Ice and Fire novel Chapter 615

Bill pulled up to the curb just as Lawrence stumbled out of the bar, held upright by the manager. He stepped on the brakes and ran out of the car towards Lawrence. He took Lawrence's arm from the manager and placed it over his shoulder.

"What happened, Sir? Are you okay?" Bill asked. He pulled Lawrence to his feet and inhaled the strong stench of alcohol on him. Confused, he tried to get Lawrence to talk,"Were you drinking?"

Lawrence ignored Bill's question and pointed to the car. "Home! Now!"

Lawrence forced himself to stand on his feet and pushed Bill away. He almost fell again but Bill caught him. Bill and the manager helped Lawrence to the car.

Bill was surprised at Lawrence's actions. He was usually so polite and sensible and respected Bill. Did something happen to him today?

After he made sure Lawrence was safe in the car, Bill turned to the manager and asked what happened.

The manager knew that Bill had been the Chu's family driver for a long time and he told Bill the truth. "Mr. Lawrence came here after class with his friends. He just told us to keep the wine coming and not ask questions. We didn't ask."

"Okay, thank you. I'll take care of him," Bill returned to the car and drove away.

While he drove back to the house, Bill peeked at Lawrence through the rearview mirror, but he was still passed out. 'What happened to you, Lawrence? Why did you drink so much?' Bill thought to himself.

When they arrived at the house, Bill assisted Lawrence out of the car. Lawrence stared at Bill, telling him,"I'm going to bed."

Bill supported Lawrence with his arm around Bill's shoulder. "Sir, are you going to be okay?"

Bill was worried about Lawrence, especially when he saw how drunk he really was. Before Jackson and Cherry left for Hong Kong, the couple told Bill to take care of their children. And he failed them today. Guilt ate him inside. But today's incident just showed that Lawrence was sad and depressed. It was a good thing that nothing bad happened to him and he was able to get Lawrence home safely. If something did happen to him, Bill didn't know how he would have been able to explain that to Jackson and Cherry.

Lawrence had sobered up a bit in the car and he heard the concern in Bill's voice. He turned to reassure Bill. "I'm okay. Don't worry about me. I had a disagreement with a friend and I was in a bad mood tonight. I think I just need to sleep this off."

Bill breathed out a sigh of relief when he heard Lawrence's explanation. "I see,"

He continued. "Mr. Lawrence, please don't let small problems like this bother you. You know I am always here if you need to talk to someone or if you need someone to come with you. But if you need to be alone, please let me know where you'll be. Don't disappear. I was worried when I couldn't find you. I won't be able to forgive myself if something happened to you!"

Lawrence gave him a small smile and said,"I will next time." Bill had been with the Chu family for years now since he was a little boy and he had done so much for all of them. Lawrence felt guilty for making him worry. "I'm sorry I made you worry about me, Uncle Bill."

"Don't worry about me, Mr. Lawrence, I'm just glad you're safe," Bill smiled at Lawrence. "Have a good sleep. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

They reached the front door and Lawrence nodded at Bill. "Good night, Uncle Bill." Bill also nodded at him and waved goodbye before he turned to the servant room.

Lawrence took out his key to open the front door. He turned on the light in the living room and instinctively peeked to check if his sister, Violet, was there. She wasn't. And he wasn't surprised. It was already late. She wasn't going to wait for him.

Lawrence's head started to throb and he headed towards the stairs.