Chapter 154: Chapter 154: Warning: Don’t Mess with Me
"I’ll get someone for you."
Sophie Shaw calmly pushed Vianne Kane’s hand off her arm. She took half a step back, putting some distance between them.
She looked around and had just spotted a female attendant. But before she could wave the woman over, Vianne Kane suddenly lurched toward her.
With a loud retch,
Vianne Kane threw up.
Though it was partly intentional, she truly couldn’t hold it back any longer.
The stench of alcohol and sour bile instantly filled the air.
She clutched Sophie Shaw’s arm. When she looked down and saw the large patch of vomit soiling the hem of Sophie’s champagne-colored gown, a wave of nausea hit her, and she began to dry heave again.
The people nearby, men and women alike, quickly backed away when she vomited, covering their mouths and noses with disgusted expressions.
Only Sophie Shaw and Alaric Blackwood didn’t move.
Vianne rubbed her aching stomach and looked up, discovering that Sophie Shaw was much calmer than she had imagined, only frowning slightly.
Seeing this, Alaric Blackwood put an arm around Sophie Shaw’s shoulder, ready to take her to the restroom to clean up.
"I can go by myself." Sophie Shaw brushed his hand away. She looked at Vianne Kane—reeking of alcohol, cheeks flushed, eyes brimming with tears after making a fool of herself in public. In the end, Sophie still reached out to support Vianne’s arm. "Miss Kane has had too much to drink. You guys go on, I’ll take her to the restroom."
Ignoring the stares of the people around them, she helped Vianne Kane through the crowd.
Vianne Kane was a little surprised. She thought Sophie Shaw would’ve been delighted to see her humiliated and certainly wouldn’t have helped her...
Most of the guests were socializing in the banquet hall, and since the charity auction had just begun, the restroom was deserted.
Sophie Shaw led her inside, let go of Vianne Kane, and walked over to the sinks. She lifted the soiled part of her skirt and turned on the faucet to rinse it.
Vianne Kane stood behind her to the right, glaring at her with red eyes.
Catching Vianne Kane’s murderous glare in the mirror, Sophie smiled and said, "You didn’t ask me to come to the restroom with you just to pick a fight, did you?"
Vianne Kane’s heart stuttered, but she retorted stubbornly, "What nonsense are you talking about? I’m the dignified daughter of a prestigious family. Why would I ever fight someone at an event like this?"
"You probably want to. You’re just holding back because of where we are."
Since Sophie had seen right through her, Vianne Kane dropped the pretense. "I do want to rip you to shreds. But seeing as you brought me to the restroom, I’ll let you off the hook for today."
"Vianne Kane, there’s something seriously wrong with you."
"..."
"I haven’t told anyone about what happened when you were eighteen. As long as you don’t mess with me and stay far away, I won’t be nasty enough to dredge up your past."
Her back still turned, Sophie stared at Vianne Kane’s reflection in the mirror and warned, "Do you understand? Don’t mess with me."
Vianne Kane ground her teeth and couldn’t stop herself from screaming, "Bitch!"
SLAP—
A slap echoed across her face.
She was already drunk, and the slap made her lose her balance, sending her stumbling to the floor.
Sophie Shaw stared down at her coldly. "Last time, you locked me in the attic and slapped me twice. I hadn’t settled the score for that yet, and here you are, serving yourself up on a silver platter."
Vianne Kane clutched her face with one hand and scrambled up, ready to fight for her life, but the moment she was on her feet, she was slapped again.
This time, the slap was even harder. Sophie used all her strength, so much that her own palm went numb.
Vianne Kane was so dazed by the slap that her eyes rolled back in her head before she fell to the floor with a THUD.
She lay sprawled at Sophie Shaw’s feet, her consciousness fading. She assumed it was from drinking too much, unaware that one of the many drinks she’d had tonight had been secretly drugged by Damian Morgan.
Seeing her lying motionless on the ground, Sophie prodded her arm twice with the toe of her shoe. "Stop playing dead."
"Help me up."
"Then you can just stay there."
Sophie Shaw didn’t pay her any more mind, just assuming she was completely wasted.
After rinsing the stain on her dress and wringing out the excess water, Sophie walked over to the hand dryer. She lifted the damp hem and patiently began to dry it.
The hand dryer whirred noisily. Frowning, Sophie glanced back at Vianne Kane.
The woman was trying to push herself up, her slender arms trembling as they supported her. But after only a few seconds, she collapsed again.
"Bitch!"
"I told you to help me up! Right now, this instant!"
Vianne Kane felt limp and weak all over. She couldn’t get up, and Sophie was ignoring her. Her temper skyrocketed like a rocket, blasting straight through the top of her head.
She screamed curses at Sophie, but her voice was swallowed by the drone of the hand dryer.
It took a few minutes to dry the wet spot on her gown. Sophie let the fabric fall back into place, smoothed it out, and, without a second glance at the woman on the floor, walked out.
As she exited, she noticed a yellow "Under Maintenance" sign placed outside the restroom door. She froze for a second, her steps slowing.
She remembered that the sign hadn’t been there when she brought Vianne Kane inside.
Though she was puzzled, she didn’t dwell on it. Seeing two women in staff uniforms approaching, she gestured toward the women’s restroom. "There’s a guest in there who’s had too much to drink."
The two attendants nodded and entered the restroom, one after the other.
Sophie, meanwhile, walked back to the banquet hall. She found Alaric Blackwood in the crowd, went straight to him, and linked her arm with his.
"Is everything alright?" Alaric Blackwood asked.
She smiled and shook her head.
By now, all the guests had gathered to face the stage set up by the hosts. A presenter and an auctioneer were auctioning off personal items donated by the esteemed guests.
The items included jewelry, limited-edition clothes and bags, and various collectibles like antiques. All proceeds from the auction tonight would be donated to charity.
The guests were all focused on the auction. No one noticed Vianne Kane being hauled out of the restroom by two attendants and taken to a stairwell with no security cameras.
A middle-aged man was already waiting there.
It was Troy Wright, Timothy Quinn’s trusted aide.
He took the barely-conscious Vianne Kane from the two attendants, scooped her up into his arms, and ordered them, "The money’s been transferred. Wipe the security footage."
With that, he carried Vianne Kane upstairs.
Alarm bells screamed in Vianne Kane’s mind. She tried desperately to struggle, but her limbs were limp and powerless.
She was carried into a luxury suite on the top floor. The man tossed her onto a large bed and left. Lying there in a groggy haze, she could faintly hear the sound of running water.
Through her blurry, chaotic vision, she saw a black tripod positioned directly across from the bed. Mounted on it was a camera, its lens aimed right at her.
’She immediately realized someone was trying to set her up. It’s probably Sophie Shaw.’
’The moment that bitch walked out of the restroom, two women came in, dragged me away, and handed me over to a strange man...’
The sound of running water from the bathroom soon stopped.
Timothy Quinn emerged, wrapped in one of the hotel’s white bathrobes. He saw that the person who was supposed to be on the bed had struggled and rolled onto the floor. She was now trying to save herself, crawling toward the door. He couldn’t help but laugh.
"Miss Kane, did you really think you could escape from me?"
