Eliza was practically dragged out of the nightclub, half protesting, half stumbling.

She twisted free from Casper's grip and shot him a fierce glare. "Have you been stalking me? And don't think just because you stood up for me that I forgot about the whole condom incident. Until we clear that up, we're nothing to each other."

"Wow, talk about cold," Casper replied, putting on an exaggerated wounded expression. "Why would we have nothing to do with each other?"

"Stay out of my business." Eliza tried to head back inside to continue her night with Chelsea, but Casper grabbed her arm and gently but firmly steered her back to the car. "Come on, enough drama already." "Casper, you..." She flailed, trying to bite him in frustration.

Casper buckled her seatbelt and, with one smooth motion, cupped her chin and pressed his lips to hers. His possessiveness was overwhelming, leaving her defenseless against his kiss. He always had a knack for murmuring sweet nothings into her ear at moments like this.

"Alright, don't be mad. I'd never do anything to hurt you, okay? Chill out, alright?"

His lips moved over hers, each word a plea for forgiveness.

Eliza tried to push him away but found herself too weak, "Casp..."

"Baby..." he murmured, pinning her down, their lips entwining, drawing her deeper into his hold, "...just

relax.'

She had to admit, under his relentless charm, she could only surrender, letting him kiss her endlessly until he finally pulled away.

There was a gentle, appeasing glow on his face, and his long fingers softly caressed her swollen lips, "My Elle, you're stunning.'

"You're insane," Eliza said, rolling her eyes. "Chelsea drank so much, I can't leave her here alone. I need to..."

"I'll have Ray take her home."

Casper called Caleb, asking him to take Chelsea home.

Caleb nearly grimaced at the

request. He and Chelsea clashed like cats and dogs, and though leaving

her alone wasn't right, just imagining her fiery temper made him pause.

After a moment of hesitation, he approached Chelsea with his phone in hand. "Let's go, I'll take you home."

Chelsea, half-drunk, saw Caleb and her face twisted in rejection and displeasure. "Ugh, why are you everywhere? Can't you just leave me alone?"

"You really don't appreciate help, do you?" Caleb snatched the drink from her hand. "Women should ease up on the booze, ages you faster."

"What does my aging have to do with you? You Welton family folks are just insufferable. Give me my drink back."

Chelsea reached out, trying to

retrieve her drink. Her alcohol-fueled clumsiness made her movements sluggish and awkward, leading her body to tilt uncontrollably toward the cale floor.

"Look at you, drinking yourself silly," Caleb said with a touch of disdain.

Instinctively, he reached out to steady her, intending to catch her by the waist. But in his haste, his hand veered off course and landed right on her chest.

The unexpected softness sent a jolt

through him, leaving his ears burning with embarrassment. Worried about being misunderstood, he quickly pulled his hand back.

en

Without his support, Chelsea fell face-first to the floor, not at all gracefully, with a small but audible thud. She felt something warm trickling from her nose, touched it, and realized it was blood.

"Caleb, you did that on purpose, didn't you?" Chelsea slurred, struggling to her feet, her face smeared with blood.noveldrama

Caleb didn't intend to laugh, but he couldn't hold it back, feeling like he'd scored a win in some unspoken battle.

Clutching his stomach, he laughed heartily, "Chelsea, karma finally caught up with you."

Fuming, Chelsea grabbed a wine glass from the table and hurled it at him, hitting the exact same spot on his forehead with a loud 'thud.'