Chapter five

I have never seen a woman drink alcohol as though it was water like the way Aria does.

Honestly, I don't have much knowledge about women and experience with them. But Aria was on her fifth glass of wine, and she seemed totally fine.

“Miss Aria, it seems like you don't want my nephew to have a glass with his uncle,” Lex said, glaring at me.

Feeling guilty that I was letting a lady drink on my behalf, I opened my mouth to speak, but she rested her finger on my lips, staring deep into my eyes.

“I hate liars. You are not a liar, right, Atlas? If you even sip a glass of alcohol, then that means you lied to me, and I won't like that.” Aria said, pouting at me as her finger slid down my lip.

The innocent look on her face made my heart flip-flopped, and I felt like I was under some kind of spell that I didn't want to break.

“I really don't drink alcohol,” I mumbled, gazing away from Lex’s angry eyes.

Uncle Lex and his colleagues didn't seem happy about my response, and even though I want to impress them since I needed to do so if I wanted to be welcome into the business world, I couldn't bring myself to take back my words.

“Well, will you rather lie to your uncle than a girl?” Lex asked with a frown, pulling wine into a glass and placing it in front of me.

Before I could get a hold of it, Aria picked it up and drank it. Then she grabbed the wine bottle, comsumed the whole thing, banged the empty bottle on the table, and glared at my uncle.

My eyes widened as I stared at her and faintly smiled, admiring her impudence and carefree spirit.

“Why are you so set on giving him alcohol?” She shouted, pointing her finger at him.

A flash of annoyance crossed uncle Lex's face and his mouth set in a firm line as he threw me a hard look.

“You have so many old scumbags sitting next to you! Why don’t you offer them some wine, instead of forcing Altas to get drunk!” Aria shouted, slamming her hand on the table.

Everyone’s eyes were on us, and I knew it was time to get her out of there because she looked drunk and she was.

“Let's go,” I whispered to Aria, holding her hand and pulling her to her feet.

But she slipped, and I hastily grabbed her by her waist, pulling her against my chest.

“I'm sorry,” I mumbled, staring at the frown on my uncle and his partners' faces.

“You have an entire guest to entertain, and you will leave them for a girl you just met! If she's drunk, then let the guard or one of the maids take her upstairs!” Lex shouted, giving me an icy stare.

Gazing at the faces in the room, I felt like he was kind of right, and his words were giving me a second thought.

“I think I'm going to be sick,” Aria whispered, seizing my shirt in her grip, and instantly, I had a change of heart.

“She is like this because of me, so it's my responsibility to make sure she's okay. I am sorry, everyone!” I shouted, letting go of her waist and cuddling her in my arm as I guard her out the hall.

When we got in the hallway, my guard Torus walked up to us, and said, “Sir, let me take her to one of the guest rooms. You still have a party to attend.”

“Thanks, but I got her,” I mumbled, staring at Aria’s droopy eyes.

Nodding slightly, he took a step aside, and I led Aria upstairs, carrying her straight to my room.

When we got inside, I took her to the bed and sat her down on the mattress.

“Do you need anything?” I asked, squatting in front of Aria and taking her hands in mine.

“Nah, I am fine,” Aria said, drawing in a deep breath.

Then she burped, withdrew her hands from my grips, and did a little stretch.

“I thought you were drunk?” I asked, frowning as I stood up.

A mirthless laugh escaped her lips, and she ran her hand through her hair, pulled a hairpin out of it, and shook out her luxuriant hair.

“It will take more than one bottle of wine to get me wasted,” Aria said, staring at me like I was stupid for not knowing that.

I know I should have felt mad for being tricked, used, and looked down on, but I felt excited and more interested in her than ever.

“Who are you, and how do you know my name?” I asked, sitting down beside her.

Her lips curved into a smile as she gazed at me, her long lashes and Hazel eyes heightened her seductive appeal and made me drunk with feelings that I didn't understand.

“I’m Aria. I served in the military for two years and left to take care of my sick mother. After she died, I joined a protective service agency, and I want to be your personal bodyguard.” Aria said with a straight face.

Immediately, those words knocked me straight into reality and snapped me back to my senses.

“No!” I shouted, not intending for my voice to come out that high.

A frown settled on her face and she looked at me with annoyance. Then she stood to her feet and asked, “Why, because I'm a woman?”

“No, because you are going to die,” I said, staring directly into her eyes, yet she looked unbothered by what I had said.

At that moment, there was a knock on my room door, and our gazes swayed towards it.

“Don't answer it,” Aria said, grabbing my wrist as I tried to get up from the bed.

“That could be Victor, checking to see if I'm here,” I told her while trying to get my hand out of her grip.

But she was freaking strong, and my effort seemed like nothing but a waste of strength.

“I will get it then. You stay put!” Aria mumbled, holding the hairpin tightly in her grip.

“What is that thing?” I asked, staring at the sharp pointed edge of it.

“An 18k gold, natural diamond, and pearl hatpin.”

“O-kay… But why are you holding it like that?”

Her eyebrows drew together in a frown as she stared at me and huffed.

“Call it a protective measure just in case the wrong person is on the other end of that door.” Aria said, letting go of my wrist.

“What does that even mean?” I asked, massaging my hand.

“Let's hope you don't have to find out?”

“Who did you say you were again?”