In the end, Michael Quinn compromised. He reached for a bottle of liquor. At this moment, with a "bang," a bottle was slammed on the table, causing the bowls and utensils to tremble slightly. Three pairs of eyes looked over, only to see Laura Collins holding an opened beer bottle, placing it beside her hand. Under six scrutinizing gazes, Laura nonchalantly said, "Count me in." Drinking straight from the bottle. Michael felt his stomach twisting, knotting up, uncomfortably. Nora Scott raised the only glass she had; the beer inside wasn’t even filled to the brim. Clinking against her glass were three beer bottles, clashing with a crisp and pleasant sound. The four of them sat together, the number wasn’t many, and the atmosphere didn’t heat up, so after the first clinking, in the slightly chilly and stiff ambiance, they all downed their drinks at once. The beer chilled in the courtyard was a bit cool as it rushed into their mouths, slipping past the throat and esophagus, then into the stomach, cooling from inside to outside, a refreshing sensation that could be described as penetratingly cold. The first empty beer bottle was placed on the table. It was Laura Collins. Not sure if she drank too aggressively or for some other reason, her eyes were moist and slightly red. She lifted her eyebrows, her gaze directly piercing towards Michael sitting across. After finishing the last sip of beer, Michael felt a chill from her gaze, his eyes fluttered, avoiding eye contact with her. She extended her arm and picked up a new bottle of beer, raising an eyebrow at Michael. Straightforward, her intention was directly aimed at Michael. Michael hesitated, his eyes swept over her, his lips twitched as if he wanted to say something but didn’t know where to start. Being someone who could usually liven up the atmosphere, now, he couldn’t bring it up at all. Nora proactively pushed a beer towards him. Seeking help, Michael looked at Nora and suggested tactfully, "The ladies don’t have to drink, do they?" "It’s not my place to interfere." Pouring herself half a glass of beer, Nora replied indifferently. Initially, it was planned for Marcus Shaw to come, which Nora could have stopped, but now that Laura decided to step in herself... Nora really couldn’t intervene. Marcus had a task at hand, although he noticed the odd atmosphere at the dining table, he didn’t understand why. So, he focused on Michael, opening two more bottles of beer. That stance, it was as if he was drinking beer like water. Marcus said, "Continue." Michael regretted not getting on good terms with Marcus beforehand. This younger brother... gulped down a bottle, his face not flushed, not even a gasp, his eyes clear and bright, obviously sober. Could he be a born drinker? No choice, Michael had to grit his teeth and continue. Laura seemed to be competing with Michael, Marcus drank with ease, leaving Michael with no choice but to comply. In no time, he downed three bottles of beer, and just as he caught his breath, the alcohol hit him, making his head spin. Throughout, they hardly spoke. "Can you still drink?" Nora tapped the table, asking Michael. "...Yes!" Michael gritted his teeth. So, Nora put another bottle of beer on the table. The beer appearing in the corner of his eye made Michael instantly collapse and go crazy. He was dazed and asked pitifully, "Can I have a few bites of food?" Google seaʀᴄh 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱 Seeing him , Nora, feeling a bit sorry for him, smiled and said, "Eat." Michael sighed in relief. However, when he picked up his chopsticks, he found Laura across from him sitting still, quietly, a new beer bottle already placed, her eyes unusually bright, just calmly watching him, with her emotionless eyes revealing nothing. Michael’s heart skipped a beat, his eyelids lowered slightly. He hastily ate two bites of food and put down the chopsticks. By the fifth bottle, the alcohol had fully hit Michael, his ears flushed red with the burn from the alcohol, his eyes dark and bright as if they had been cleansed. That’s probably enough. Nora didn’t open any more beers. Looking at Marcus and Laura, Marcus showed no signs of intoxication, while Laura exhibited clear signs of drunkenness, already holding strong. This was the first time today she called Michael’s name since they met. "Knock. Knock. Knock." The untimely knocking at the door stopped Laura from saying more. Nora furrowed her brows. If Pedro Langley arrived at this moment... she might just kill him. Elbow resting on the chair back, Nora leaned back and asked towards outside. After a moment’s silence, an answer came from outside: "It’s me, Joseph Sutton." Alright, Pedro Langley saved his life. Nora glanced at Marcus. Marcus sighed, resignedly stood up, and walked towards the door to open it. Once the door was opened, Nora frowned and asked. Joseph stood at the door and replied, "Sir Quinn has something to discuss with Michael, asked me to come to find him." "I don’t know the details, but it seems quite urgent." Nora irritably waved a hand. The meaning was clear: Let him go. Joseph entered the room, walked straight to the dining table, and reached out to support Michael. As soon as his hand touched Michael’s shoulder, Joseph sensed a slightly hostile gaze from across, paused, glanced at Laura opposite, remained unmoved, gave a slight nod, then calmly withdrew his gaze. Turning to Joseph, Michael asked, his voice slightly hoarse. Joseph said, "Your grandpa has something for you." Michael murmured, "I’m a bit drunk." "You’re already drunk." Supporting him, Joseph spoke lightly, "Let’s go." Michael stood up, half of his body leaning on Joseph. Though Joseph appeared thin and scholarly, he had surprising strength, casually supporting Michael, likely could lift him without a blink. Supporting Michael, they took a step, Joseph stopped, turned back and bid farewell to Nora, "We’ll be leaving first." Nora crossed her arms, looking at them with a meaningful expression. Michael changed shoes, donned his clothes, and after some fussing by the entrance, left the room with Joseph’s help. After the door closed, the two walked into the courtyard, then out the main gate, disappearing completely from view. Laura remained unmoving, maintaining her sitting posture, her gaze settled on the empty chair ahead, her thoughts distant, unclear what she was musing. Suddenly, she bit the corner of her lip, stood up, and pushed the chair away. "I’m going out for a bit." In a low voice, she informed Nora, striding out. Without a pause, without changing shoes or putting on a coat, she pushed the door open, rushing into the howling windy courtyard. Nora raised a hand, pressing her temples. Although she drank it cup by cup, drinking beer on an empty stomach made her somewhat tipsy. Marcus, who hadn’t returned to his seat, asked Nora when he saw this, "Should I go after her?" "None of your business, I’ll go." Nora got up, went to the sofa to grab both hers and Laura’s coats. While putting on a coat and heading out, halfway through, Nora suddenly thought of something, stopped, turned to Marcus and asked, "How much can you drink?" Marcus frowned slightly, thought carefully, and said, "I don’t know, never been drunk." Such an arrogant reply made Nora slightly displeased. Born from the same mother, how could the drinking capacity differ so much... Maybe a bit annoyed, maybe a bit drunk, when Nora left, she too forgot to change her shoes.