The rest of the night went rather peacefully. Lucas and Milane had both been offered drinks, and as the event drew to a close, Milane was already feeling a bit tipsy.
"It's getting late, please excuse us. My secretary and I will be catching a flight tomorrow morning, and we will leave now. It's nice meeting everyone here at the event," Lucas gave his last toast before making his leave.
As Lucas guided Milane into his chauffeured car, she asked in a panic, "Do you have a flight to catch? I haven't packed my bags yet!"
Lucas pulled her closer and whispered into her ear, "You can pack your bags and leave if you're so clueless about my schedule. That's just an excuse I had to say. Judging from the enthusiasm of those wine-loving middle-aged men, I won't be able to leave walking straight if I continued to stay there."
His breath tickled her ears and made her tingle. She distanced herself slightly from him, as this close distance was making her nervous. Just as she was lost in wondering whether the tingle in her heart was due to opposite sex attraction or just feeling comfortable around him…
She heard him laugh.
"Ha! I forgot about your contract, you won't be able to leave! Haha!"
"Darn it! It must definitely be because I'm uncomfortable around this asshole!" Milane rolled her eyes and thought to herself.
Lucas continued chuckling, "Maybe Mr. Luthers can save you," he said with a mischievous grin, his mesmerizing smile lighting up his face. Milane couldn't believe her eyes; she had never seen Lucas so talkative and lively before.
"Are you drunk, Mr. Leedon?" Milane asked, trying to hide her amusement.
Lucas turned and looked at her, his face flushing slightly and his eyes gleaming with a dazed charm. Then, he smiled widely at her, his captivating grin making her heart skip a beat.
"Are you shy? Trying to change the topic, huh?" he said playfully. "I knew there was something fishy about you two. So what was it? Lovers? Love rivals? Suitors? Ex-lovers?"
"Don't try to hide the truth from me! I have a high IQ, high EQ, and a pair of sharp eyes!" he added with a self-assured swagger.
Milane sighed; she knew she had to humor the drunk Lucas. "Yes, yes, Mr. Leedon. Indeed, your eyes are very sharp. I didn't know that someone as smart as you could be blessed with equally high EQ," Milane decided to flatter the tipsy man to avoid his probing questions.
"... and nosy as well," she added in her heart.
Like a peacock, Lucas puffed his chest and said proudly, "Of course! Sometimes, I feel that God is biased towards me too. How could he put so many good attributes in one person!"
"Well, he didn't. He's quite fair, actually. I bet he took away your likability," Milane couldn't help but retort, defending God with a playful grin.
"What? I'm very likable!" Lucas retorted, a hint of faux offense in his voice.
Milane raised an eyebrow, waiting for his defense.
"I've been voted as one of the top 10 bachelors under 30 on Forbes magazine," he proudly declared.
"Well, that's because you're rich. Doesn't mean that you're likable," she rebutted with a teasing smirk.
Lucas stuttered for a moment, trying to come up with a solid argument. "Well… I… I…"
"I have a girlfriend who loves me a lot!" he added in exasperation, trying to bolster his claim of likability.
Milane couldn't help but burst into laughter, her heart warming at the sight of Lucas in this tipsy state. "Oh, is that so? Then why didn't I see her visiting her boyfriend at work? Doesn't she miss you?" she playfully teased.
"Well... she's busy... erm... we are in a long-distance relationship, yes, long distance. Too far for her to fly here," Lucas slurred, sounding more and more tipsy with each word.
"Oh really?" Milane questioned, enjoying the adorable sight of her usually composed boss becoming more relaxed.
"Yes! She loves me a lot! She even calls me little kitty!!" Lucas shouted, his excitement evident.
"Little kitty?" Milane burst into laughter again, trying to imagine her imposing CEO being referred to as a cute feline. "His girlfriend must be a ferocious canine predator to name him that! Or was she just too blinded by love?" Milane thought to herself, struggling to contain her amusement.
Seeing Milane laughing at his words, Lucas continued adding, "She said that I was sexy too!!"
Milane now confirmed that her boss was very drunk. She would never imagine such embarrassing words from him when he was sober! Would he be embarrassed when he woke up from being drunk? Would he punish or silence her to hide his embarrassing moments? She better change the topic before he starts revealing more!
"Yes, yes, I can tell she's very much in love with you. Mr. Leedon, why don't you rest for a while? I'm sure you're feeling tipsy," Milane suggested.
"But... you haven't told me about you and that Luthers guy," Lucas grumbled, showing a hint of curiosity.
"Will you rest after I told you?" Milane sighed.
Lucas nodded his head obediently, like a toddler.
"Well, he's my ex-boyfriend. Now take a nap or something," Milane answered.
Lucas raised his eyebrows, intrigued by her revelation. "I knew it! Then, is he trying to patch things up with you?"
"Mr. Leedon, you said you will rest after I told you my answer…" Milane reminded him.
"Alright, I'll save it for next time," he said, surrendering to slumber as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Milane couldn't help but chuckle at his childish demeanour when he was drunk. Under the moonlight, she glanced at his sleeping face, admiring his long eyelashes, tall nose, and beautiful, kissable lips. Although she had her fair share of frustrations with her boss, she had to admit that he had a strikingly charming face.
"Mr. Leedon is 1000 times cuter when he's drunk," she said softly to herself, finding herself unexpectedly drawn to this new side of her demanding boss.
"Shhh! Noisy! Just like... Milane's heavy footsteps!" Lucas grumbled in his sleep.
"Forget it! No amount of handsomeness is going to make him likeable!!" she grunted, trying to brush off the fleeting moment of attraction.