“Emily, you lost. Shouldn’t you keep your promise?”
Grant looked at me, pretending to hesitate.
“That’s not really right, is it? Brother-in-law is here, and we were only joking.”
“What’s wrong with it? A bet’s a bet,” Emily said confidently, waving her hand.
“It’s just feeding a drink mouth-to-mouth. If he minds that, he’s too petty.”
After that, Emily didn’t pause. She took a sip of wine, turned, and pressed her lips against Grant’s.
“Nice! Emily always keeps her word, so daring!”
Grant’s friends clapped and cheered loudly.
In that moment, I felt like a fool standing there just for their amusement.
Emily pulled out a napkin, wiped her mouth, then waved her hand at me like brushing off a bug. “Alright, you can go now. Go back to the hospital.”
“Grant will send me home later.”
Hearing that, I took out my phone and transferred two hundred dollars to Emily.
She frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, I just thought it might be too tiring for him to take you all the way home. Why not find a nearby hotel instead? It’ll be easier for him to take care of you.”
As soon as I said that, Emily’s glass shattered in anger. She stood up suddenly and shouted, “Caleb, I’m warning you, don’t cross the line!”
“There’s nothing improper between Grant and me. Don’t accuse us! Apologize to both of us now!”
Grant quickly stepped forward, acting calm and trying to hold her back. “Emily, don’t be mad. Brother-in-law didn’t mean it.”
“He’s just filthy-minded. That’s why he sees everything as dirty.”
I let out a short, cold laugh. “You’re right. I am filthy-minded. But I’ve never seen a ‘pure’ brother-sister relationship feeding each other drinks mouth-to-mouth.”
That struck a nerve. Emily pointed at me, her face red with anger.
“Caleb, you’re crazy! Fine, didn’t you call me dirty? Then I’ll show you dirty!”
She turned and grabbed Grant’s hand. “Come on, let’s go get a room.”
Grant tried to calm things down. “Emily, don’t get upset. Don’t do something you’ll regret later.”
He said that, but his hand still held onto hers. Seeing her still angry, he looked at me.
“Brother-in-law, say something nice to her, okay?”
I didn’t move.
Emily’s face grew darker, her voice cold. “Caleb, you’re pushing me too far. Don’t regret it later.”
She pulled Grant toward the door, but stopped when she passed me. “Caleb, if you apologize right now, I can act like none of this happened.”
Before I could speak, Grant said, “Emily, he’s just upset. Let’s go. I’ll talk to him later.”
Emily hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Soon, the private room was empty, leaving me alone in silence.
I felt lightheaded and had to grab the wall to keep my balance. Then my phone rang, it was Lauren, her voice filled with relief.
“President Anderson, the surgery was a success! Your mother has regained consciousness.”
“Really? That’s great.” I let out a long breath, then asked, “What about the other matter I told you to handle?”
“Everything’s ready. Once you say the word, we can make the announcement.”
I pressed my hand against the wall, stood up straight, and said calmly, “Do it.”
