The man's smile slightly eased Luana's guard.
She reached out with a trembling hand to take the wine glass and took a small sip, but she still didn't dare to swallow the wine, just holding it in her mouth.
The female companion sitting beside the man couldn't help but sneer at the scene.
Her laughter was filled with mockery and disdain. "I must say, Mr. Elan, the women you bring around are getting more and more classless. Gehrmann is kind enough to pour her a drink, yet she's still on guard and won't drink it."
Gehrmann was Cline's cousin.
Gehrmann was also a playboy, but compared to Travis, he was far from being a pervert.
Since Luana had been with Cline, she had never met any of his family or friends. This was her first time meeting Gehrmann.
She couldn't help but take a few extra glances at him, noticing that he bore some resemblance to Cline, but his temperament was entirely different.
He didn't have Cline's cold detachment but instead gave off a warm vibe.
Seeing that Luana didn't react to her words, the woman's face darkened, becoming gloomy.
Her meaning was more than clear. Anyone would have understood the implied message, which was essentially to force Luana to finish that glass of wine.
She thought that if Luana knew what was good for her, she should promptly apologize to Gehrmann and then drink up. That way, the matter would be settled.
But Luana seemed to be acting as if she didn't understand, which was just too unperceptive.
In reality, how could Luana not hear it?
The woman's words were directed at Travis, not explicitly asking her to drink, so of course, she had to play dumb.
The woman, displeased, turned to Travis to remind him. "Mr. Elan, the reason you're able to meet Mr. Moriarty today is all thanks to Gehrmann's introduction. Otherwise, you wouldn't even be able to see him, let alone discuss any projects. But your woman won't even drink a glass of wine. How are we supposed to have fun later?"
Luana then realized that Travis and Cline were not close and had met through Gehrmann's introduction.
It seemed that Travis's real purpose for organizing this gathering was not just to introduce her to a few friends but to secure a project from Cline.
This was a good thing. Discussing a project would definitely take some time, giving her more time to find a way to escape.
Thinking of this, Luana's body, which had been tense all along, relaxed a bit.
However, just as she let out a breath, Travis raised his chin at her, his tone brooking no argument, "Drink it."
Luana knew she could no longer play dumb and, with a sigh, picked up the glass, closed her eyes tightly, and drained the wine in one go.
She rarely drank alcohol because Cline disliked the smell of alcohol, so she always tried to avoid it.
The sudden gulp of strong liquor spread a burning sensation in her throat instantly, choking her and bringing tears to her eyes uncontrollably.
Travis, seeing this, quickly reached out to put his arm around her shoulder, patting her back to help her catch her breath.
At that moment, Cline's cold gaze fell on Travis's hand, which was around Luana.
Through her tear-blurred vision, Luana thought she saw a fleeting trace of envy in Cline's eyes.
But when she blinked hard to clear her sight, she found nothing in Cline's eyes except the usual indifference and detachment, as if that moment of illusion had never occurred.
Luana laughed mockingly in her heart. She knew Cline only saw her as a substitute for Runa and had never truly cared for her. What was she still expecting?
How ridiculous.
Seeing Luana recover, Travis put his arm around her and addressed Gehrmann. "This girl hasn't been socialized much and doesn't drink well. I hope you'll forgive her."
Gehrmann just smiled without saying a word, but the woman beside him suddenly became furious. "What do you mean by that, Mr. Elan?"
Travis raised his sword-like eyebrows, his expression neither warm nor cold as he said, "Madam, I wasn't talking about you. Why are you so excited?"
The woman, referred to as 'Madam,' was like a powder keg ignited, exploding instantly. "You don't know my name?"
"Why should I know your name? Are you famous?" Travis retorted without any sign of weakness.
"You—" The woman was left speechless, her face flushing with anger.
She stamped her foot and turned to tug at Gehrmann's sleeve, coquettishly complaining, "Gehrmann, look at him. He's so weird. Let's leave now."
Gehrmann had a good temper. He patted the woman's hand and coaxed, "Naomi, you know Mr. Elan's character. He meant no harm. Don't take it seriously."