?Chapter 1108:


    “No. I’m not truly alone.” She drew in a steady breath, letting the gloom lift from her heart.


    Chris wasn’t her only anchor. She had Zoey and many friends whose different temperaments were bound together by their genuine care for her.


    A sudden lightness swept over her. Maia lifted her arms and spun, stepping into the puddles like a scene from “Singin’ in the Rain” as she headed toward Pattie’s vi.


    As soon as Maia stepped inside, Pattie’s voice rang out. “Maia!” A wine ss dangled from Pattie’s hand, and the flush on her cheeks made it clear that she had had more than her usual amount.


    She quickly set the ss aside, hurried over, and looped her arm through Maia’s. “You came at the right time! Sit with me and have a few drinks. I can’t take Rnd’s nonsense anymore.”


    “How much have you had already?” Maia asked, catching the strong smell of alcohol on Pattie’s breath. Her brows drew together. Pattie rarely lost control like this—her tolerance was usually remarkable.


    “Not that much. Don’t worry about it. Let’s just drink.” Pattie tugged her toward the sofa with tipsy insistence, mumbling, “Maia, tell me honestly. What do you think of me?”


    “You’re amazing. Elegant. Your personality shines, and you’re graceful, with a figure that turns heads,” Maia replied with a thoughtful smile, resting her chin on her hand.


    “Really? Then why, even though I’ve made myself clear, does Rnd still refuse to make a move? And…” Pattie muttered. She grabbed the ss on the table, took a long swallow, and her tone grew bitter. “And another thing—his drinking is pathetic. Every time he’s drunk, I’m the one dragging him back. Imagine that! He’s supposed to be the man. Tall, broad-shouldered, built like a sculpture, yet so heavy I nearly break my back hauling him around.”


    “Pattie… that’s enough. You’ve had more than you should.” Maia reached out as her friend tried to refill her ss, snatching it away before she could pour. Yet she underestimated Pattie’s resolve to drink.


    Pattie simply grabbed the bottle itself and tipped it back for a deep drink. “Stop that!” Maia shot up, reaching for the bottle in an attempt to wrest it from Pattie.


    Your next favorite is on g?lnσν????s．??o??


    Suddenly, a sharp crash echoed from upstairs, the distinct sound of porcin shattering against the floor.


    Maia stiffened, her eyes darting toward the staircase.


    Pattie, instantly snapped out of her drunken haze, bolted toward the second floor.


    “My antique vase!” she cried out as she ran. “Rnd, you’re in deep trouble! When you wake up tomorrow, I’ll make you answer for this. If you can’t pay in cash, you’ll pay with yourself. That vase was a royal heirloom—two centuries old!”<fnee6c> This text is hosted at fι?dnοvel</fnee6c>


    Rnd? Maia blinked in surprise.


    Hurrying upstairs with Pattie, Maia found a man sprawled across the wooden floor of the second level, his white shirt rumpled and his gray trousers stained with dust.


    It was none other than Rnd, the starwyer from Zenith Legal.


    Near his side, a shattered vase rested in pieces, the jagged rim showing where arge fragment had broken away.


    “Rnd, wake up! Look at the mess you’ve made,” Pattie whispered, her voice unusually gentle. But in an instant, her tone shifted, andughter bubbled out of her. “Well, this makes things far more interesting. Either you be my boyfriend, or you ept me as your creditor!”


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