The Night I Let Go novel Chapter 16

The workday passed quickly, and before long, it was already 3:30 p.m.

Since he had to meet with Ellen, Zachary had already informed his manager. After work, he hailed a cab and headed straight to Starry Sky Nightclub.

Following the directions from his manager's message, Zachary found the private room where Ellen was. He knocked on the door and, with a light push, stepped inside.

Upon entering, Zachary immediately noticed a few familiar faces. There were eight people in the room, but his eyes naturally landed on Ellen.

She was dressed in a white tight-fitting T-shirt and denim shorts, with wavy long hair casually draped over her shoulders, her face adorned with delicate makeup.

Compared to three years ago, she now carried a more mature air. Ellen wasn't just like anyone. According to Wendy, she had been the belle of their college class.

Besides Ellen, there were seven others. Of these, three faces vaguely rang a bell, likely her old college classmates.

The other four, however, were strangers to Zachary, probably new friends she'd met later.

"Zachary?" Ellen's expression shifted to one of surprise as she saw him enter as if she hadn't expected him to appear at her birthday gathering.

He said in a formal tone "Hi, Ms. Stewart. I'm a representative from Yel Corporation, and I'm here to discuss the cooperation project…"

But before he could finish, it was clear that Ellen wasn't really listening. She kept her eyes on him, a hint of something playful in her expression.

She interjected, "You're back to work? Does Wendy know about this?"

One of the friends called out, grinning. "Birthday girl, today's your celebration. Can't you set work matters aside for now? Are we not here to have some fun together?"

Another chimed in, rolling her eyes. "Exactly! Ms. Stewart, you're being unfair. We came all the way here to celebrate with you, and you're going to leave us for work?"

A third friend teased, glancing at Zachary. "Ellen, this salesman's kinda cute. Why don't you introduce us? I'm single, you know?"

One by one, the young men and women in the room joined in, teasing and laughing.

Ellen's brow furrowed in irritation, and she snapped, "Shut up, all of you! Pause the music!"

With that command, the room fell silent. Ellen motioned for Zachary to take the seat next to her.

Having no choice if he wanted to accomplish his task, he nodded and complied. The moment he sat down, Ellen poured three drinks for him. There was a glass of white liquor, a glass of red wine, and a beer.

Putting down the bottles, she looked at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. She said, "Today's my birthday. If you want to talk business, you'll have to drink these three drinks first to show your sincerity."

It was clear to anyone paying attention that Ellen was deliberately making things difficult for Zachary.

One of her friends chimed in, "Business discussions happen over drinks. Drinking three glasses to show respect for the client is basic etiquette."

Another friend of Ellen remarked with a smirk. "Ellen, this guy doesn't seem to have much experience. Shouldn't he be pouring the drinks himself and offering them to you first?"

A girl called out with a grin. "Hey, handsome, if you want to discuss business, hurry up and drink. If you do, we might not just talk business, we might even talk romance."

The young crowd in the private room was already starting to cheer.

Zachary's expression turned a bit grim, but for the sake of his job, he gritted his teeth, picked up a glass of beer, and downed it in one go. He followed it with a glass of red wine and then the white.

After the three drinks, Zachary's stomach burned with a searing sensation. Drinking on an empty stomach was a sure way to get drunk quickly, especially when it was three different types of alcohol.

Within minutes, Zachary started to feel dizzy. Seeing Zachary chug down three glasses, the young people in the room erupted in cheers.

"Hey man! Not bad! Come on. Let me toast you with a drink. Bottoms up!" one guy called out, raising his glass.

"Hey, this guy isn't worthy. You've just had three drinks. Your stomach must be burning, right? Here, eat a grape to settle it," another woman teased, her voice dripping with amusement.

"Charlotte Anderson, can you not trash-talk me while trying to flirt?" someone else retorted, making the room burst into laughter.

Amid the raucous atmosphere, Zachary responded with polite smiles, keeping his composure as best he could.

At that moment, Ellen pulled out her phone to play a song. She handed Zachary a microphone, suggesting, "How about a duet?"

Outside the nightclub…

"The tab for tonight is on me, guys. Have fun and enjoy yourselves. I'm heading out. Bye!" Ellen waved to the two guys before getting into the driver's seat. In no time, her car disappeared into the distance.

"Damn! Ditching friends for a guy!" one of the guys grumbled, clearly annoyed.

The other guy chuckled, amused by the situation. He had been friends with both Ellen and Wendy since their college days, so he was well aware of their friendship.

He didn't know the exact reason why they fell out three years ago, but watching Ellen kiss her best friend's husband in front of everyone and then take him away was a real shock.

Yet, he had no intention of telling Wendy about it. Instead, he was ready to sit back and watch the drama unfold.

…

Half an hour later, at Ellen's apartment, Ellen glanced at Zachary lying on the bed after having been stripped down by her. She decisively climbed on top of him and snapped a few intimate photos.

Next, she sent the photos, along with the duet and kiss videos, to Wendy. Afterward, she intertwined her fingers with Zachary's and took a final picture, adding a caption before posting it to her social media.

Her caption was, "No man can resist me!"

The post quickly gained seven or eight likes and comments. WhatsApp notifications soon came flooding in too.

Among them was a message from one of her girlfriends, playfully scolding her for ditching the group for a good-looking guy.

The rest of the messages, without exception, were from Wendy.

Ellen scrolled through Wendy's messages with great interest. Each one was seething with anger. But rather than being upset, Ellen felt a surge of satisfaction, an exhilarating sense of revenge.

Her fingers flew over her screen, typing out a reply. She hit send.

She texted, "Sorry, can't chat right now. Let's talk tomorrow!"