Chapter 118
"Oh yes, I know about your past," Mr. Phillip continued in his serious business tone with no mocking whatsoever. "The board of ministry might not know, but it is my job to know about the people the board of tourism will be working with." Hudson smiled and assured him, "There's no need to worry about our collaboration, Mr. Phillip. Our professionalism will be first and foremost in any project." Then he glanced at Cherise, asking, "Isn't that right, Miss Alster?"
Cherise gave the two gentlemen a faint, reassuring smile as she was forced to reply, "Of course, you are right, Mr. Amery. What happened in the past stayed in the past. We should move on. There is no use talking about it now or in the future." Hudson's smile faltered for a split second. He wanted to move on, but not in the way Cherise was hinting. He knew Cherise meant she didn't want to be romantically linked with him anymore, but he had different plans. And this was his chance to get her back. Who would've thought they would end up working together and for months at that? Even the stars were aligned so that they could work together in this unlikely situation. He couldn't possibly ignore the positive signs from the universe stupidly, right? "That's great." Mr. Phillip nodded and smacked his lips after tasting the alcohol, looking as though he was half drunk already.
No one couldn't blame him, though. Surprisingly, the drink Mr. Phillip had ordered was great but also very strong. If Hudson or Cherise had been gulping their drinks like Mr. Phillip, they would have been drunk by now.
"Well, to successful partnerships then." Mr. Phillip raised his glass, and Cherise and Hudson followed his action.
"To successful partnerships," they echoed in unison and took a small sip of their drink carefully. The dinner went smoothly. Enjoy this chapter for free and stay updated with the latest version on J...ob-nib.c'om. Don't miss out, visit it now. Mr. Phillip told them about Country F and each delicacy on the table. The waiter told them which ones were mildly spicy and just spicy.
Hudson ate slowly, and just like Miles, it took him a few moments to adjust to the taste of Country F's food. He nearly spit it out at first bite because of the many herbs they used, and he wasn't used to it, but because Mr. Phillip was there, he forced himself to swallow.
After a few bites, he got used to the taste and soon enjoyed them. Seeing Cherise looking happy while tasting each of the spicy dishes helped a lot, too. He was happy to find out another tidbit about Cherise-she loved seafood and spicy food.
He hoped that by spending the following months with her doing this project, he would know more about her and understand more about her, such as what made her happy or unhappy.
By the end of their dinner, Mr. Phillip was sprawling on the table, drunk, unable even to utter one sentence or even a word without slurring.
Cherise was only slightly better. She had enjoyed herself too much because the combination of the spicy food and the alcohol was just too good, and she had forgotten how strong the drink was.
Being used to social functions, Hudson naturally knew when to hold himself back from getting drunk.
He sighed when he looked at the two drunk people, wondering what he should do. He obviously knew he needed to drop Mr. Phillip at his hotel room and Cherise at Julian's villa, but he didn't like the thought of Neil touching her, even if only to help her stand upright and walk to her car.
Hudson quickly made up his mind. He gave Miles his card and the valet ticket so Miles could pay for their dinner and let his car be readied out front before returning to the room.
"Neil, please help Miles to walk Mr. Phillip to my car," he ordered Neil.
Neil was about to protest because he didn't think it would be a great idea to leave Miss Cherise alone with her ex-husband in her drunken state. She and Mr. Julian might fire him if they knew he had done it.
But before he could speak, Hudson added, "I'll wait for you here. Miles will drive Mr. Phillip to his hotel. You'll drive me and Cherise to the penthouse."
That shut Neil up. He thought Hudson's requests were reasonable. Mr. Julian wasn't home today, and it was too late to drop her off at his villa. Even though he could wake the maids up to help her, the penthouse was nearer to the restaurant. Furthermore, it was considerate for Hudson to ask Neil to drive them instead of Miles. Neil could act as a bodyguard to ensure Hudson would do nothing to Miss Cherise.
Finally, Neil moved toward the drunk Mr. Phillip and motioned for Miles to help him heave up the plump man between them.
"Miles, make sure Mr. Phillip arrives safely at his hotel room," Hudson ordered his PA.
"Yes, Sir," Miles replied as he and Neil began walking Mr. Phillip toward Hudson's car.
Mr. Phillip slurred drunkenly, saying things that sounded like he hadn't had enough to drink and didn't want to go back yet.
Neil, as the more stoic PA told him he had had enough or he would feel sick the next day. Neil also told him that Miles would be driving him back to his hotel, and if he needed anything during the drive, he could ask Miles to get it for him. Before leaving Miles, Neil reminded him to buy meds for Mr. Phillip's hangover when he woke up the following day.
Miles didn't even feel offended by all of Neil's reminders. He was secretly thankful since he was now sweating after hauling Mr. Phillip into the car and would have forgotten everything if not for Neil. Hudson, who was alone with Cherise in the private room, saw her dozing off in her seat and
couldn't help but stare longingly at her. She still looked angelic and vulnerable despite her slightly red face and neck from her intake of alcohol.
He wanted to take her in his arms, but he knew it would be wrong to touch her when she was under the influence. He would never take advantage of her.
Just as Hudson thought about it, he saw Cherise tipping over from her seat, and he moved fast, catching her before her body hit the floor.
Hudson wanted to laugh at the irony of this situation. He had just thought of not touching her, and yet here he was with her in his arms.
But this didn't count as taking advantage of her, right? He was just helping her, and as long as he didn't think of how good she felt in his arms and had indecent thoughts, then it should be alright.
When Neil came into the room, that was the view he saw - Hudson sitting on the floor with Cherise curling on his lap, snoring softly.
As much as he wanted to think negatively of Hudson, he kind of knew what had happened. If Hudson wanted to take advantage of Miss Cherise, they wouldn't be in that awkward position, especially not with Hudson sitting on the floor with who knew what kind of bacteria there were. Everyone knew Hudson Amery had a thing for OCD cleanliness.NôvelDrama.Org holds text © rights.
"Mr. Amery, the car is ready," Neil said with respect. Hudson was, after all, still the CEO of the Amery Group while he was only a PA.
Hudson nodded and effortlessly stood up with Cherise in his arms. Neil led the way and opened the back passenger car door for them when they reached Cherise's pink car.
Hudson carefully placed Cherise inside. After making sure she wouldn't fall out of the car, he closed the door and went to the other side.
Neil started driving toward the penthouse and Cherise's head kept hitting the window as she tried to right her posture but failed every time.
Hudson sighed helplessly and moved toward the middle seat. He gathered her in his arms again and gently cradled her head on his shoulder so she could sleep peacefully, at least until they arrived at the penthouse.
But then suddenly Cherise stirred, opened her eyes, looked at Hudson with blurry eyes, and asked, "Hudson, I used to love you so much, but why did you never love me back?"