Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

Chapter 11

The room went quiet for a beat before a wave of laughter broke out, dripping with

sarcasm.

"Simon, you really called it this time."

Tonight, Simon hadn't brought Quinn along; instead, he had some new escort hanging on his arm.

The moment Simon spotted Clara, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, quickly replaced by a resigned look. He frowned, setting his drink down on the coffee table. "Clara, aren't you tired of this nonsense?"

She'd already made a scene at Moonlight a few times, and now she showed up dressed like the staff. Each appearance seemed to cheapen her more.

Clara bent slightly, picked up the priciest bottle of Château Margaux, and flashed a smile at the crowd. "Who ordered this? Need a hand opening it?"

She had caught their chatter while standing outside the door. A twinge of bitterness tugged at her heart, but as she entered and saw their flashy, nouveau riche airs, it felt like staring at a gold mine. Maybe she'd rake in that hundred grand sooner than expected.

Château Margaux was a cool million a bottle.

None of them were strapped for cash, but they were way more invested in seeing Clara embarrass herself.

Nate's eyes lingered on Clara's figure before he nudged Colton with his elbow. "You gotta admit, she's looking hot."

always slandering Clara, and Simon never stepped in. Having a stunning girl cause a ruckus over him was a

No matter how stunning Clara was, she was a pathetic waste. "Clara, for every

They had money for sure, but he knew Clara's drinking habits and was

really

could finish, Clara had uncorked the bottle and was smiling at everyone. "Alright,

in his seat. "I did say it. Go on, drink. And Clara, don't say I didn't warn you— Simon doesn't like you. Everyone here hates you. If you get wasted and make the front page tomorrow, no one's gonna pull

Quinn; Clara was just unwanted

to the brim, and drank until the bottle was empty. Then she started on the second, and the

as if ants were crawling all

more bottles. Three million had already been poured out, and

tense silence. Someone, anxious that Colton

glaring at Clara. "Enough, Clara, stop making a fool of yourself." Clara finished the fourth bottle, then smiled at him. "And who are

are you kidding? Tonight's all about

and Colton's face

wrist. "That's enough, stop before you really embarrass

her wine glass, her eyes landing on Colton. "If this gentleman can't cover it, maybe the rest of you

with anger.

leisurely finished her last glass. "Oh, so you have a thing

to panic and instinctively glance

shifted, and he shoved Clara. "What nonsense are you

up by looking at your buddy's face. Maybe check if he's been fooling around with