The Day I Stopped Waiting Was the Day He Started Begging novel Chapter 55

"Yeah..."

Catching the subtle, cynical amusement swirling in Madeline's eyes, the assistant felt completely lost.

"Madeline, do you know Mrs. Yates?"

Madeline raised a brow, the corner of her eye tilting upward. Her tone was casual, laced with an undetectable mockery as she weighed her words. "You could say that."

"Give me the location manager's number. I'll deal with this."

...

Inside a VIP suite at The Gilded Room.

York, Caleb Sterling, and a few others were having dinner.

Sitting across the table, Xander Xavier was downing his whiskey as if it were tap water.

York held a half-smoked cigarette between his fingers. With a flick of his wrist, he tapped the ash into a crystal tray, leaning back in his chair with an aura of cold, aristocratic elegance. He casually kicked Xander's leg under the table.

"Pace yourself. If you end up in the ER, we're all going to be splashed across the financial and political headlines, and I'm not dealing with that humiliation."

"Is Silas really doing that badly?"

York raised an eyebrow, unable to hold back his curiosity. "Is it bad enough that you're drowning your sorrows?"

Xander shot him a miserable, sickly look.

If they hadn't been best buddies for years, he would have smashed the bottle over his head.

"The doctors said he's going to be fine! The problem is he's bored out of his mind lying in that hospital bed, so he's hell-bent on forcing me into blind dates. Three calls a day, non-stop. My ears are bleeding!"

"He keeps saying I'm getting too old to be single, and asking who's going to take care of me in the future."

Xander scoffed, growing more agitated by the second. Abandoning his drink, he started venting furiously.

"Has he not seen the news? Does getting married suddenly guarantee you a caretaker these days? I'm rich and handsome. If I want someone to look after me, I'll hire a nurse. I don't need to shackle myself with a wife!"

Caleb laughed mercilessly.

"Are you still traumatized from getting played back in the day? I know once bitten, twice shy, but what if true love is waiting right around the corner?"

Xander rolled his eyes and chucked a handful of peanuts at him.

"Shut your mouth. Don't bring up ancient history."

Caleb burst out laughing, nearly doing a spit-take with his water.

"Give it a rest, man. Madeline probably hasn't even forgiven you yet, and here you are writing a script for a perfect romance."

"You two are a disaster. One is terrified of getting married, and the other is a stubborn fool terrified his wife will walk out. Yet you're both swapping advice? Aren't you worried you'll both end up miserable?"

York shot him a death glare. Mimicking Xander, he hurled a fistful of peanuts directly at Caleb's chest.

"If you don't know how to speak, shut it."

Caleb threw his hands up in mock surrender.

Ah, struck a nerve and now he was throwing a tantrum.

Ha, men.

Xander sobered up and glanced at the tightly shut door of the VIP suite.

"York, I didn't ask you out just to whine. This morning, when I was in Silas's hospital room, the Zimmermans showed up."

Xander's grandfather had been the chancellor of the capital's top university. Although he had retired long ago, his prestige and influence were unmatched among the elite. He had mentored countless students who were now heavyweights in both politics and business.