BIA Ch. 84

“I’m sorry. I drank too much…”

Chester mumbled and got up, saying he was going out for some air. His lackeys followed him out of the dining room in a rush as he staggered. Hailey looked at them with a bewildered expression, then composed herself and said calmly.

“Well, yeah, I guess. Even if you go to the hospital, the doctors will just say the same thing. Get enough nutrition and rest. In a way, that might be the more reasonable choice.”

“Rest.”

Bran frowned slightly, still holding his wine glass. It was as if he had just remembered that such a word existed in this world.

“Well, in a sense, I suppose it could be.”

After quite a while, Bran chuckled and said.

“……”

Hailey looked like she was asking what he meant, but didn’t end up asking. It felt like she was too scared to ask.

Grace, who had been glancing at Hailey, who was silently poking at her salad plate with a pale face, suddenly scolded Bran in a stern tone.

“Bran. Your last statement was very inconsiderate. Because, we all know that Isaiah is gay, right? Even if that wasn’t your intention, it was a very, very suggestive remark.”

As soon as Grace finished speaking, there was another clattering sound. This time it was Hailey. She had dropped her fork. Bran didn’t even look at her, and spoke politely to Grace.

“I didn’t think that far. I apologize.”

“You should apologize to Isaiah, not me.”

“Isaiah, I’m really sorry.”

Bran apologized immediately. His calm tone, as well as his completely serene expression, showed that he wasn’t sorry in the slightest.

Isaiah was speechless and just stared at him, and Bran coughed quietly, then spoke to Grace again.

“It seems like I made a big mistake towards him. I should apologize to him separately later.”

“You should. That was too much, really.”

Contrary to her words, Grace couldn’t hide her wide smile. Why wouldn’t she be? She had successfully planted the idea in Hailey’s mind that Isaiah was gay, while keeping her son’s relationship with Isaiah hidden, and also implying that something might have happened between Bran and him. Grace probably wanted Bran to carry him around the garden.

“I’m sorry if I interfered too much, Bran.”

“Not at all.”

As if to prove that he was sincere, Bran poured wine into Grace’s glass. Grace smiled broadly and raised her glass, just as Chester and his goons, who had gone outside, returned.

Chester didn’t seem to have sobered up at all. Rather, as soon as he sat down, he started pouring wine again, as if he was planning to just drink until the end of the day. But it didn’t matter. Hailey had also pushed aside the wine a while ago and was drinking Dublin whiskey like water.

With the two main characters of the dinner party just pouring drinks for their own reasons, the atmosphere couldn’t have been good. Everyone was just watching the two of them, sipping wine while holding their breath, while only Grace and Bran were chatting happily. It seemed like only those two were in a good mood tonight.

And if you had to pick one more person, Isaiah too.

Isaiah didn’t think tonight’s dinner was so bad either. It was a mess at the beginning, but the second half was decent. No, actually, he was quite satisfied.

Chester was eventually taken to his room on the second floor by his underlings before the meal was even completely finished. Hailey managed to hold on until the end of the meal, but her eyes glazed over as soon as they moved to the drawing room. Thanks to that, Grace’s plan to look at family albums together and have a good time was thwarted, but she was surprisingly unconcerned.

“We can look at the albums tomorrow. Hailey is staying here tonight anyway.”

She said that tomorrow, the two of them were going shopping together at lunchtime, and then they were going to see an opera together in the afternoon. Chester would probably be joining them too.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Kalisz. I don’t usually drink this much, but I guess I was too happy today…”

“I guess so. You don’t need to apologize at all.”

Grace comforted Hailey, who looked apologetic, and personally guided her to a room for female guests. Then, she returned to the drawing room and thanked everyone who had attended dinner tonight. It was a thank you in words, but it was an elegant way of saying, “Your job is done, so don’t linger and go home.”

“I’ll drive you to Adams Street. From there, everyone can take a taxi.”

Manny said, opening the driver’s side door of the car he had parked at the entrance to the parking lot. He had also drunk, but less than Ted and Axley. The two of them looked like they were struggling to get into the back seat.

“Hey, but did you sleep with Bran?”

Even in the midst of all that, as soon as Isaiah got into the passenger seat, Axel asked.

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

Manny clicked his tongue as he started the engine. The car made a rough noise as it left the parking lot.

“But you went to a hotel.”

“Exactly. What else would a homo do with a man at a hotel other than fuck?”

Ted also chimed in with a slurred voice.

“Shut up, you bastard. You just insulted Chester too.”

Manny got angry. But the two of them just kept giggling and talking, not caring.

“Hey, is Bran good, or is Chester good?”

“Wait, do it with me once too. And tell me who’s the best out of the three of us.”

“Then I’ll do it too. How much is it for one time?”

“Should we do it together? Then he’ll give us a discount.”

“Not get more, but give us a discount?”

“You don’t know about BOGO coupons?”

Manny yelled at the goons, who were happily going back and forth. He was making excuses about Chester, but looking at him constantly glancing at Isaiah, fidgeting, it was clear that there was another reason. He was worried that Isaiah might do something drastic out of spite.

He’s quick-witted, as always. Isaiah thought, looking at Manny’s face reflected in the driver’s side window. At this point, Chester’s only virtue might be having Manny as his right-hand man. Of course, at the point where he doesn’t listen to even Manny and acts recklessly, he doesn’t even have that virtue anymore.

“You don’t have to pay. I’ll just do it for you.”

Isaiah said, pressing his face closer to the window.

“Really?”

Ted and Axley straightened up in the back. Manny yelled, “Isaiah!” from the driver’s seat.

“When? How about today?”

“Should Manny join us too? The four of us?”

“Shut up, you crazy bastards.”

Manny shouted, his face pale. Isaiah, with his forehead almost pressed against the cold glass, looked at the garden, which was decorated with various trees, and said.

“No, not today.”

“Then when?”

“Next Friday.”

Ted and Axley simultaneously exclaimed, “Oh.”

“That’s the day the new boss is announced. If Chester becomes the boss, you’ll do it?”

“Then if Bran becomes the boss, it’s off the table?”

“I’ll do it as a celebration, no matter who becomes the boss. For free.”

“Isaiah, please.”

Manny said pleadingly. He even slowed down the car and whispered in Isaiah’s ear.

“It’s just a joke. They’re just saying that because they’re drunk.”

Manny tried to appease him with nonsense, saying that he would punish them later, and when Isaiah didn’t even pretend to listen, he finally started to threaten him harshly.

“You bastard, just do what you’re told. Don’t do anything reckless.”

“That’s why I’m saying I’ll do it for free.”

“Isaiah.”

Instead of answering, Isaiah looked at the garden full of lights. Even though it was the middle of the night, the garden was quite bright. It was because Grace had deliberately turned on all the garden lights because she had guests coming. Isaiah looked at the garden, which was glowing with a bright light, unlike a few days ago, and said when the main gate came into view in the distance.

“Stop the car. I’ll get off here.”

“Just go.”

“No, you’re drunk driving.”

“I’m not that drunk.”

“Just stop. I feel like I’m going to throw up from the smell of alcohol.”

Manny cursed and stopped the car. Isaiah immediately opened the passenger door and got out. The car started moving again, and soon disappeared through the iron gate that opened with a heavy sound.

Finally freed from the drunks, Isaiah took a deep breath and inhaled the fresh air. It was an excuse to avoid talking about the gun, but once he got out of the car, he realized how bad the smell of alcohol in the car actually was.

Isaiah enjoyed the fresh night air to the fullest and moved to a corner of the garden, to the most overgrown shoulder. As expected, there were no garden lights installed here. There was barely any light reaching here.

Nevertheless, it was definitely brighter than it had been five days ago. It was because of the moonlight. The moon had grown bigger in those five days, and the moonlight had become brighter. It was still dark, but thankfully he had his smartphone with him now. If he used the flashlight function, there shouldn’t be any problem securing his vision.

However, the problem was that he couldn’t remember exactly where he had lost the gun. He could only roughly guess that it was somewhere around here, but the range was too wide. He started searching aimlessly, thinking he should just look, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t find the gun.

Still, he was reluctant to give up, so he kept saying just a little more, just a little more, and was shining his smartphone light under the bushes and rummaging through the bushes.

“What are you looking for?”

A low voice suddenly came from above his head.