The Night I Let Go novel Chapter 16

The workday passed quickly, and before long, it was already 3:30 p.m.

Since he had to meet with Ellen, Zachary had already informed his manager. After work, he hailed a cab and headed straight to Starry Sky Nightclub.

Following the directions from his manager's message, Zachary found the private room where Ellen was. He knocked on the door and, with a light push, stepped inside.

Upon entering, Zachary immediately noticed a few familiar faces. There were eight people in the room, but his eyes naturally landed on Ellen.

She was dressed in a white tight-fitting T-shirt and denim shorts, with wavy long hair casually draped over her shoulders, her face adorned with delicate makeup.

Compared to three years ago, she now carried a more mature air. Ellen wasn't just like anyone. According to Wendy, she had been the belle of their college class.

Besides Ellen, there were seven others. Of these, three faces vaguely rang a bell, likely her old college classmates.

The other four, however, were strangers to Zachary, probably new friends she'd met later.

"Zachary?" Ellen's expression shifted to one of surprise as she saw him enter as if she hadn't expected him to appear at her birthday gathering.

He said in a formal tone "Hi, Ms. Stewart. I'm a representative from Yel Corporation, and I'm here to discuss the cooperation project…"

But before he could finish, it was clear that Ellen wasn't really listening. She kept her eyes on him, a hint of something playful in her expression.

She interjected, "You're back to work? Does Wendy know about this?"

One of the friends called out, grinning. "Birthday girl, today's your celebration. Can't you set work matters aside for now? Are we not here to have some fun together?"

Another chimed in, rolling her eyes. "Exactly! Ms. Stewart, you're being unfair. We came all the way here to celebrate with you, and you're going to leave us for work?"

A third friend teased, glancing at Zachary. "Ellen, this salesman's kinda cute. Why don't you introduce us? I'm single, you know?"

One by one, the young men and women in the room joined in, teasing and laughing.

Ellen's brow furrowed in irritation, and she snapped, "Shut up, all of you! Pause the music!"

With that command, the room fell silent. Ellen motioned for Zachary to take the seat next to her.

Having no choice if he wanted to accomplish his task, he nodded and complied. The moment he sat down, Ellen poured three drinks for him. There was a glass of white liquor, a glass of red wine, and a beer.

Putting down the bottles, she looked at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. She said, "Today's my birthday. If you want to talk business, you'll have to drink these three drinks first to show your sincerity."

It was clear to anyone paying attention that Ellen was deliberately making things difficult for Zachary.

One of her friends chimed in, "Business discussions happen over drinks. Drinking three glasses to show respect for the client is basic etiquette."

Another friend of Ellen remarked with a smirk. "Ellen, this guy doesn't seem to have much experience. Shouldn't he be pouring the drinks himself and offering them to you first?"

A girl called out with a grin. "Hey, handsome, if you want to discuss business, hurry up and drink. If you do, we might not just talk business, we might even talk romance."

The young crowd in the private room was already starting to cheer.

Zachary's expression turned a bit grim, but for the sake of his job, he gritted his teeth, picked up a glass of beer, and downed it in one go. He followed it with a glass of red wine and then the white.

After the three drinks, Zachary's stomach burned with a searing sensation. Drinking on an empty stomach was a sure way to get drunk quickly, especially when it was three different types of alcohol.

Within minutes, Zachary started to feel dizzy. Seeing Zachary chug down three glasses, the young people in the room erupted in cheers.

"Hey man! Not bad! Come on. Let me toast you with a drink. Bottoms up!" one guy called out, raising his glass.

"Hey, this guy isn't worthy. You've just had three drinks. Your stomach must be burning, right? Here, eat a grape to settle it," another woman teased, her voice dripping with amusement.

"Charlotte Anderson, can you not trash-talk me while trying to flirt?" someone else retorted, making the room burst into laughter.

Amid the raucous atmosphere, Zachary responded with polite smiles, keeping his composure as best he could.

At that moment, Ellen pulled out her phone to play a song. She handed Zachary a microphone, suggesting, "How about a duet?"