The Billionaire's Promise
Chapter 76: Cassie’s Scheme

Chapter 76: Cassie’s Scheme

The show has ended but Aryana was frozen in her seat. Just as she was about to stand, there was a commotion at the front of the stage. She saw Erik rushed to backstage and after a few minutes, she saw him carrying the beautiful model, bridal style in his arms as he hurried out of the theater. Despite the distance, she saw the concern on his face.

Aryana stayed seated. She felt as if her legs will give way if she stood up.

Emma looked at her with concern. "Are you alright Aryana?"

"Yeah, I guess my legs cramped. Let me sit for a while." She whispered hoarsely trying to calm her nerves and numb the pain in her aching heart.

"Do you still have plans? The night is still young." She asked softly. She needed to divert her attention. She needed alcohol to forget what she just witnessed.

Emma thought for a while. "Would you like to do a pub crawl? There are lots of good bars and cafes nearby with great food of course."

"Ah what?" Aryana did not understand what she meant by a pub crawl.

"It is like bar hopping," Emma explained.

Aryana hesitated. She was after all in a foreign country and it might not be safe.

"Is it safe? There are just the two of us and we are both women." Aryana sounded worried.

"We can come with you. I haven’t tried the pubs here." Mu Chen butted in excitedly.

Aryana pondered for a while. She badly needed alcohol and the pain in her heart made her muddle-headed. She agreed to go with Mu Chen and his brother. Somehow, she felt that the two siblings were someone she can trust.

They decided not to go pub hopping but settled on a safe bar with good food and music.

Mu Feng ordered the famous Tuscan wines for the four of them. It was made from premium red grapes known as the "Blood of Jupiter."

Aryana twirled the ruby-red liquid in her wine glass. She studied it before downing the glass in one go.

"Hey, take it slow." Mu Feng sounded concerned. He ordered an assortment of cheese and fruits for the ladies to enjoy.

Aryana soon felt tipsy and she started blabbering. She shared stories about her and Emma’s escapades when they were in college. She was a charmer. Anybody will feel comfortable talking with her.

Mu Chen and Emma also seemed to click and there was a pleasant conversation among the four of them.

Meanwhile, Marlon was having his own drink in a corner sitting beside an escort that he hired to accompany him. He did not forget to snap photos of Aryana.

"I did not remember seeing you at the banquet when I visited China last time," Aryana remembered to ask the serious man seating opposite her on the couch.

"I was in at Paris that time." He answered briefly.

’What a difficult man to converse. A man of few words.’ Aryana thought to herself.

"So do you like designing? Is that your profession?" She probed.

"It’s just one of my hobbies."

Aryana was about to down another glass of wine when Mu Feng took it away from her.

"You’ll be drunk if you drink at that rate. Have some cheese and fruits first." He pushed the platter of cheese and fruits toward her.

Aryana paused. Wasn’t the reason why she was here to get drunk? She used the fork to pick up a bite-size cheese and nibbled on it and downed the glass of wine. Her face flushed and she looked alluring.

Without warning, she put her cheeks beside Emma. She winked at the camera, showed her dimples, and took their selfie. She posted in moments and captioned it. "Don’t be sad! Cheers!"

Meanwhile, Erik brought Cassie to the nearby hospital. The doctor said that her gastritis acted up and she suffered stomach pain.

"Are you still hurting?" Erik was worried.

"Yes. This is an old disease remember?" Cassie said piteously as she pressed her hands over her stomach.

Erik remembered that when they were in college, Cassie often missed her breakfast because she wanted to keep her slim figure. She started modeling back then.

"You should take care of yourself. You still have another show tomorrow right?"

"I should be fine after an infusion." Cassie paused, then added coquettishly. "Can you massage my stomach, Erik? I remembered back then, you used to do that and the pain vanished like magic."

Erik hesitated. Cassie looked at him with doe eyes. He inhaled deeply and sat beside her and started massaging her belly. Cassie lifted her blouse and wanted Erik to touch the flesh in her stomach.

Erik’s phone vibrated. He retracted his hand from Cassie’s body. Cassie clenched her fist.

Erik tapped on his cell phone and saw the photo that Aryana posted. Her face was flushed. She was holding a wine glass in her hand and raising it towards the camera."

He sent a message to Marlon.

Erik: She is not back in the hotel yet?

Marlon: Nope

Erik frowned. He waited for some time but no additional message came from Marlon.

Erik: Where is she?

Marlon: In a bar along Arno River.

Erik: Are you with her?

Marlon: I am at the same bar but not with her.

Erik: Take her back to the hotel.

Erik waited. It took some before he received another message from Marlon.

Marlon: Bro, let her enjoy her night as you enjoy yours. She is still young after all.

Then Marlon sent him a series of photos.

Aryana was surrounded by a group of tourists who seemed to be taking photos of her.

Aryana being mobbed by the crowd outside the theater...

Erik paused. Aryana was at the theater?

More photos came in.

Aryana and Emma were ushered inside the theater by four men in black. Then there was a photo taken from a side angle. It showed the side profile of Emma who was slouching on the chair. Beside her was Aryana sitting with a straight body, her gaze fixed on something in front of her. Sitting beside her was the man he met in the morning, Mu Feng. He was looking at Aryana.

Erik looked at the photo gloomily, then he remembered the stare that he felt earlier. It must have been her.

Marlon sent two more photos, that of Erik carrying Cassie and the last was the photo of Aryana and Emma with the two Chinese guys drinking together.

Marlon: Dude, while you are busy fawning over your first love, someone is trying to steal your woman.

Erik’s face turned icy cold. He stood and walked towards the door.

"I have something urgent to do. I’ll ask the nurse to take care of you."

"Erik please stay." Cassie pleaded but Erik did not hear it anymore because he disappeared so fast.

"Damn it!" Cassie cried out angrily.