"Obviously, you're with a woman right now! I know you will sleep with her tonight! Go use a condom!" Chloe yelled on the phone.

Vernon was stunned for a second. Whenever Chloe raised her voice, Vernon felt something in his heart breaking.

As if he just couldn't bear seeing her sad or angry.

Vernon's hand trembled out of shock, but he quickly clenched the phone in his hand so he wouldn't sound or look vulnerable while calling Chloe;

"Do you really think that I'm going to fuck random woman outside? DO YOU THINK I HAVE NO SELF CONTROL!?"

Chloe was also stunned by Vernon's voice. She got scared, and her legs trembled a little.

But she couldn't stop here, she had to tell Vernon not to be too wild, or he might get into deep trouble.

He might be a big man, but he was still Chloe's cute little Vernon that she had to guard from time to time.

Imagining Vernon, who might get hurt in many ways for having little to no self-control, gave Chloe newfound courage.

'Even if he doesn't see me as his family, I still see him as one, and I...' Chloe clenched her fist, trying to dispel all the fear, at least for now, because she had an obligation to do so.

'I will always protect my family, no matter what!'

"Tell me your location, Vernon," Chloe asked.

"What do you want to do when you're here?" Vernon asked back. Despite being drunk now, he knew this place wasn't good for Chloe.

He didn't want Chloe to see that he was actually spending time in a place where depravity most likely happened.

Vernon knew he didn't have a good image in front of Chloe, but he didn't want to make it worse!

"Isn't that obvious?" Chloe said. "I will pick you up. You're so drunk right now, Vernon. Someone might take advantage of you when you're drunk, and I won't let that happen!"

"Tch, stop treating me like a kid! I'm an adult! I can do whatever I want! You're so fucking weird!"

"No, Vernon, you're going to get in trouble--"

"Urgh!" Vernon hung up the call and threw his phone to the floor until the phone screen shattered.

His breath was heavy, and he watched the phone with distress.

He regretted his action immediately, calling her weird and uncalled for, and he said it out of reflex because she kept treating him like a kid!

'She should've known that I am an adult! Why does she keep treating me like a teenager?!'

Cynthia, the waitress, saw the distressed young CEO.

She assumed that the woman on the phone was Mr. Phoenix Gray's girlfriend, so she asked, "Sir, are you sure it's wise for you to come here?"

Vernon gave Cynthia a side-eye for a second and sighed, "I don't care. I came here to release my pent-up frustration. I don't need to be wise when I'm fucking drunk."

Cynthia nodded reluctantly. She felt she might've accidentally made things complicated by asking Vernon when he was on the phone.

'ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NovelB(i)n. ᴄᴏᴍ',

But she was here to work, so she offered, "Well, you've down to your fifth glass, Sir. Do you want to go for the sixth? It might make you dead drunk though...."

"Pour it for me," Vernon said.

Cynthia did as ordered. She poured the sixth bottle into the shot glass and put it in front of Vernon. This one contained very strong alcohol that could make someone pass out.

If Vernon remembered, he was down to his sixth drink when he came here before. It made him so drunk he couldn't remember anything other than refusing that desperate young waitress' advance and calling Diamond to pick him up.

'I think I will be piss drunk again with this sixth shot,' Vernon thought. He picked up the shot glass and swirled the dark liquid inside.

He kept staring at the swirling water until he took a deep breath and drank it in one go.

**

"No, Vernon, you're going to get in trouble--"

Beep!

Chloe's jaw dropped when she realized that Vernon had suddenly hung up the call.

She panicked. She didn't mind if Vernon got drunk or had sex with any woman he wanted.

But she wouldn't allow him to throw away his bright future just for a moment of happiness!

Thinking that Vernon would just go with his usual devil-may-care attitude and fucked someone without protection or get extremely drunk, someone would use the situation.

"Come on, pick up the call, Vernon!" Chloe urged. She kept calling Vernon's phone over and over. It was ringing, but Vernon must've intentionally ignored her.

Chloe became desperate. She didn't know what to do, and she couldn't pick him up because she didn't know where he was right now.

The only clue she got was a bar. Vernon was apparently in a bar, accompanied by a woman right now.

"Think, Chloe! How could I get the information about his whereabouts right now?" Chloe murmured. She walked back and forth, trying to find a solution, until she noticed piles of documents on the coffee table in the living room of the penthouse.

Diamond brought it in the late noon, saying the documents were meant to be signed by Vernon.

"Diamond... OH!" Chloe got her answer and quickly scrolled through her phone contacts until she found Diamond's number. She didn't hesitate to press the call.

The phone rang for a few seconds until Diamond picked it up.

-

"Homegurlll, what's up? Why are you calling me so late?" Diamond asked. "I'm snacking while watching a Netflix documentary about a serial killer. Gurl, they're so scary, but... so fascinating!"

"Yeah, Diamond, we can talk about that later, I really need your help right now!" Chloe said.

Diamond sensed the urgency, and she became serious instantly, "What is it? Do you want me to do something?"

"I need you to tell me about a bar that Vernon often visited, especially if he is a VIP member there!"