next time you're feeling down again, please do hit me up. I still have several pieces of lot waiting to be sold."
"Don't take me for a fool. You know I'll sign this contract no matter what. But it's a week earlier than planned," Louis said, setting down his glass.
Jaheer motioned to the waiter to refill his drink and said, "Yo, I heard Madelyn's back in town. You two getting tight?"
Louis raised an eyebrow. "What's your point? Just spit it."
"Alicia's a good girl, don't let her down," Jaheer said, giving Louis a serious look.
Louis drummed his fingers on the table and smirked. "You didn't think she was good enough for me when I first wanted to marry her. What changed your mind?"
Jaheer responded, "Back then, I thought she was just trying to get her hands on your cash. But I see now that she really cares about you. If she was just in it for the money, she would have bounced as soon as she got it. She wouldn't still be around, doing everything for you like a damn workhorse."
Louis's dark eyes grew even darker as he murmured, "She's a pretty amazing woman."
"Then why..." Jaheer started to say, but stopped abruptly.
Louis stared down at the clear liquor in his glass and said, "She's a damn good person. Her family was struggling for cash three years ago, and she didn't have a choice but to marry me. I know she probably felt like she got the short end of the stick. I don't want her to keep suffering.
Jaheer was surprised. "So you want to divorce her just because of that? She's a good woman. How can you let her go?"
Louis's face remained stoic, but a shadow crossed his eyes. "What else can I do? I can't keep her by my side forever, watching her suffer from nightmares and calling out some other man's name in her sleep. I can't stand to see her in pain, and I won't put up with that kind of humiliation."
Louis took a swig of his drink, feeling the vodka burn down his throat and settle in his chest.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Jaheer yelled out, "Come in."
The door opened, and a pretty woman walked in. She wore a white chiffon blouse with bubble sleeves tucked into a tight skirt, decked out in Cartier jewelry and carrying an Hermès Birkin bag.
It was Madelyn. When Louis saw her, his eyes darkened slightly. "What are you doing here?"
Madelyn sauntered up to him, leaning over and draping her arm on the back of his chair. She whispered in his ear, her breath tickling his skin. "I heard you were here for dinner, so I thought I'd stop by and say hello."
Her hot breath made Louis squirm, and he leaned away from her. Seeing that she wasn't budging, he said flatly, "Take a seat."
"Thanks, Louis," Madelyn said, pulling out a chair and draping her coat over the back of it.
The waiter provided her with utensils, and Louis pushed the menu toward her. "Order whatever you want," he said.
Madelyn looked at the table filled with food and pushed the menu aside. "No need to order. I love everything you love."
Seeing that, Jaheer shuddered, brushing the goosebumps off his arm.
Madelyn turned a plate of sweet Arctic shrimp towards her and batted her eyes at Louis. "Louis, can you peel some shrimp for me?"
Jaheer sneered, "Wait, what happened to your hands? Last time I checked, they were hanging nicely on your arms and resting on your Birkin bag."
Madelyn stuck out her bottom lip. "Please, Louis? I want to eat the shrimp you peel." She latched onto Louis's arm and batted her eyelashes at him.
Louis withdrew his arm and donned a pair of disposable gloves before peeling a shrimp from the plate. While doing so, he couldn't help but recall Alicia's deft hands and her ability to peel shrimp meat while keeping the shell intact. "Alicia's got some serious shrimp peeling skills. I've tried it a few times, but I just can't seem to get the hang of it."
He then pinched a piece of shrimp meat and placed it in front of Madelyn, who leaned in and deliberately took his fingers into her mouth. She sensually circled her tongue around his fingertips, then withdrew and flashed a coquettish smile. "Mmm, delicious."
Louis's expression faltered, unsure of how to react. He removed the gloves and grabbed a disinfectant towel to wipe his finger.
Jaheer shuddered, wanting to slap Madelyn for her behavior and tell her that Louis was not yet divorced. Moreover, Madelyn acted as if Jaheer didn't even exist, making him feel upset and irritated.
Jaheer quickly texted Alicia, "Louis is acting drunk and having a fit. He's not in his right mind. Come get him. We're at Fever Tonight, in the private room on the third floor."