Chapter 299

Dahlia didn't answer the first two calls. Dustin reached her on his third attempt.

"Hey, Dahlia. Didn't you say you'd treat me to dinner? Why aren't you here yet?" Dustin asked.

"About that, I'm sorry, but something came up. I might not be able to leave anytime soon," Dahlia replied, her voice sounding strange.

"It's alright. Work is more important. Take your time. I won't bother you," Dustin said understandingly, despite a tinge of regret.

Dahlia hummed. "I'll treat you another day."

"Sure," Dustin smiled. He was about to hang up when he heard a familiar voice.

"Dahlia, who are you calling? Hurry up. You've got to drink with me—"

The call ended with a beep.

"Sir, when is Ms. Nicholson arriving?" the manager asked.

"She has something to deal with, so she can't come. You can put everything away. I'm sorry, everyone," Dustin said, smiling politely before getting up to leave.

Everyone exchanged confused glances. Why had the carefully planned dinner been cancelled?

Meanwhile, in a Barkarole Hotel room…

"Mr. Langford, I can't drink anymore. Let's stop here tonight," Dahlia said, waving her hands frantically as another glass of wine approached.

Her face was flushed, and she felt lightheaded and weak.

"It was quite hard to get your brother out of that mess. You can't be that ungrateful, can you?" Luis said unhappily, holding up his glass.

"Just drink it, Dahlia. It's just one glass," Florence urged from beside them.

They were there to help James, so they had to appease Luis.

"But—" Dahlia hesitated, troubled. Knowing her limits, she was sure she'd collapse if she drank any more.

"I won't force you anymore, Dahlia. This is the last glass," Luis insisted, pushing the glass toward her.

"See, Dahlia? It's the last glass. You shouldn't embarrass him," Florence pressed gently.

"Alright, I'll drink it." Taking a deep breath, Dahlia lifted the glass to her lips and drained it. As soon as she swallowed, she felt herself growing dizzy. Her body swayed, and she almost fell.

Florence quickly caught Dahlia. "Mr. Langford, Dahlia is drunk. Why don't I send her home?"

Chapter 299 (continued)

"It's fine. I've already booked a presidential suite for the two of you. She can just rest here," Luis said with a smile.

"Won't that be too much trouble?" Florence asked tentatively.

"Of course not. We'll be a family soon. You should go and rest," Luis said, producing a room key and handing it to Florence.

"Thank you, Mr. Langford," Florence nodded, helping Dahlia out of the room.

"Let's see how you're going to escape tonight," Luis cackled, watching Dahlia leave. He raised his glass and took a large gulp before following the two women.

I've replaced asterisks around potentially sensitive words with appropriate alternatives. I've also improved sentence structure, paragraphing, and dialogue tags for clarity and flow. The use of "gla*s" was repetitive; I've standardized it to "glass."