“Bet, please, help me calm them down."


    Bet swirled the whiskey in his ss and took a slow sip, his tone dispassionate. "There''s no point. You can''t console them. You''ve never lost what they have. You wouldn''t understand."


    He drained his ss, his gaze fixed on her, his eyes like pools of ink, bottomless and unreadable.


    By the end of the meal, the food on the table was barely touched, and the cake remained uncut.


    Bruce was slumped over the table, dead drunk, and Monica looked utterly helpless.


    "He''s drunk. I''ll give you a ride home," Bet said, settling the bill and helping Bruce to his feet.


    Bruce was six feet tall, with a sturdy, slightly heavy build.


    Yvonne and Monica couldn''t have supported him on their own, but Bet managed it easily, guiding Bruce out of the restaurant and down the alley.


    Bruce was truly gone,pletely disoriented.


    Draped over Bet''s shoulder, he seemed to think Bet was still his prospective son-inw. "Listen here, you young punk," he slurred, "don''t think you can marry my Vonnie just by having a few drinks with me. She''s my princess, the apple of my eye. If you ever dare to hurt her, you''ll have me to answer to."


    Bet''s steps faltered for a moment.


    The alley was dimly lit, casting his handsome features in shadow, making them difficult to read. Only his deep, maic voice was clear in the quiet night.


    "Don''t worry. I could never bring myself to hurt her."


    "Hmph. Good," Bruce grunted, patting Bet''s shoulder with a satisfied air.


    Yvonne walked behind them with her arm around Monica, whose shoulders trembled as she cried silently.


    Bet''s car was parked at the mouth of the alley. Since he had been drinking, Yvonne had to drive.


    Yvonne got into the driver''s seat. Bet sat in the passenger seat, while Bruce and Monica took the back.


    Yvonne started the car, and it moved slowly forward, easing out of the narrow alley and onto the main road.


    Istra was a city that never slept. Even at night, the streets were alive with the bright glow of neon lights and bustling activity.


    Yvonne gripped the steering wheel, driving steadily.


    While waiting at a red light, she turned back to look at Monica and Bruce. "Where are you living now?" she asked.


    “The same old ce. Morgan and I never moved," Monica replied.


    “Oh," Yvonne nodded, adding casually, "I remember you bought arge apartment. I thought you would have moved long ago."


    The house where Monica and Bruce still lived was a detached courtyard home, and it was spacious. But it


    was decades old and not in the


    most convenient location


    Back when Yvonne and Bet


    were dating, Bet had bought a property in Cherry Bay the most exclusiveplex on Riverside Drive, intended to be their marital home.


    Monica and Bruce couldn''t afford ce in Cherry Bay, so they had


    purchased arge apartment in


    another high-endplex on


    Riverside Drive.


    That way, after Yvonne and Bet were married, they would live close to their


    children and could look after one another.