Chapter 810

Caleb monopolized the microphone, performing seven or eight songs after his initial one. Only after he finished did anyone remember Skylar hadn't sung.

"Skylar, you should sing!" someone suggested. "I can help you pick a song."

Skylar smiled. "I'm not very good. You all go ahead."

Her colleagues readily agreed, understanding her well enough to not press the issue. Skylar, though not singing, joined in the games. After a few drinks, her low tolerance for alcohol made her feel tipsy, and she headed to the restroom.

Inside, she heard vomiting from the next stall. The sound, combined with the faint smell, made her queasy, but the flushing toilet and the woman's departure eased her discomfort. Skylar washed her hands and left.

She noticed a woman ahead, professionally dressed, but with an unsteady gait that suggested heavy drinking. The woman looked vaguely familiar, though Skylar dismissed it as the alcohol affecting her.

Then, a nearby door opened. A middle-aged man addressed the woman with frustration. "Why did you take so long?" he demanded.

The woman's trembling voice replied, "I can't drink anymore, Mr. Martin. Please, don't make me. I'll do anything else."

Her submissive posture and fearful tone struck Skylar. She recognized the voices: Jenny and—to her horror—Edwin.

"Really? If you'd been this obedient, I wouldn't have to make things difficult," Edwin said, pleased with Jenny's submission. He pulled her roughly into the room.

Skylar glimpsed Edwin's face. Moments earlier, she'd seen him intimately holding Jenny; the contact was far from accidental. The alcohol's effect vanished, leaving Skylar completely sober.

Jenny, who'd recently loudly proclaimed her love for Joe and dismissed Skylar and Joe's relationship, was now with Joe's father. Skylar had profoundly underestimated her.

She lingered outside the room for a few minutes, the music muffling the sounds, yet still hearing Jenny's cries and pleas. The situation was painfully clear.

Increasingly nauseated, Skylar retreated, unable to bear it any longer. After a couple more minutes with her colleagues, she called for a designated driver and headed back to Galaxy Villa.

The cool evening air, through the half-open car window, helped clear her head. Should she tell Joe? She wondered if Jenny had been involved with Edwin during the previous hotel incident—the commotion then had been similarly loud.

Arriving at Galaxy Villa, she found Joe absent. She showered, her mind racing.