Chapter 237
By the end of the night, Latham was definitely drunk. Dorothea called Aldin to come pick them up.
“Dorothea, do you want me to drive you two home?” Lanny asked, looking worried.
Dorothea shook her head. “No, it’s fine. You guys should head back. I’ll wait here with him until the car gets here. It’s late, go on p>
She pulled up a chair and sat closer. Latham’s eyes were glazed over, his eyelids drooping. He felt hot to the touch and had already undone a few buttons on his shirt, looking totally out of it.
Right now, Latham actually looked kind of sweet, which was almost funny, given how that word never really fit him.
Dorothea lightly patted his flushed cheek. “Latham, when did you even start liking me p>
Latham, who’d been slumped in the chair, suddenly straightened up when he heard her voice. “Hehe, babe, how’d you know I liked you p>
“Hey, stop playing dumb! Was it three years ago p>
“Mmm p>
His eyes were closed and there was a lazy smile on his lips, but it was obvious he hadn’t really heard her.
“Or was it even before that? What about the Red Wall? I wasn’t even eighteen then. Were you secretly into me back then p>
Latham was so drunk that Dorothea’s questions just kept getting bolder, and she knew she sounded a little full of herself now.
The more she thought about it, the more she figured it must have started three years ago. The Red Wall always felt like something he’d carved later, just so she’d see it when she came back to school.
But Latham didn’t answer her.
She sighed and tapped his lips with her finger. “Come on, Latham, when did it happen? When did you fall for me p>
Her eyes lingered on his open collar and the tattoo peeking out from underneath. She couldn’t help herself—she leaned in and kissed him.
“Excuse me, ma’am? Can we come in to clean?” A staff member knocked and peeked in, looking surprised to see them.
Dorothea hadn’t expected to get caught sneaking a kiss. Oh god. The cleaner probably thought she was some kind of weirdo.
She cleared her throat. “Uh… you guys can clean. We’re leaving.” She grabbed Latham and hurried him out to the lobby, feeling mortified.
Thankfully, Aldin’s car was already waiting.
Latham was surprisingly easy to manage when he was drunk. He just let her help him, didn’t argue, didn’t make a fuss.
After cleaning him up a bit, Dorothea was exhausted. She still couldn’t stand the smell of alcohol on him, so she grabbed a blanket and went to sleep in the guest room.
The next morning, when she went back to the main bedroom, Latham was half- sitting up, holding his head, clearly nursing a hangover.
“You’re awake?” Dorothea walked over.
“Yeah. Babe, I’m sorry, I drank way too much last night. Did I keep you up p>
She shook her head. “No, you slept by yourself. But you did talk a lot in your sleep.” Latham looked nervous. “What did I say? I didn’t say anything weird, did I p>
Dorothea smiled. “You said you had a crush on me since high school p>
“No way.” Latham shot back immediately. “Babe, you’re messing with me, aren’t you p>
Suddenly, Dorothea just felt bored. “Alright, you stink. Go take a shower! And change the sheets, the whole room smells p>
Latham grinned and ran his tongue over his teeth. “Are you disgusted by me p>
He got out of bed, bent down, and threw her over his shoulder with one arm, carrying her toward the bathroom.
Dorothea yelped. “Latham, are you crazy p>
His eyes darkened, and his voice dropped. “Hasn’t anyone told you not to tease a man first thing in the morning p>
It was two hours before Dorothea finally made it out of the bathroom, legs barely working.
“You’ve already gone way past four times this week!” she complained, almost laughing in disbelief.
Latham looked totally refreshed, buttoning up his shirt at a leisurely pace. “What four times p>
Dorothea huffed. “The agreement. Did you forget? We both have a copy p>
He smirked. “That old thing? It says
four days, not four times. Besides,
we’re not even in a contract
mariage anymore Young your office drawer, right? I already
tore both of them up p>
That afternoon, when Dorothea got to the office, she saw Mamie rushing out with
her bag, looking worried.
“What’s wrong?” Dorothea asked.
“Mamie, I have an emergency. I need to take the afternoon off,” Mamie said, her voice shaky.
Dorothea noticed how pale she looked. “Where are you going? Want me to drive you p>
“My dad was in a car accident. I have to get to the hospital,” Mamie said, her eyes red and her voice breaking.
“Come on, I’ll drive you,” Dorothea said, her expression turning serious. “You’re in no shape to drive p>
She grabbed her keys and they left
right away. As soon as they got to the hospital, Marbie barely said thanks before running into the emergency room. fo
“Mom, where’s Dad?” she called out.
“Mamie, your father lost a lot of blood. He needs a transfusion. You’re type B too, please help your dad p>
Mamie nodded without hesitation. “Where do I go? I’ll do it now p>
Claire led her to the nurse, and after a bit, Mamie came out looking pale and shaky Only then did it hit her-she’d always heard that direct family members usually couldn’t donate blood to each other, wast safe.
She found a nurse. “Wait, shouldn’t I not be giving blood to my dad p>
The nurse paused, then said, “It’s usually not allowed, but your mom said it’s fine. Aren’t you their adopted daughter p>
Mamie felt like the floor dropped out from under her. Her whole body went cold.
She swallowed. “My mom said that p>
The nurse nodded toward the waiting area. “Yeah, your mom’s out there. You can ask her yourself p>