Ella reentered the private room, and the atmosphere was still warm. With Cendy around, there was no such thing as a cold reception.

Cendy found Ella back at this moment, and hurriedly went over to hug her. She must've drank a bit too much, because she was swaying on her feet. Ella was quick to support her with one arm.

Despite how light Cendy looked, she was dead heavy when she was drunk.

"If you can't handle your alcohol, just drink less." Ella sighed.

Cendy was resting limply on Ella, but as soon as she heard that comment, she stood up straight. I can absolutely handle my alcohol!"

Ella shook her head and said nothing. What a piece of work.

Carefully, she helped Cendy sit on the sofa. Right before she could lay down the rest of the way, she instantly bounced back up.

She was the restless type, never settling for a second. Suddenly, she grabbed a glass of wine from the coffee table and handed it to Ella. Ella didn't drink tonight at all tonight, not even a sip.

The truth was that she wasn't a good drinker. Since she wasn't drinking while Lucien was consuming double the amount, it was natural for him to get drunk. When he did, that opened up plenty of possibilities.

She suddenly understood precisely where Eden's willfulness was stemming from. It appeared that it wasn't merely a fleeting mood for Eden.

He was just trying to provoke Lucien.

It was likely because he knew all too well about Lucien's resolute nature, so he deliberately pushed him to drink more and get drunk faster.

In the end, Eden's complexity ran even deeper than she had anticipated.

"Ella," Cendy whined. "You have to drink. That's what nightclubs are for."

Ella glared at her.

"Make faces at me all you want. You still have to drink with me," Cendy pouted.

Ugh! This girl was so–!

"If you don't drink, I'm leaving," Cendy threatened.

Ella really thought Cendy acted like a little kid sometimes. A little kid who never grew up.

Who would suddenly break apart…

Ella shook off the memory of her past life, grabbing Cendy's wine glass and draining the rest of it, in one go.

Cendy's eyes widened, as if seeing Ella drink was enough to sober her up.

She was just acting bratty.

Ella had a very motherly attitude when it came to her, always coming to her rescue when she got a little too drunk. Just now, Cendy was just messing around. She didn't really think Ella would drink the wine like that.

In reality, Ella did not completely abstain from drinking. Usually, when they were together, she would reluctantly have a little wine under Cendy's insistence. But on occasions like this, in places like this, Ella refused to drink at all.

Cendy gazed at Ella, having just one thought in her mind.

Ella had changed. She had become incredibly resolute. And Cendy was no longer worried.

Ella always did the right thing, but if she turned out to be wrong, Cendy would stand by her side, even if it meant being wrong with her.

She drained the wine from her own glass, marking one more down. Cendy, feeling giddy, poured a few more glasses and joined Ella in drinking. Soon, everyone else in the private room noticed Ella's drinking and joined in, raising their glasses to toast with her.

Ella chose to be as she was, simply enjoying the moment.

In between glasses, Lucien had tried to stop her, but he got caught up by everyone else insisting he drink too. By the end of the night, he didn't care what Ella was up to in the slightest.

Actually, Lucien had never once hesitated in choosing between himself and Ella. Time and time again, he put himself above her.

"Ella," Winston sat down next to her.

Ella was clearly feeling a little dizzy. If this was what being drunk was like, it wasn't too bad.

She looked at Winston, a smile spreading at the corners of her mouth. She picked up her cup and held it out to him, "Winston! I want to have a drink with you."

Winston originally wanted to remind her to ease up on the alcohol, but he couldn't say no to the smile on her face. He drank a cup of wine with her.

Immediately after, Ella glanced between Winston and Cendy, then asked, "Aren't you two going to drink together?"

Cendy was full of reluctance, but Winston was happy to pour a glass of wine for both of them.

"Cendy," he said, raising his glass. "To you and Bowen."

Cendy pursed her lips. That was the first time Winston called her by name since he'd come back. Even though her first name wasn't anything intimate, they'd been alienated from each other for so long that it made her feel warm inside.

When Cendy didn't say yes, Winston turned to Bowen, who was sitting next to him.

Bowen had been almost silent all evening.

In her past life, Ella had assumed Bowen's withdrawn nature was a result of him growing up as an orphan. She even agreed with Cendy that Bowen needed to be treated with extra consideration because of it.

The truth was that he was just using his background as an excuse to get more sympathy from people. It was a way to manipulate people into defending him or looking out for him.

Bowen moved to sit down next to Cendy.

Winston said, "I heard my uncle mention that you guys are getting married soon."

By uncle, Winston was referring to Cendy's father, Lucas.

"Oh," was all Cendy had to say to that.

She vaguely remembered telling her father that she wanted to marry Bowen and move in with him, but that was just a passing comment. She didn't think her old man would take it seriously.

"Cendy's my sister, you know. You'd better treat her right," Winston turned toward Bowen, his tone gentle.

For some reason, being called his sister made her feel irritated. She wasn't his real sister. She never thought of him as a brother—even after he and his mom moved in with them.

"Congratulations in advance for your marriage," Winston smiled genuinely.

"Thanks," Bowen nodded. He didn't seem very keen on the idea, but he raised his glass anyway.

Cendy, however, was slow to raise her glass. She didn't want to drink with him, and she didn't want to sing with him either.

Bowen sensed the sudden drop in Cendy's mood and took her in his arms. "I think Cendy might be a little drunk."

Winston didn't mind. He wasn't the type to make fun of someone for that kind of thing.

He said, "Then I won't force her. It'll just be you and me."

"Cheers."

Bowen and Winston clinked glasses and downed their drinks.

Winston made himself comfortable and quietly departed, not wanting to disrupt anyone. Ella observed Winston leaving and then glanced back at Cendy. She didn't care about Winston at all. All she cared about was being near Bowen.

Is she heartless? Ella thought.

The night grew deeper, and everyone was becoming a little drunk. Ella was also intoxicated, as was Lucien beside her.

Surprisingly, Cendy was the one still going strong. Even though she'd been the most enthusiastic drinker from the beginning and got tipsy the fastest, she was still lively and energetic towards the end of the night.

She might've looked normal, but her metabolism sure as hell wasn't.

Ella turned her head to Hedy and Doris. Neither of them had much to drink, and they stayed somewhat distant the whole night. Still, they hadn't left the gathering, and it seemed they had no plan to do so any time soon.

Ella realized that Hedy was not ready to leave without achieving her objective.

She smiled coldly. If that was all Hedy was waiting for, Ella could help her get it right away!