Chapter 11
“Hudson?” Finley Myers picked up his call and had to shout over the loud music in the background. “What are you doing calling me so late? Shouldn’t you be with your wife?”
Hudson didn’t respond to his question but instead asked calmly, “Where are you?”
“I’m at the most happening nightclub,” Finley shouted.
“Wait for me there,” Hudson replied and hung up.
Finley was baffled. It had been quite some time since Hudson was into the night scene. No matter what, he quickly procured a private room on the second floor, knowing his friend wouldn’t like being squashed around on the dance floor and would prefer privacy.
Hudson then called his other best friend – Keith Richardson.
“Hello?” a man’s muffled voice sounded, just like he was woken up from sleep.
“I can’t sleep,” Hudson said without explaining anything further.
Keith’s sleepiness was gone in an instant. “You got insomnia again?”
Hudson pursed his lips. Keith was a doctor, while Finley was a playboy. Both of them knew about his insomnia
and PTSD.
“Is it because of your brother’s death?” Keith asked.
“Let’s meet Finley,” Hudson replied. “He’s at the Star Nightclub.”
“Alright,” Keith answered, and both he and Hudson took a quick shower before going to the club.
Hudson, Keith, and Finley were from the top three families in Country B and the most sought–after males for
women in that country. Since Hudson kept his marriage low–key, no one knew Hudson was married, so they were still considered the most eligible bachelors in Country B,
When Hudson reached the club, Keith and Finley were already seated in the private booth. Without saying anything, Hudson sat down, poured himself a glass of whiskey, and gulped it down in one go.
Keith and Finley exchanged a look. They had never seen Hudson look this frustrated, but they thought it was possibly because of his brother’s death, as Luis and Hudson used to be very close.
Glass after glass was downed by Hudson until even his friends thought it was enough.
Keith took the bottle away from the table and set it aside. “Enough, Hudson. We are all saddened by Luis‘ death, but this is not the way to grieve over his loss. He wouldn’t be happy if you risked your health.”
Hudson loosened his tie and leaned back, resting his head against the backrest, his eyes looking toward the ceiling.
“It’s not only about him,” he murmured with a voice too soft for his two best friends to hear.
“Come on, man,” Finley chimed in. “It’ll be hard for us if you get wasted. I will need to meet your boring wife when she picks you up. Urgghh…” he groaned in disgust.
Finley disliked Cherise a lot. He hated gold–diggers. For him, gold–diggers were just playthings, and sometimes not even one. Being a playboy himself, he always compensated all his ‘girlfriends‘, but Cherise wanting to be Mrs. Amery disgusted him to his core. For him, Hudson deserved someone better.
“She’s not my wife anymore,” Hudson said,and swiftly took the bottle of Whiskey, pouring himself another glass disregarding Keith’s words.
“What do you mean by that?” Finley asked in surprise, gasping dramatically. His eyes lit up with joy. “Don’t tell me you’ve finally divorced her!”
He took Hudson’s silence as an acknowledgment and toasted Hudson. “It’s the right thing to do! Who wants a golddigger as a wife? If she was S*xy and good in bed, at least it was better, but she was so dull. We should celebrate!”
While Finley felt joyful about his best friend’s divorce, Keith stayed quiet with his brows knitted tightly together.
“Was it because of Emely?” Everyone knew how much Cherise loved Hudson, and honestly, Keith could see that a woman like Cherise was good for a cold man like Hudson.
He might not have realized it, but he always ate lunch boxes from Cherise and went home every night to be with her. Keith believed in his heart that Hudson had feelings for Cherise, even only a bit.
But with him bringing Emely back… What was his purpose? Did he still love Emely? In Keith’s eyes, Hudson just felt gratitude toward her, and being the calm and rational one in the group, he could see what kind of woman Emely was.
“I’m going to marry Emely,” Hudson said in a low voice, making Finley choke on his drink while Keith frowned
even harder.
After coughing for a while, Finley finally slapped Hudson’s shoulder. “That’s more like it! You’ve been in love with
her for so long, and you even impregnated her!”
He toasted Hudson again and added, “That lowly gold digger of your ex–wife is really vicious! She killed an unborn baby just because she was jealous! It was right for you to divorce her!”
For the first time in his life, Hudson felt irritated when his friend talked badly about Cherise, but he suppressed his emotions.
Being his friend for longer than Finley, Keith could sense Hudson’s discomfort and changed the subject. “Your insomnia came back again?”
Hudson closed his eyes, rubbed the space between his brows, and nodded.
Keith thought about it. The most painful memory for Hudson was being told the person he had protected had been killed and seeing a pool of blood when he was just a teenager, and now, with Luis‘ death, it wasn’t a wonder he would get insomnia again.
But…
“Hudson, do you remember when your insomnia stopped?” Keith asked, even though he already knew the
answer.
“It should be around three years ago,” Finley was the one who answered carelessly.
Three years ago? Wasn’t that the time when he first married and shared a bed with Cherise? That would be impossible! Hudson shook his head to clear his wandering mind. Cherise wouldn’t have that power over him!
Keith sipped his drink before thinking how Hudson would regret divorcing Cherise.
Unaware of what was happening on the second floor, Cherise arrived at the club and saw a leggy blonde woman wearing a mini backless red dress exuding a seductive aura.
The woman looked up and smiled at Cherise before sashaying toward her and hugging her. “Darlin-, you made me wait for two minutes.”
Cherise’s lips twitched as she hugged her best friend back. It was only two minutes, she thought. And it wasn’t like Erika didn’t like being the attention of every man who passed by her.
“Let me look at you.” Cherise drew back and gave her friend a once–over. Erika still hadn’t changed. She still had a perfect Spanish guitar figure with full breasts, a tiny waist, and a to–die–for ass. Her gaze and smile were still seductive.
All in all, everything about her was seductive. Even if she just stood still, everyone would be drawn by her
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seductiveness.
Cherise and Erika both had the same blonde hair and baby–blue eyes, with both coming from Country A, but Cherise looked refined, noble, and gentle. However, as the heiress of the wealthiest family in Country A, she still had that arrogant and domineering aura at the same time.
As Cherise was checking on Erika, Erika was doing the same thing to Cherise. She felt distressed looking at her best friend being so thin, and her eyes flashed with fierceness as she saw the wounds on Cherise’s arm.
“Did that scumbag do this to you?” Erika slowly caressed the scabbing wounds.
“Nope,” Cherise replied calmly. “The mistress did it.”
Erika’s eyes widened before narrowing dangerously. “He has a mistress?”
“Yeah, and a pregnant one.” Cherise felt nothing when she thought about Emely and Hudson now.
“Damn that asshole!” Erika cussed, making Cherise laugh. All her friends and family members were protective of her.
“But she miscarried because she fell when I pushed her in self–defense.” Cherise frowned when she thought of the incident. She needed to investigate why Emely would frame her and lose her baby. It would be easier to be Hudson’s wife if she still had her baby.
“That’s karma for her seducing someone else’s husband. Maybe she didn’t know that karma is a bitch,” Erika smiled slyly.
“You don’t blame me for causing her miscarriage?” Cherise teased.
Erika rolled her beautiful baby–blue eyes. “Oh, please. She must have done it purposely for whatever reason. You are not that cruel to an unborn baby.”
Cherise was grateful everyone around her believed in her. She linked her hands with Erika’s arm and asked, “Where’s Logan?”
“He’s already inside, getting us a booth,” Erika said as they entered the club.
“I can’t wait to meet him. It’s been so long!” Cherise’s excitement rose again.
“You will be surprised at how much he’s changed,” Erika smiled mysteriously. “Prepare yourself.”
