Chapter 75

Elodie waved off his concern. ‘I’m just tired. I’ve been working so hard lately.’ ‘I know,’ Ari said. ‘But you can’t keep pushing yourself like this. You need to take some time for yourself.’ Elodie shook her head. ‘I don’t have time. I have to keep going.’ The vodka sloshed in her glass. The dim lights and throbbing music felt distorted to her senses. Ari’s worried gaze pierced through the haze of alcohol. ‘Elodie, you’re pushing it.’ She met his eyes. ‘Just… needed a break,’ she slurred, her voice betraying a vulnerability she rarely exposed. Her cheeks were flushed with a rosy hue. Ari couldn’t tear his eyes away. She had skin the colour of moonlight, lips like a rose just about to bloom, but her once vibrant eyes were clouded with sadness. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one who noticed her attractiveness. One particularly bold soul approached, fuelled by liquid courage. ‘Hi there, getting bored? Let me buy you a drink.’ Elodie looked up, wagged her index finger at the man. ‘Nope. Y