Chapter 2

Sara arrived at the Tiernan residence, where the butler, Bruce Conroy, greeted her. "Mrs. Tiernan, you're here. Mr. Tiernan Senior is in the garden," he said. "Thank you. I'll go see him myself," Sara replied with a faint smile. The household staff in the Tiernan family all liked Sara for her down-to-earth and approachable manner. Sara made her way to the garden, where Oswin sat in a chair with a cup of tea beside him. His face brightened when he saw her coming. He exclaimed, "Sara, you're here! Come, sit with me. Spencer didn't come along?" "No, Grandpa. He's tied up at the office today, so I came on my own," Sara replied. "That rascal is always buried in work." "The company keeps him busy. He has more on his plate than most as CEO." "You're always quick to defend him. Stay and have dinner with me tonight." "Of course, Grandpa," Sara replied, the corner of her eyes crinkling with a smile. Dinner passed, and shortly after, Sara received a call from Spencer's childhood friend, Luke Yaeger. "Sara, we're at Nightdive. Spencer had a bit too much to drink. Can you come pick him up?" "Alright, I'll head over now." After saying goodbye to Oswin, Sara left immediately. … Five men sat together in the exclusive VIP booth at Nightdive. Each of them was strikingly handsome, but the one lounging in the center was easily the most breathtaking of them all. They'd all grown up together in the same privileged neighborhood—Spencer Tiernan was the oldest, followed by Zayn Moore, Hans Quinton, Finn Jordaine, and the youngest, Luke Yaeger. Spencer had definitely drunk too much that night. He felt unwell and just wanted to lie down for a while. Soon, his hands rose to rub his temples. "What's up with Spencer tonight? He never drinks like this." Even Luke, usually the least observant of the group, could tell that something was wrong with Spencer. "Clementine's coming back tomorrow." The person who spoke, Zayn Moore, had a face so flawless that even women envied it. "Shit, why the hell is she coming back?" Luke blurted out before he could stop himself. "Who knows?" "Zayn, how'd you find out?" "Spencer told me." "Hmph. Spencer tells you everything. Guess I'm not his Lukey anymore." "You never were," said a man in the black shirt. "Hans Quinton!" The group burst out laughing. "You don't think Spencer still has feelings for her and wants to rekindle things, do you? What about Sara?" "Let's not get involved. Spencer can handle it himself. I'm heading out," Finn said. He had an early business trip the next day, and Spencer had assigned him some tasks too. "We're leaving too. Luke, you've got Spencer—make sure he gets home safe," Zayn and Hans simultaneously said. After that, the three men walked away without hesitation. "Hey! Wait! You can't just leave Spencer like this!" "You're the one with nothing better to do. Of course you're the one responsible for him." Without a second thought for Luke's feelings, the three of them left. After that, Luke stared at Spencer sprawled out on the couch and thought about Sara. He thought about how kind, beautiful, and understanding she was. He then pulled out his phone and called her to come pick Spencer up. … When Sara arrived at Nightdive, she found Luke alone keeping an eye on Spencer. "Sorry, I'm late. Are you the only one here?" she asked. "Sara, you made it. No, you're right on time. The guys had things to do, and I've got a tournament tonight, so I called you," Luke said, putting down his phone. He'd been caught up in an intense mobile game just moments before. It was an oddly charming sight—one handsome man absorbed in his game while babysitting an even handsomer drunk at the bar. Luke felt completely at home since Hans owned the place. "Why did he drink so much? His stomach's been bothering him for the past few days. He'd just started feeling better." "Um... Maybe he just got carried away hanging out with us. I'll keep a better eye on him next time." Luke quickly made up an excuse and brushed it off. Sara knew Spencer's childhood friends well. Together, they'd founded Jetstream Kriton Group, which had grown to dominate half of Jeritho's market before expanding overseas. Sometimes, Sara would run into them at the Tiernan residence, or they'd come over for meals. "Sara, you didn't drive here, right? Here's Spencer's car key. Take his car back," Luke said, holding out the key to her. "I came by cab. I'll drive it back." "Good. Let's get Spencer into the car then." "Okay." Spencer was too big for Sara to get into the car on her own, so she needed Luke's help. Together, the two of them got him into the back seat before Sara slid into the driver's seat. "Are you sure you can handle this, Sara? Do you want me to call a driver for you?" Spencer's car was big, and Luke wasn't sure if Sara was used to driving something that size. "I'll be fine. I'll take it slow," Sara replied. "Alright. Drive safely. I'll see you later." "Got it. I'll head out now." Sara cautiously merged into traffic, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. She drove well below the speed limit, drawing a few frustrated honks from the cars behind her. She didn't realize Spencer had opened his eyes in the back seat. He had been sound asleep just moments before. In truth, he had started to stir when Sara was talking to Luke at the bar, but he'd stayed quiet and pretended to be asleep. He felt an unexpected sense of calm as he watched Sara's small frame in the driver's seat, her hands gripping the wheel tightly while she carefully drove. Earlier that night, Spencer had received a sudden call from Clementine Wendell. She told him she was back in town and asked if he could pick her up from the airport, but he turned her down. "Spence, I'm back. Can you pick me up at the airport tomorrow?" she'd asked. "Sorry, that's not going to work. I'm married now." With that, Spencer hung up. He then pulled his ring out of his office drawer only to toss it back in afterward. The call had shaken him and left him unsettled. So, he'd rounded up Luke and the others and headed to Hans' bar, where he'd drank more than usual. Three years ago, Spencer had planned an elaborate proposal, but Clementine never showed up. Instead, she told him she was leaving for Pavrielle to follow her dream of becoming a ballerina. He had stood in the middle of an endless sea of flowers—ring in hand—and ended up becoming the laughingstock of Jeritho. Sara took nearly an hour to get home, though the drive was supposed to take only half an hour. Just then, she noticed Spencer stirring just as she was about to alight the car. "You're up. Can you walk?" she asked. Spencer didn't respond. Sara bent down to help him, and he leaned against her while they made their way inside. After Sara led him to the couch, he collapsed onto the cushions. Then, she went to the kitchen to prepare a hangover remedy. Spencer was awake and had propped himself up to sit. Sara found him staring off with a furrowed brow when she returned with the remedy. "You're up? Have some of this," she said. Spencer gave a low hum in response. "Just leave it. It's late. You should get some sleep. I'll clean up later." Nevertheless, Sara lingered in the living room. "What? Do you need something?" Spencer asked upon noticing that she wasn't heading to her room. "Uh, I visited Grandpa today. He said you should come by for a meal whenever you have time and not to overwork yourself." "Got it. I'll go with you tomorrow." "Okay." Sara still didn't mention the pregnancy, and the three-year agreement had only three months left.