I could hear them laughing. Feel their eyes on me. Disgust. Amusement. Curiosity. Especially his.
But I didn’t look at Argus. I couldn’t.
I just kept drinking.
Glass after glasses.
My hands shook, my vision blurred, and cold sweat soaked through my back. At some point, I couldn’t even taste it anymore. It was just pain, raw and endless.
Why am I still doing this?
Because I had no choice. Because I needed the money. Because without it, my father…
No.
I finished the last glass and slammed it down on the table. The room spun, my head felt like it was about to split open.
I forced myself to stand straight, even if my knees almost gave out. I reached out my hand toward the man.
“M-money,” I said, my voice hoarse. “Y-you said… you’d give it to me.”
The man didn’t answer right away. He turned to Argus instead, smirking.
“Argus, what do you think? Should I pay her? She did pretty well.”
Argus looked at me, “Give it to her. It’s just fifty-two million. Think of it as charity.”
Charity.
The word hit harder than anything else tonight.
The man laughed and pulled out a bank card, tossing it to the floor at my feet.
“Here. Don’t say I’m not generous.”