Chapter 0463


    And if Noah''s loving gaze from across the room was any indication, then he was having the same thoughts.


    Suddenly, there was a knock on the front door. Noah jumped up from his chair and strode over to answer it, checking his watch. The pizza wasn''t supposed to be here yet.


    When he returned, he had a bottle of wineplete with a red bow around it-in his hand and a curious expression on his face. I sat up, eyeing the bottle cautiously. "What''s that?"


    "I guess my father stopped by the front gate and left this with the security officer," Noah said, handing me the bottle-an expensive red. "A gift."


    Eyebrows raised, I flipped open the little card that was attached to the bow and read its contents.


    "Dear Noah and Hannah; Congrattions on, well... everything! Consider this a little peace offering as well. I know my behavior was not appropriatest weekend and I hope that this will make up for that, at least a little." "P.S.," I read aloud. "I''d rmend pairing this with some of that delicious elk steak you servedst week.""


    There was a moment of silence as we all processed whatever the hell that was. Drake, who was leaning back in an armchair with Viona perched on one of his legs, was the first to speak.


    "Well, that certainly sounds nice. I can''t say I''m drinking that, though."


    Noah and I exchanged curious nces. It was a fresh bottle of expensive wine, corked and factory sealed. Marcus may have been a royal jackass, but he wasn''t the type to do something as crazy as sending tampered wine to people. And although surprising, the note was... nice. An apology. A little peace offering. My mind wandered back to that ne ticket, and I wondered if Marcus was changing in the smallest of ways.


    Noah seemed to have the same thought I did, because he grabbed the wine and reached for the corkscrew behind the bar. "I guess we all get sentimental in our old age, don''t we?" he mused as he uncorked the bottle. "Maybe my father is finally starting to see the benefit of treating people with a touch of kindness."


    Viona snorted. "Or plying them with gifts and alcohol to make thempliant."


    I couldn''t help but chuckle at that. "That seems likely. But wine is wine, right?"


    Noah poured two sses of the wine-Viona and Drake opted to raid our own liquor cab instead, settling on sloppily-made margaritas-and handed one to me. It was good wine, and with Melody staying with my parents until I settled in here, I could let loose a little. And let loose I did.


    Before I knew it, I''d gotten far drunker than I intended so much so that not even four slices of pizza and several garlic knots could sober me up. We were all thoroughly drunk by ten o''clock,ughing until we could hardly breathe over increasingly-ridiculous games of Charades.


    At one point, Drake swept Viona up and danced with her around the room, causing her face to turn as red


    as a strawberry. Noah and I leapt up as well, sping our hands and twirling together until the room turned into a blur.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    We weren''t spinning for long, though, before I tripped over Noah''s feet, and we both went sprawling across the carpet in a tangle of limbs andughter.


    I didn''t realize that something was wrong until Viona''s face came into view above me, her brow furrowed


    with concern.


    "Hannah? Hannah, are you okay?" Her voice sounded muffled, far away, like I was underwater.


    The room spun as I turned my head. Beside me, Noah was being lifted into a sitting position by Drake. He was conscious, but his head was lolling, and he was muttering something incoherent. "I... I think..."


    Everything went dark before I could say what was on my mind.


    Something was in that wine after all. 1