Chapter 150

I don't know if it was because I was next to Royce, but I felt incredibly at ease. Maybe it was the post-dinner drowsiness, but I ended up sleeping until the middle of the night.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Royce.

Our positions had changed; I was clinging to him tightly, while Royce was lying on the edge of the bed.

He was looking at me with a helpless expression. "You're finally awake."

Startled, I quickly sat up. Thankfully, our clothes were still intact.

Royce sat up too, rubbing his head with a pained expression. "How did you end up in my bed last night? Why didn't you leave?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "It's all your fault! You were drunk, and I was trying to be nice by getting you to bed. But somehow, our clothes got tangled, and I ended up falling onto your bed."

"And then you unconsciously used me as a body pillow. I couldn't get away."

Royce rubbed his head, then suddenly looked at me with wide eyes. "You didn't do anything to me, did you?"

I glared at him. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"But you were the one who got into my bed. I didn't ask you to stay, so of course, I should be asking you."

Unable to argue with Royce, I decided to get up and leave.

My phone showed numerous missed calls from Savannah, Kathy, and Kelly. Seeing all those missed calls, I knew I was in for a lot of gossip when I got back.

I got out of bed and started putting on my shoes, but Royce grabbed my arm.

"Where are you going?"

"Home, of course. If I don't get back soon, they'll blow up my phone, and they might even call the police."

Royce pointed to the dark sky outside. "It's 2 AM. Did you drive here?"

I shook my head. I had come with Royce in his car, so there was no way I could have driven.

"You won't be able to get a cab now. And even if you could, it's too dangerous for a girl to be out alone at this hour. I can't let you go back by yourself."

I was about to argue, but Royce continued, "And I can't drive you back either. My car is out of gas. I only have one car here, and it ran out when I drove you home."

Great, he had blocked all my options.

"So what am I supposed to do?"

He suggested, "I think you should stay here tonight and leave in the morning when it's light out."

Though it was the last thing I wanted, it seemed like the only viable option.

I sighed and thought about how I had ended up in this situation, then took out my phone to reply to my friends. Savannah and Kathy were still awake, waiting for my message. As soon as they saw it, they called me on video.

Startled, I looked at Royce and warned him, "I'm about to take a video call. Don't come over, or they'll see you."

Royce nodded obediently, but I could see a hint of amusement in his eyes.

I answered the call, and Savannah and Kathy's faces appeared on the screen, immediately bombarding me with questions. "Caroline, where have you been all night?"

Kathy asked, "Where did you go last night? Why didn't you answer our calls? And where did you sleep?"

Feeling guilty, I glanced at Royce, who was sitting and looking at his phone. The screen's light highlighted his features, making him look even more handsome.

I cleared my throat and said, "After the shareholders' meeting, I ran into an old friend from school. We decided to grab dinner, and we ended up having such a good time that we went to her place for a few drinks. I fell asleep and didn't check my phone."

Savannah and Kathy looked skeptical. "Which friend? Do we know her?"

I shook my head. "You don't know her. She's a friend from middle school."

Kathy pressed on, "Is it a guy or a girl?"

I cleared my throat again. "A girl, of course. Do you think I'd stay over at a guy's place?"

Royce glanced at me and chuckled softly.

Savannah and Kathy immediately perked up. "Who was that? We heard someone laugh."

"That was my friend. She has a deep voice, like a guy's. Don't worry, I didn't stay at a guy's place. I just had a bit too much to drink and crashed at her place. I'll head back first thing in the morning."

Their expressions softened, and they seemed to believe me. I was relieved they didn't ask more questions, as I was running out of excuses.

"Caroline, you should have called home too. Mrs. Kelly was worried sick."

I nodded. "I didn't think it through. What did you tell her?"

"Ms. Patel said you messaged her that your phone died and you wouldn't be back. Mrs. Kelly finally went to bed, but she was ready to stay up all night waiting for you."

"I thought Brandon had kidnapped you or something. I was ready to call the police at dawn."

I apologized repeatedly. "I didn't think it through. It won't happen again."

I glared at Royce, the cause of all this. "I'm never coming to his place again. Drinking causes too much trouble."

Royce just smiled.

After hanging up, I let out a deep breath and glared at Royce. "This is all your fault."

He shook his head, not denying it.

I turned off my phone and asked, "Where's the bathroom? I need a shower."

He pointed to a door next to the room.

I hesitated. Showering with Royce nearby, even with a door between us, was something I couldn't accept. "Isn't there another bathroom in this big house?"

Royce said, "There's another one outside, but it hasn't been used in a while."

I grabbed my clothes and headed to the other bathroom. But once inside, I realized I didn't have any clean clothes. Was I supposed to put on dirty clothes after my shower?

After thinking it over, I decided to ask Royce if I could borrow something to wear.