She's Too Busy Winning to Watch Him Cry novel Chapter 716

Finding the melodrama highly entertaining, Julian toyed with a metal lighter. He flicked it open with a sharp click, lit the flame, and snapped it shut. "Like what, for instance?" he asked with a smirk.

Zara's eyes were bloodshot, her mind a frantic mess. "I... I can drink with you guys."

Julian raised an eyebrow. "You can drink?"

"I can, I can!" Eager to prove herself, Zara snatched a bottle of hard liquor from the table, tilted her head back, and chugged it.

While she drank, Rowan pulled out his phone and checked his messages. The screen was completely blank. Not a single unread text from Lyra.

Barely a fraction of the bottle down, Zara was already losing her footing.

Julian laughed. "Oh man, wasted after one sip."

Wesley stepped in to defuse the situation. "Mr. Shaw, we should probably stop her. That bottle is worth thousands of dollars. It's a waste to let her drink it."

"You found yourself a good assistant. He even saves you money," Julian teased. "Fine, she's your employee. You handle it."

Rowan didn't respond, keeping his eyes glued to his phone. The dim club lighting cast shadows across his face, illuminated only by the cold glow of the screen. He swiped across the glass, drafting a quick text to check on his son's day.

Zara's head spun as the alcohol entirely obliterated her reasoning. Her body went limp, and she swayed dangerously toward Rowan, slurring his name with sudden intimacy. "Rowan..."

If Rowan hadn't looked up with an icy glare and immediately shot his right leg out, planting the sole of his shoe firmly against her stomach to block her, she would have collapsed right into his lap.

Zara was dizzy and disoriented, her head bobbing as she mumbled incoherently. "Rowan, I'm not good at drinking... but I like you so much..."

Wesley shivered. He never expected Zara to turn into a complete lunatic when drunk. He quickly yanked her back. "Sir, she's just drunk. She doesn't know what she's saying."

"Why keep someone around who only causes trouble?" Rowan said coldly. "Fire her."

Rowan lowered his gaze, grabbing his glass from the table. A somber look settled in his eyes. "I was the one who pursued my wife. For a long time after she graduated college, she completely ignored me."

Julian knew the history. Rowan's ex-girlfriend had been Jasmine, not his current wife.

"Then why go scorched-earth on your ex's entire family?"

"It's a long story," Rowan sighed softly. He poured himself another glass, knocking back a sip as the cold liquor slid down his throat.

"Years ago, I was wrong about who saved my life. In the end, the person who actually saved me... was my wife."

Rowan briefly detailed the twisted history between them.

Julian raised a brow, his interest fully piqued. He leaned back against the sofa and chuckled. "Hearing you say all that, I really want to meet this wife of yours now."