The Substitute Bride: Making Memories Of Us (Lois Stone)
Chapter 69: Trying To Forget

Chapter 69: Trying To Forget 

Ayla chuckled.

"I'm not drunk.I can hold my drink," she said to Brian.

'You're not drunk?' Brian's eyebrows shot up.

He could clearly see that she was unable to stay sober now.

She had only drunk a few glasses of wine but had already been smashed.

"Drink with me," Ayla said, pouring a glass of wine and passing it to him.

She wanted to get drunk so that she wouldn't feel the pain or think about everything that happened inthe past few days.

Brian took the glass and downed the drink wordlessly.

Ayla slipped her arms around his waist.

"You are a bad guy. A devil."

Saying this, she buried her face in his chest and sobbed.

He remained stoic.

It was not the first time he had heard words like this, and she was not the first one to say so.

He had started working as a teenager, and had lived a life that was as dangerous as walking on a knife.

If he hadn't become stronger than the others, he would have been trampled underfoot.

Or worse, ded "A baby is very important to me.You don't know that, do you? You must have no idea."

Tears streamed down Ayla's cheeks.

She couldn't forget the baby she had lost, no matter how hard she tried.She just couldn't.

Brian froze.

She was still thinking about the baby! But he didn't need it, and he knew that he wouldn't need it in thefuture either.

"I'm sorry.I'm sorry, baby.Mommy's really sorry for you," Ayla cried.

She then filled another glass and gulped it down.

When Anna heard of Brian's arrival, she went to his private room after work.She pushed the door opento replace Ayla clinging to Brian's body.

He wasn't pushing her away.

'Such a tramp! Didn't she say she didn't want to sleep in the same room as Brian?' Anna seethed.

Anna had asked the driver what was going on with Ayla.

He had told her that Ayla had moved into the servants' house and that she didn't want to talk toBrian.But what was Anna seeing now? Ayla was shamelessly clinging on to Brian!

"Brian," Anna called, walking over to them.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming today?"

"She came to see Arlene, so I drove her here.I didn't want to disturb you."

As Brian continued drinking, Ayla's hands tightened around him.

Anna stood there, staring at them.

She hadn't seen Brian for a long time because of Ayla, and now he had brought this woman here.

"What do you want to eat? I'll ask them to make it," Anna said, ignoring his hint and sitting down on thesofa, her gaze fixed on Ayla.

Ayla looked back at her, and asked, "Miss Anna, are you here to drink as well?"

She poured Anna a glass of wine.

Anna reached out to take it, but stopped just out of reach before Ayla let go.

Wine splashed down on Brian's pants as the glass fell to the floor.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Ayla said, shocked, the sound of the glass shattering almost sobering her up.

"It doesn't matter.I will change my clothes later.I think you should stop drinking," Brian said.

"I want to drink more!" Ayla said rather petulantly, grabbing hold of the bottle.

"I don't have money. You pay for today's wine."

"Okay," Brian said, nodding.

Anna was stunned. She recovered soon enough to say, "Brian, I think you should go to my room andchange."

‘'This woman is so presumptuous! Or has the bitch come here to provoke me? Even if she had beenpregnant, so what? The baby was doomed to be aborted.She has the title of Mrs.Clark.Does she wantto own Brian now? Is this woman so naive?'’ Anna thought angrily in her mind.

She and Brian left the room together, leaving Ayla to her own devices.She sat on the couch andcontinued to drink until she couldn't sit upright and slid to the floor.But it looked like she wasn't about togive up drinking.

Anna took out a new suit.

"Brian, have you made up with Miss Woodsen?"

"No," Brian said shortly.

He had never thought of reconciling with Ayla.He just took what he wanted since she was merely awoman.

"Then why did you let her drink like that? It's not good for her health.She hasn't gotten much rest eversince the abortion.Right?" Anna said, helping him out of his coat.

Brian didn't answer her.He wordlessly walked into the bathroom, clean suit in hand.

Once he had gotten changed, he walked out, to Anna asking him, "She still holds your heart, doesn'tshe? You haven't let her go.Am I right?"

Ayla was special to him.

Brian Clark would never allow a woman to mess around with him, but that woman could do it.

Anna had been with Brian for a long time, but she hadn't held that kind of power over him.

"Don't you think such questions are boring?" Brian said as he looked at Anna.

"I haven't been here in a while.Is that why you are unhappy?"

Anna shook her head and answered, "No.I know you've been busy."

Brian had indeed been held up with work at the company and had gone back to the villa every daybecause of Ayla.

Having gotten changed, he made his way to the VIP room, and found a drunk Ayla curled up on thecarpeted floor.

Anna had followed him in.

She went up to him and said, "Let me help her."

"No, thanks."

He strode over and picked Ayla up off the floor, frowning.

This woman was so annoying! The moment he did, Ayla snuggled into his chest, subconsciouslywrapping her arms around his neck.

"Are you going back?"

Anna looked at Brian, disappointed.

Ayla had done this on purpose, she thought.

Brian nodded.

"I need to go.I'll come back to see you when I'm free."

With that, he carried Ayla out of the room.

Arlene, who had just walked out of the room, caught sight of Brian walking towards the elevator, Ayla inhis arms.

She snorted.

According to her, Ayla was a hypocrite and the cause of everything wrong.

If she hadn't run away and if she hadn't insisted on keeping the baby, things wouldn't have been sobad.

Now, Arlene had no choice but to stay here in the club.

But she would leave this place one day.

Even if Brian didn't make things difficult for her these days, he was still a devil that she couldn't affordto offend.

She would replace a man she wanted on her own conditions, and then leave.

Brian glanced at Arlene.

"Don't contact Ayla without my permission."

"I know, Mr.Clark.Do you love her a lot? But it's all in your head, you know.You will never get her love.Ididn't expect you to fall in love with such a woman.She is a jinx, who will always bring bad luck," Arlenesaid coldly.

"If you change your mind and decide that you don't want her, you can come to me.I will serve youbetter."

Arlene was saying this, fully knowing that Brian was a man who didn't easily change his mind.

If he had been a fickle man, he would have let go of Ayla a long time ago and Arlene wouldn't havebecome like this now.

Brian pursed his lips before saying, "You'd better stay here.Do you think I'm short on women?"

No matter what happened, he wouldn't let Ayla leave him.

Arlene took the wine from the waiter and said, "I will, but my words won't change."

She shot Brian a winning smile.

Brian drove Ayla back to the villa where Maria was waiting at the door.

"What's wrong with Mrs.Clark, Mr.Clark?"

"She is drunk," he said and carried her into his room on the second floor.

Maria poured a glass of water, mixed it with honey, and said, "Mr.Clark, make Mrs.Woodsen drink thiswater, or she will have a headache tomorrow.This will help her sober up."

Brian nodded and said, "You can go back now.She can stay here tonight."

Maria didn't say anything else.

Maybe Mr.Clark and Ayla would make up.

When Ayla woke up, she felt a splitting headache.

"Ouch, my head hurts!" she whispered.

Brian heard her and took her into his arms.

"Is it fun, getting drunk? You deserve the headache," he said coldly.

Ayla jerked completely awake at his voice, sitting up abruptly, the thin silk blanket slipping from herbody, exposing her fair skin.

Brian's eyes darkened.

‘'Damn it!'’ he cursed to himself Ayla immediately pulled the blanket over herself, looking around.

"I'm sorry.I drank too much last night."

Why had she slept here? She didn't really know and try as she might, couldn't remember anything.

She only knew that she had been sad, and so had kept drinking because she didn't feel pain when shewas drunk.

"Will you drink so much next time onwards?" Brian asked sharply.

He was really annoyed.

Was this woman afraid of him? They were now so far apart on the big bed that two more people couldfit snugly between them.

Ayla's mouth tightened into a grim tine.

Next time, she wouldn't tell him if she went drinking.She must have caused a lot of trouble last night, ifhis expression were anything to go by.

"Answer me!"

Brian pulled her forward so that she was flush against him, their faces mere inches apart.