The Crippled Billionaire Is My MATE

CHAPTER 9 – The Offered Drink

Lexi’s POV

Standing in front of the full-length mirror in my apartment, I looked at my reflection and examined my outfit. I was dressed in a shiny black sleeveless jumpsuit with a single off-shoulder. The jumpsuit ran all the way down to my toes before ending with a few ruffles at the bottom of the trousers. Honestly, I expected Chris to force me to wear a dress, but, surprisingly, he didn’t. He gave me the freedom to select whatever I wanted to wear to the party and then, he paid for it.

Of course, he had to pay! Why should I spend my money on something he forced me to go to?

After all, Chris was the one who pestered me to escort him to the party, so I didn’t pull out my wallet at the paying counter and I picked an expensive outfit. I didn’t check the price tag, because I knew that even if I bought the entire store, it was nothing for Chris.

Focusing on my reflection, I twisted my body left and right to inspect how I looked. I chose not to wear any jewelry and to put my hair up into a simple yet slightly fancy bun as a few loose strands of hair fell in front of my face. To top it off, I applied a single coat of nude lipstick. For my footwear, I wore Ballerina flats which was the comfiest option for me since Chris asked me to wear what was comfortable for me. Besides, it was not my party, but a party that he was invited to and my only job was to protect him. The only reason I agreed to dress up in a different outfit was because I knew that I couldn’t attend with my usual leather outfit that would draw everyone’s unnecessary attention to me.

Picking up my black-and-white large-checked purse, I slid my mobile phone inside. Then, I applied some perfume and took a final look in the mirror.

“Hmmm…not bad. Your b*tchy look has disappeared for a while today,” Brie mocked. To be honest, it felt like she was sitting under a tree and just lifted her head to glance at me before hiding her long snout between her arms again.

“Your stubborn mate wants us to be there. That’s why I had to dress like this,” I mind-linked her.

“He wants us everywhere he goes,” she said proudly like a love-sick puppy.

Scoffing at her words, my lips twisted into a smirk. “He will run if he sees you and I am sure he will be able to walk again when you appear in front of him. Do you have any idea about what would happen when he knows that werewolves exist and are not just mythical creatures anymore?”

With a sigh, I sat back on my couch to wait until Chris arrived. He told me that he would pick me up at 6.45 p.m. sharp which meant I had 5 minutes to kill.

“He will accept us, I can feel it in my gut,” Brie replied, turning her determined face toward me.

Shaking my head, I responded, “I can see that you are extremely proud of your arrogant human mate.”

Brie didn’t respond to my words and ended our mind-link. Soon, I heard the sound of a car honking and I looked down from my apartment window to see that a limousine was parked in front of the building. Picking up my purse and I exited my apartment to head downstairs.

The minute I stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby, my eyes fell on Chris waiting for me. For a moment, I mistook him for Cinderella’s Prince Charming. My eyes fluttered and I gulped uncomfortably. His eyes roamed all over my body from top to bottom and then bottom to top before our gaze met.

“You look beautiful, Ms. Lexi!” he complimented me in a soft voice before offering me a white-and-yellow rose bouquet.

My eyes kept shifting between him and the bouquet in his hand because I was surprised to see that for the first time in my life, a man was offering me a flower bouquet. Usually, men ran away from me because of my powerful aura.

“This is for you, Ms. Lexi,” Chris said when he realized that I didn’t accept his flowers.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I nodded nervously. “O…oh! Thank you. Sorry, I…Ummm….”

What should I say? Should I tell him that it’s the first time I’m receiving a bouquet? No! No, Lex! Don’t do that. It will bring shame to the Cronus name.

“Shall we go then?” he asked with a smile.

My lips pressed into a tight smile. “Yeah, sure.”

Looking at Chris through the corner of my eyes as we headed to the limousine, I was a little worried if my attire was suitable for the cocktail party. Chris was dressed in a light-blue shirt with a wool navy necktie and on top of it, he wore a navy-blue blazer with a patterned square pocket. The brown leather belt, cream-colored khaki trousers, and the brown pointed oxfords he was wearing truly made him look handsome. As usual, he did something to his hair to add volume to it and his right-parted hair completed his look.

As usual, I walked in front of him to open his door, but he didn’t come to that side. Instead, he headed to the opposite side of the limousine and opened the door, inviting me to sit.

“Ladies first!” Chris flashed me his gorgeous smile.

Shocked, I shook my head. “But, I am your bodyguard, Mr. Chris, and—”

“Oh, come on, Ms. Lexi. Today I am escorting you to the function,” he replied.

Once again, I was speechless. It was the first time since I became an adult that someone opened the door for me. It looks like a lot of first things are going to happen today!

With a deep breath, I walked over to him and took a seat inside the limo with a smile. Chris closed the door and seconds later, he entered from the other side and sat next to me.

Once the limo pulled out of my apartment road, Chris turned his head towards me. “You look nice, Ms. Lexi. Your choice of outfit really suits you. It gives you a different look. I believe you don’t like to wear dresses, right?”

“Yes. I prefer pants, Mr. Chris. They are comfortable for me,” I replied.

He smiled and nodded. “Well, I think we should always wear what is comfortable for us and not something to impress others.”

“I agree with you, Mr. Chris.” Honestly, I was glad to hear that he believed in the same principle I did.

Eventually, we reached the venue after spending the journey engaging in small talk. As soon as the limousine arrived at the main entrance, two tall men in black suits approached both our doors and opened them.

“Thank you,” I muttered, a little shaken by the treatment I was getting.

Shockingly, it didn’t end there. As soon as our feet touched the ground, an explosion of camera flashes blinded us. A lot of press staff from different news channels were present and waiting like vultures, irritating me. A low growl escaped from my mouth, but luckily the noise of the crowd drowned it out.

“Let’s go, my lady.” Chris approached me and was about to touch my hand, alarming me.

Looking around, I noticed that the guests were beginning to enter the main hall in pairs. The ladies linked their arms with the men and hung on the crook of their elbows. I realized that Chris was probably trying to do the same, but I quickly put my arm around my back and politely ignored him. His face turned gloomy instantly.

I am sorry, Chris but I can’t allow that to happen. I mentally apologized to him.

Lowering myself to his ear, I whispered, “Let’s be professional, Mr. Chris.”

When I leaned down to whisper into his ear, my sensitive nose caught a whiff of his amazing scent. Unconsciously, I found myself deeply inhaling his scent and shutting my eyes to feel it. Somehow, it was calming my nerves and it even made Brie purr like a cat. Chris’s scent smelled like freshly brewed coffee with a mix of vanilla. It was so attractive and I felt myself being drawn toward him.

“Mr. Chris, who is she? She is so beautiful!” I came out of my world at the sound of the voices of the nosy paparazzi.

Chris didn’t say anything and we both walked in silently. The lavish hotel and the dashing look of the crowd in attendance were astonishing. Hot and sexy women were everywhere around the room and it made me feel strange. It was not a new thing for me and I had attended different parties with Dad and Brian before, but something felt odd there.

“Hey, Chris! I am glad you came!” A middle-aged man approached us with a woman who looked almost my age hanging on the crook of his elbow. The man was wearing a full suit while the woman was dressed in a very revealing dress that displayed the top of her huge silicone b*obs and her creamy thighs.

“Hi, Mr. Patrick.” Chris shook his hand while the woman looked at Chris greedily as she bit on her plump red lips.

Why are all these women so greedy for this crippled billionaire? Don’t they have other men who can f*ck them hard? I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth as my breathing accelerated.

Control yourself, Lexi. We can’t do anything here. We are in between a bunch of humans.

“Who is this beautiful young lady?” the middle-aged man asked, pointing at me.

“Oh, she is my bodyguard, Ms. Lexi,” Chris said and I forced out a tight smile after fighting with my arrogance.

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Lexi.” Instead of shaking my hand, Mr. Patrick suddenly pulled my hand to his face and kissed the back of my palm.

Obviously, I hadn’t expected him to act in that way and when I looked at Chris, I found him clenching his jaw. Deep down, I felt that something had gone horribly wrong.

“Lexi, this is the host of the party, Mr. Patrick,” Chris said emotionlessly and I nodded my head.

“Enjoy the party, Mr. Chris. Please excuse us.” The host said before they moved away from us to mingle.

As soon as they left, a waiter came to us with a tray of drinks. I picked up a glass of wine and Chris took a glass of whisky before emptying it down his throat in one gulp. My jaw dropped as I looked at him in disbelief.

“What? Haven’t you seen a man drink before?” he asked sternly. Chris placed the glass on a table and moved away from me.

With the wine glass in my hand, I trailed behind him and caught up with him. “Of course, I have seen men drink before, but I didn’t expect you to down it in one go, Mr. Chris.”

“Oh, cut the crap, Lexi! Stop being so formal with me and stop your drama!” His voice was full of rage while his nostrils flared and his face turned stern. Huffing, he took another glass of whisky from the bar counter and gulped it down.

Confused and a little uncomfortable by the spectacle he was causing, I stood in front of him. “What drama, Mr. Chris? I didn’t—”

“You don’t allow me to take your hand but you gave your hand to be kissed by someone you have never met before. How are you going to explain that, Lexi?” Chris unleashed his anger on me.

Why is he so adamant about taking my hand? I know he is curious about the sparks, but I can’t let him feel that again.

A sigh escaped my mouth. “I didn’t expect that he was going to do that and—”

“I am going to meet the other business partners. Don’t go outside and stay inside,” Chris cut me off. His demanding voice was really suitable for his egoistic behavior.

Chris moved away and I walked to one of the corners of the main hall. Scanning the crowd, I saw Chris busy talking to some business partners whereas the others mingled. The men and women were busy chatting with each other while some of them shared some flirty sexy looks with each other. By the way things were going, I was sure that a lot of them were going to sleep together after the party.

“Excuse me, Ma’am?” a voice called out to me and I turned to see a waiter offering me a glass of champagne.

Shaking my head, I declined, “No, thanks, I have already had two glasses of wine. I think I am—”

“Mr. Chris asked you to have one,” he said. I looked at Chris, but he was busy talking to a few people.

“Thanks.” I accepted the glass and started to sip on it slowly.

My eyes fixated on Chris but he didn’t approach me at all. So, I finished my drink and kept the glass away. However, after a few minutes, I started to feel a bit dizzy and I assumed that the drink was a little bit high in alcoholic percentage. Even though my head was slightly spinning, I was still conscious and could still see my surroundings. So, I waited until Chris was ready to leave since it was already close to 11 p.m.

Finally, he came back to me. “Let’s go.”

I nodded and we walked outside to the limousine. Most of the guests had already left and only both of us remained outside waiting for our ride. Still, I didn’t speak to him and he did the same while waiting for the driver. But soon, I started to feel that something was off and realized that my dizzy head was still troubling me. Obviously, I have had a lot to drink at parties, but as wolves, we never got drunk or high. So, I suspected that it was possibly something I had never had before.

Chris looked at me curiously. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I am fine. What was the drink you offered me?” I asked, rubbing my forehead.

His forehead furrowed. “Drink? What drink?”

“The one you sent me through the waiter,” I said.

Chris’s jaw dropped. “What? Are you mad? I never sent you any drink!”

My eyes enlarged at his words and I looked at him as the feeling that something was not right twisted my insides. Luckily, the limousine arrived before anything could happen.

“Get in,” he said before moving to his side. So, I got in and as soon as we settled in the car, the vehicle started to move forward.

Turning to look at him, I continued our conversation, “The waiter said that you sent the drink and—”

“Don’t move!” Before I could continue, I felt a cold gun being pressed to the back of my head, and from the corner of my eyes, so did Chris.