Chapter 591

“We’ll have a drinking contest. First one to pass out loses!” Penelope declared boldly.
Hamilton scoffed. “You want to compete with me in drinking?”
“Does Mr. Amos look down on me?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.”
“If I win, you promise to lift the blacklist against Natalie and stop giving her trouble!”
“There’s no way you can win!”
“Are you afraid to accept?”
Hamilton smiled, then turned to Theodore. “Theo, if I win, can I punch her? Just once. She’s been getting on my nerves lately.”
Theodore merely glanced at Hamilton before getting up and heading inside the house.
Hamilton frowned. “Was that a yes or a no?”
Penelope said angrily, “Why are you asking him? I’m giving you permission to hit me!”
Michael tugged at Penelope’s sleeve. “Even if you let him, he wouldn’t dare.”
“Theodore and I are done. Why wouldn’t he dare?”
“Uh, Theodore is protective of his own. That includes ex-wives.”
Penelope pursed her lips. “I don’t need his protection.”
Michael’s eyes darted around. “How about this: if you beat Hamilton, he agrees to leave Natalie alone. But if Hamilton beats you, you
This was tricky. A light consequence would be unfair to Hamilton, but a heavy one would be unfair to Theodore.
“If I win, I won’t hit you either,” Hamilton interjected. “Just stay the hell away from me from now on.”
“It’s a deal!”
With the terms settled, the maid brought over the glasses.
“Ma’am, you once mentioned you liked this set of glasses, so I brought them especially for you,” Lydia said.
Penelope thanked her, then lined up the glasses and began to pour, filling each one to the brim.
To show her sincerity, she picked up a glass and downed it in one go.
Hamilton laughed. “You probably don’t know this, but I was practically raised on alcohol.”
To demonstrate his contempt, he drained three glasses in quick succession.
Not to be outdone, Penelope matched him, downing three more.
Simon watched them go glass for glass. He knew Hamilton could drink, but he hadn’t expected the delicate-looking Penelope to have such a high tolerance.
Michael whispered, “Ms. Laurier
used to work in the project
department at Stone Group. She had to drink with chents to close deals
Her tolerance is definitely not to be underestimated.”
“The woman has a temper, knows how to fight, and can hold her liquor. No wonder
she dared to dump Theo.”
“So between her and Hamilton, it’s anyone’s game.”
Penelope’s tolerance was good, but Hamilton was no slouch either.
They had already finished two bottles, and both were starting to feel unsteady, especially Penelope. The room was beginning to spin. But she had to hold on Only by winning could she help Natalie.
She had Lydia pour more, then steadied herself with one hand on the table, picked
up a glass with the other, and drank it dry.
Hamilton clearly hadn’t expected Penelope to be such a strong drinker. He paused for a moment, then downed another glass.
“Natalie was the one who cheated, got pregnant with that man’s child, and forced
me to divorce her. That’s why I blacklisted her
“You were the one who cheated first.”
“I never touched Maria back then.”
“But you know very well what you did to Natalie because of Maria.”
“I… even though I knew she had deceived me, I never thought about divorcing her!”
“Bullshit! What makes you think that just because you didn’t want a divorce, she wouldn’t want to divorce you?”
“She loved me!”
“Did you love her?”
“That’s not important!”
“Hamilton, you don’t love her. You love Maria. And now that you two are together, you should get married, have children, and live happily ever after. That would be perfect. As for Natalie, she’s in your past Letting her go is letting yourself go.
“Why the hell should I let her go!”