The Abandoned Wife Dumped Him First (Victoria and Elias) novel Chapter 23

Victoria glanced at him before finally taking the glass and downing it.

She downed it in seconds. Ronald gave her a thumbs-up. "Miss Sanger, you sure can hold your liquor."

Victoria's lips pressed tight.

Ronald was wrong. She was a terrible drinker. But she wasn't a fool. Since she had come to this dinner, she knew there was no escaping the alcohol.

Ronald quickly finished his own drink, his eyes darting toward Elias in the distance.

From the moment he'd approached Victoria and placed his hand on her shoulder, he had been watching Elias's reaction, testing her significance to him.

Elias made no move to shield her, acting as though he'd completely forgotten he was the one who brought her there.

Ronald's gaze sharpened, his eyes on Victoria now filled with open hunger and lust.

Victoria was sober enough to catch that hungry look. Pushing down the urge to back away, she reached for the bottle. "Ron, this one's on me."

"Toasting me? Good! Miss Sanger, you're every bit as formidable as your father and brother!" Ronald seemed surprised but happily raised his glass.

After two glasses straight, Victoria already felt a wave of dizziness as she set her glass down.

She staggered back a couple of steps.

Seizing the opportunity, Ronald reached out and steadied her by the arm.

The touch of her smooth, delicate skin sent a jolt through him. He swallowed hard, wishing he could take her away right then and there.

"Miss Sanger, are you alright?" he asked with false concern.

"I'm fine." Victoria pulled her arm away.

"Come on. It's not good for a girl to be so stubborn. Why don't I take you to the room next door to rest?"

"Mr. Ronald, I came here tonight hoping you could help with the Shawn Group's project in Ashton." Victoria knew she couldn't handle much more. She had to secure the deal before she was completely drunk.

Otherwise, she'd get taken advantage of without gaining anything.

Ronald looked surprised.

Victoria didn't speak, her hand gripping the edge of the table as she waited for him to finish.

"How about this? The rule on the business table has always been to settle things with drinks!" Ronald paused and ordered a waiter to bring a bottle. "If you can finish this whole bottle, I'll have no choice but to help you!"

Victoria stared at the bottle on the table.

It was liquor, and a strong one at that—vodka. A normal person would be black-out drunk after two small glasses. If she really drank the whole bottle, she'd either die or end up in the hospital with a bleeding stomach.

But if she didn't drink, the Sanger Group would go bankrupt, and Grady's two years of desperate struggle would become a joke.

Victoria gritted her teeth. "Alright. A gentleman's word is his bond."

With that, she uncorked the bottle, lifted it to her lips, and tilted her head back. The pale yellow liquid trickled down her neck as she drank.

She held the bottle with one hand and gripped the table's edge with the other, chugging it down desperately.

Crash!

The bottle smashed onto the floor, sending shards of glass flying.