One glass. Then another. And another. The men watched her drink with leisurely amusement, their expressions unchanging.

The colorful liquors flowed down her graceful neck one after another.

Individually, none of the drinks had a high alcohol content, but mixed together, they quickly began to take their toll.

Catherine felt her body heat up, her head buzzing. She knew she couldn't keep drinking.

The men, however, noticed her waning strength and still pushed her to continue.

"One last glass, one of them said, his tone coaxing but laced with menace. "Finish this, and we'll forget about everything."

But just as Catherine reached for the last glass, a hand suddenly landed on her shoulder.

Startled, she instinctively jerked back, and the glass in her hand tilted with the motion, spilling its contents all over the man standing in front of her.

"Well, well, Catherine, " the man sneered, his face darkening with anger. "Still pretending to be some virtuous, untouchable saint? Do you think you're still the heiress of the prestigious Li family?"

He stood up abruptly and grabbed her wrist in a crushing grip.

Panic surged through Catherine.

She didn't have time to think. With her free hand, she snatched a bottle from the table and smashed it against his wrist. The glass shattered, and he let go with a sharp hiss of pain.

But the difference in strength between a man and a woman was too great. Catherine, already unsteady from the alcohol and teetering on high heels, was overpowered. The man wrested the broken bottle from her hand and shoved her forcefully.

She cried out as her ankle twisted painfully. She stumbled against the edge of the table before falling backward.

She braced herself for the inevitable impact with the floor, humiliation and pain swirling in her mind. But instead of hitting the ground, she found herself caught in a warm, unyielding embrace.

Her breath hitched as she tilted her head and met a pair of cold, deep eyes. The man's cold, deep gaze seemed to see through her.

The room fell silent. Everyone was momentarily stunned by the unexpected development.

No one had anticipated that Catherine would end up falling into Jerrold's lap.

Leaning lazily against the sofa, a glass of wine in hand, Lin Shao had been enjoying the spectacle. But the moment he saw Catherine land on Jerrold, his amusement evaporated, and a chill ran down his spine. His drunken haze cleared in an instant.

This was his gathering, his arrangement. Annoying his guests was one thing, but offending Jerrold? That was a disaster waiting to happen-not just for him, but for the entire Lin family.

"Move!"

Lin Shao barked under his breath, dragging the man who had shoved Catherine toward Jerrold. His tone turned ingratiating as he approached.

"Jerrold, I deeply apologize for the disturbance. Let us take her away immediately. We wouldn't want to ruin your evening."

Catherine's mind snapped into focus at those words.