The Plane Tickets He Hoarded The Wife He Hid novel Chapter 239

239 Chapter 239 A Glass She

Cannot Drink

Blanche’s POV

1

I had every reason to be furious with Vincent for switching out my clothes, but I decided not to let it get under my skin.

Keeping my voice steady, I said, “If you’ve got business to handle, go ahead. Demetrius’s with me–I’ll be fine.”

Vincent clearly wasn’t buying it, and he didn’t look like he was going anywhere.

“My job is to keep you safe,” he said firmly.

His words caught me off guard—I honestly didn’t know how to respond to that.

Demetrius must have picked up on my discomfort because he gave my shoulder a gentle pat and flashed an easy smile. “Come on, let’s head inside.”

I didn’t waste any more words on Vincent–I just followed Demetrius and slipped into the lounge with

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him.

239 Chapter 239 A Glass She Cannot Drink

The moment I pushed open the door, I was stunned by how packed the place already was.

Looking around, I actually recognized quite a few faces–even though none of them had a clue who I

was.

It was completely one–sided; I knew them, but they were clueless about me.

Most of the guests were big names in the medical field -the kind of people everyone whispered about.

Besides those celebrity doctors, Zain and Joanna were there too.

The second the door opened, most of the guests jumped to their feet and greeted Demetrius warmly.

Some called out his name, others went with “Director Jake.”

Demetrius had gotten promoted recently.

He was destined for greatness anyway, promotion or

not.

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Not only had he studied overseas with killer

credentials, but he also owned patents on primary brain tumor research.

He was the type who commanded respect no matter

where he went.

In the medical world, he was basically untouchable—a genuine superstar.

Unlike the awkward silence that had greeted Zain and Joanna earlier, the entire room came alive the moment Demetrius walked in.

In this circle, Demetrius was practically a legend— everyone knew his reputation.

Finally, Joanna stood up and greeted him warmly. “Senior Demetrius.”

Demetrius barely acknowledged her, his smile polite

but cold.

After working the room with greetings, Demetrius led me to a seat next to him.

A massive round table dominated the lounge–one of those enormous ones that could easily fit twenty

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people.

When Demetrius chose our seats, he deliberately picked a spot far from Zain and Joanna.

Once we settled in, I glanced around and noticed nobody seemed particularly interested in figuring out who I was.

That worked for me—I didn’t exactly have an

impressive resume, and in the medical world, I was basically invisible.

Among these people, my background wasn’t worth a second thought.

Finally, I let my eyes wander across the table to Zain. He seemed completely absorbed in Joanna, whispering something with his head tilted toward her.

Whatever he said must have been amusing because they both dissolved into quiet laughter.

As their laughter died down, Zain looked up–almost unconsciously–and our eyes locked for a brief moment across the room, catching us both off guard.

But I quickly looked away, pretending nothing had

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happened.

Zain, though, kept staring. He studied me intently, as if searching for any signs of injury on my face or

exposed skin.

Thanks to my careful makeup job, there wasn’t a single bruise or mark visible for him to find–no matter how

hard he looked.

In that moment, Zain seemed to relax.

Relief flickered across his features as he thought, ‘Good, she’s not as banged up as I was afraid she’d be.‘

Before long, Aiden Reese arrived.

The instant he stepped in, the room’s energy skyrocketed, and people scrambled to their feet.

“Professor Reese!” echoed warmly around the table.

Except for Zain and me, everyone here was actually one of Aiden’s former students.

Aiden said a few opening words, did his usual check–in with everyone, then waved for us to sit down and start eating.

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The round table was massive, and with dishes scattered everywhere, Demetrius–worried I might struggle to reach them–carefully selected several items and placed them on my plate.

Once everyone had food, Aiden stood and raised his glass. “Let’s toast!”

This dinner was their yearly tradition–same time

every year.

But I’d never been invited before.

I looked down at my glass, surprised to find it filled with hard liquor.

Still, I kept quiet and didn’t say anything about it.

As a doctor, I knew better than anyone how dangerous drinking could be–especially after going through a second D&C.

Even so, I could only force a smile, lift my glass, and join the toast with everyone else.

Zain noticed too and shot me a puzzled look, but when I stayed silent, he shrugged it off and didn’t push.

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After everyone clinked glasses, Aiden grinned. “I’m honored you all made it tonight–let me drink first to show my appreciation!”

With that, he threw back the small glass of liquor in one gulp.

Everyone here was a seasoned professional in the medical world—social drinking was old hat for them, so downing a shot was child’s play.

Plus, with Aiden leading by example, who would dare skip their own drink?

I stared at the shot of strong liquor in my glass, my forehead creasing as I wrestled with what to do.

Watching everyone else throw their heads back and finish their drinks without hesitation, my anxiety started climbing–I felt more panicked by the second.

Zain knocked back his own glass, but when he glanced over and saw me still holding mine untouched, understanding dawned in his eyes. ‘So she’s got the hard stuff too,’ he thought, worry creeping across his face.

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Demetrius finished his liquor and set down his glass, then noticed me sitting there in a daze, my drink still full. Confusion clouded his expression.

Demetrius had eaten with me plenty of times before and knew I could definitely hold my liquor.

Downing nearly half a liter of strong alcohol wasn’t a problem for me–eight taels, easy.

But now, with just this tiny shot in front of me, I hadn’t even taken a sip.

Everyone else had already finished their drinks and sat back down, but I was still standing there, glass in hand, completely lost.

I wasn’t naive about the unspoken drinking rules at these gatherings.

With Aiden and everyone else already throwing back their shots, if I didn’t follow suit, it would look

disrespectful.

So tonight, whether I liked it or not, I didn’t really have a choice but to drink.

I squeezed my eyes shut, thinking screw it–I’d just

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toss the shot back and deal with whatever happened later.

But just then, Zain, who was sitting across from me, suddenly spoke up. “Professor Reese, she’s a woman- if she can’t handle the liquor, let’s just let her off this time.”

Aiden glanced over at me, but before he could

respond, Zain added, “If she really can’t, I’ll drink it for her.”

As Zain started pouring himself a drink, clearly ready to step in, I opened my mouth to insist I could handle it myself. But before I could get a word out, Demetrius reached over, smoothly took the glass right from my hand, and turned to Professor Reese with a relaxed

smile.

“Professor Reese, Blanche’s not feeling well tonight. Let me drink this on her behalf.”

With that, Demetrius drained my glass in one go.

Aiden just laughed it off, waving his hand. “Ah, it’s nothing–what matters most is everyone having a good time tonight.”

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Still, if no one had stepped in to help me, Aiden might have made a mental note–these kinds of gatherings were all about reading the room.

Once that little drama passed, everyone started raising

their glasses to toast Professor Reese, one after

another.

With Aiden properly toasted, people immediately moved on to clinking glasses with each other—round after round, the room buzzing with friendly cheers.

Since Zain wasn’t really part of this crowd, he didn’t go around making toasts himself. The only time he’d lift his glass was when Joanna asked him to join her for

one.

After Joanna finished her toast to Professor Reese, she started working her way around the table, offering a toast to each person.

After toasting several others, Joanna approached Demetrius.

The chatter in the lounge died as Joanna raised her glass to him.

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Anyone familiar with Demetrius knew that, back in the day, he and Joanna were practically inseparable.

Then suddenly, they vanished from the scene–no more news about them together.

Now that they were face–to–face again tonight, everyone in the room couldn’t help but get curious, secretly hoping for some fireworks.

Right now, as Joanna toasted Demetrius, nobody said a word, but it was obvious–the whole room was quietly glued to the unfolding scene, waiting to see what would happen next.

When they crossed paths again tonight, both

Demetrius and Joanna had someone new by their side -a completely different picture from the old days.

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