Chapter Eighty-Nine

Chapter Eighty-Nine

After Levi left the company, Pearl was extremely upset in the office. It was the first time she had been ignored and shown disdain by a man.

As soon as Max returned to the office, Pearl clung to his arm and said coquettishly, "Max..."

Before Pearl could finish her sentence, Max gently pushed her away and sighed, "How could you be so rude, Pearl? You can address me however you want in the company, but Levi is not just my friend; he's an important client. Thanks to him, I've been able to secure many successful projects."

"I... I didn't mean to, I just thought since he's your friend, he's also my friend. I just wanted to be friendly and create a harmonious atmosphere. He didn't need to be so harsh with me." Pearl pouted, feeling she did nothing wrong, thinking Levi was being too strict and arrogant.

Max didn't want to continue this topic but felt the need to make Pearl understand. "Are you delusional? Levi is your friend? Do you think you're on the same level as him? If it wasn't for the fact that Levi and I were high school friends before and had a close relationship, he probably wouldn't even know who I am now. Next time, don't act like that in front of Levi... no, actually, in front of any of my clients and partners."

Max had been too lenient with Pearl, causing her to become increasingly overbearing. If he hadn't intervened earlier, it would have definitely annoyed Levi.

While reviewing some documents, Max said, "By the way, Levi invited me to a party tonight at the XC Hotel."

Pearl's eyes lit up at this. Whenever Max attended any party or event, he always took her along. But before Pearl could fully enjoy her excitement, Max continued.

"This time, stay at home. You don't need to come with me."

"Why?" Pearl asked indignantly. If Max didn't take her, who would he go with? Typically, men bring their girlfriends or wives to such events, rarely attending alone.

Moreover, Pearl was confident in her communication skills; every time she accompanied Max to a party, she helped him build connections with influential people.

Max didn't want to outright say that he found Pearl annoying. He only said, "It's just a small party, and it's organized by Levi. He knows who my wife is, so if I bring you, what will he think of me?"

"What are you saying? All men are the same. Besides you, many powerful men attend parties with their young mistresses. Levi is a man too; he will understand." Pearl shrugged lightly, not believing that any wealthy married man wouldn't adultery.

Max sighed, not wanting to argue further. He handed her a black card and said, "That's decided. I'll attend alone. If you're bored, take this card and buy whatever you like as my compensation for tonight."

Only then did Pearl drop the subject of attending the party with Max.

After finishing his work, Max didn't go home. He changed in the office's restroom and went straight to the XC Hotel for the party. As soon as Max entered, Levi was the first to greet him, making Max feel superior and having great influence.

"Max, you finally come. Come over here; I want to introduce you to a few people," Levi said with a smile.

The atmosphere of the party was very pleasant and harmonious. Everyone chatted with great finesse and ease. Max enjoyed and embraced the "high-class" ambiance and the company of elite individuals there.

"I recall that you're married, so why didn't you come with your wife tonight?" a fat man asked Max.

Max suddenly remembered the morning's incident, feeling very displeased but still cheerfully responded, "My wife doesn't like attending parties. I wanted to bring her, but unfortunately, she didn't want to come."

"So, you came alone? I really admire your wife; you must love her very much," a woman said with a smile.

The conversation between Max and the guests flowed smoothly and harmoniously. When everyone dispersed to mingle with other guests, Max stood alone by the food table. He should have felt exhilarated, but instead, Max was deeply gloomy and troubled, not because of work but for other reasons.

Max kept drinking one glass of wine after another. If anyone came to talk to him, he would respond cheerfully but then would go back to drinking until his vision became blurred and he started not being alert. The melodious music combined with his heavy heart made Max contemplatively stare at his half-finished glass of wine. He didn't know how much time had passed or how many people he had talked to.

Levi saw that Max was drinking too much and came over to stop him. "Max, you've had too much to drink. You should stop."

Seeing Levi trying to stop him, Max smiled and said, "I'm fine, thanks for inviting me to this party... I've been feeling down lately, a lot of things haven't been going my way, so I’m using this party as an excuse to drink a bit more to feel better."

"Why are you feeling down? Don't you already have everything you want?" Levi sipped his wine and asked.

Hearing this, Max shook his head. Compared to other ordinary men of his age, Max seemed to have it all: a beautiful wife, money, a house, a luxury car, and a high position in the company. But most of what he had wasn't truly his. If he hadn't married Bella, all those things would have belonged to another man.

Max sighed and said, "I'm telling you this because you're my friend. Bella and I have been married for four years, but she still hasn't gotten pregnant. She's my wife, a woman but she can't get pregnant. I didn't want to embarrass her, so I never mentioned it, but my father-in-law has been even worse. Because his daughter hasn't gotten pregnant in four years, he’s been looking at me with suspicion, which makes me very uncomfortable. Why doesn’t he think that it might be his daughter who has health issues and can't get pregnant, not me?"

As the party was coming to an end, there weren’t many people left, and no one paid attention to what the two of them were talking about.

Levi swirled his wine glass gently and smiled slightly but said nothing. He just stood by Max and listened to everything he said.

Max was too drunk. Initially, he chose his words carefully with Levi, but later on, he lost control and didn't even know what he was saying, only that speaking out made him feel better.

Max drank so much that he didn't know how he got home. He only knew that when he woke up the next morning, he was lying in bed in the bedroom, with Bella sleeping soundly next to him.

Startled, he exclaimed, "Ah!" which woke Bella. She was wearing a very sexy white camisole nightgown, her drowsy look making her even more alluring.

Bella rubbed her eyes and looked at her husband. "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

"Why are you... sleeping in the same bed as me?" Max couldn't hide his surprise. Ever since they started sleeping in separate rooms, he had wanted to sleep with her many times but had been firmly refused. But now she was lying right next to him.

Max looked at his wife’s white body, noticing numerous red and purple hickeys on her pale skin, which surprised him even more.

Bella saw the look in her husband's eyes and his thoughts. She smiled sweetly and wrapped her arms around his neck. "My dear husband, what are you talking about? Are you really asking why I’m sleeping in the same bed with you? Don't you want to sleep with me? Clearly, we had a very passionate and wild night last night... don't you remember anything?" Bella spoke in a gloomy tone as if she was very hurt by her husband's words.

Max was still bewildered. But seeing his wife's expression, he reassured her, "I didn't mean it like that... wait, did we... last night?"

"Of course, we did. You were so drunk that your friend had to bring you home... while I was making some water for you, you hugged me from behind. Then, we... don’t you remember anything?" Bella said, her tone carrying a hint of annoyance that her husband had forgotten everything from the night before.

It was only then that Max realized what had happened the previous night. A sense of excitement and indescribable elation filled him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and said, "Of course, I didn't forget. I just didn't expect us to sleep together until morning. You didn't want to sleep in the same bed with me before."

Max didn’t think that being drunk would allow him to have such a passionate night with his wife, something he had always wanted but never managed to achieve. Although he said he didn't forget, Max couldn't actually recall how he managed to make love to his wife. He felt both thrilled and regretful that he wasn’t fully conscious the previous night.