When Love Becomes a Cage (Melanie) novel Chapter 17

I laid it all out on the table, and, in the end, Clyde grudgingly agreed, his temper flaring. He accused me of being blinded by money, and I didn’t argue with him. After all, I still needed to survive.

However, since I had agreed to take responsibility, my first order of business was to track down the person in charge at Radiant Systems. He was looking to save face, and I was willing to swallow my pride for the sake of the project.

I found Hanley was attending a dinner party that night, so I quickly changed and rushed over.

The moment I entered the private room, Hanley’s face darkened. “Ms. Crawford, tracking me down here seems inappropriate. It is a private gathering.”

“I upset you today, so of course, I had to come and apologize.” I poured myself a beer with a smile and downed it in one go.

I shouldn’t be drinking, but I knew I couldn’t get out of it tonight.

Hanley wasn't the kind to make someone's life hell over someone else's screw-up, and I knew he couldn't afford to push back their project.

Seeing my state, he frowned. “Ms. Crawford, you’re so thin. If you’re not feeling well, you shouldn’t…”

“Oh, come on, we finally have a beauty who can hold her liquor. Why are you stopping her?”

A portly man stood up, looking at me with ill intent.

I wasn’t familiar with these types of gatherings and didn’t know who he was, but he seemed on good terms with Hanley, likely another company executive.

Feeling embarrassed, I looked at him. “Sorry, I’m not much of a drinker.”

“And as Mr. Hanley knows, I’ve just left the hospital. If it weren’t for apologizing to Mr. Hanley, I wouldn’t drink.”

My words gave Hanley enough face, and his expression softened significantly. He sized me up and asked with a furrowed brow, “You’ve lost too much weight. Was it a serious illness?”

I was honest. “I had surgery and shouldn’t be drinking. To apologize to you, I even skipped my antibiotics today.”

“Ms. Crawford, you shouldn’t drink. Let’s discuss work matters at the office instead.”

Once Hanley spoke up, I knew I had managed to negotiate successfully. He only needed me to show the right attitude, especially since I was still officially Mrs. Patterson.

But a few others kept egging me on to drink, especially the portly man, who was leering at me. “Ms. Crawford, right? You had surgery, huh? Show me the wound, and I’ll let you off. How about that?”

He reached to grab me, and I had to fight the urge to hit him with the bottle, stepping back.

Suddenly, someone kicked the door open, and Clyde walked in expressionlessly, “Want to see my wife, huh? Let’s hear it.”

Seeing Clyde’s displeasure, Hanley quickly tried to smooth things over. “The guys are just a bit drunk, Mr. Patterson, no offense meant. We’re just concerned about Mrs. Patterson. She’s just left the hospital, after all.”

The others sobered up quite a bit and started apologizing to me.