Chapter 3

Crystal POV

I froze in place.

"To 'wake' the wine with your mouth" - it was humiliating slang in this line of work, or perhaps a game for lovers.

When we were together, he'd played that game at home.

But now, we were thousands of feet in the air, in front of his fiancée. He wanted to strip away my last shred of dignity and stomp on it.

"What? Not willing?" Damian raised an eyebrow. "I hear you're really desperate for money now? That you'll do anything for cash?" "If you 'wake' this bottle of wine properly, the tip for this trip will be doubled."

Doubled. Those two words pierced my ears like needles. I thought of my brother, still lying in the hospital, and that bill, like a death warrant. Pride means nothing when you're fighting for survival.

I slowly reached out and grasped the cold bottle of wine.

"Alright, Damian." I pulled out the cork, tilted my head back, and took a mouthful of wine.

The liquid warmed in my mouth, its bitter taste spreading. I leaned over, approaching the empty stemmed glass, and slowly poured the wine from my mouth into it. The red liquid formed a thin stream, falling into the bottom of the glass.

Tiffany let out a short gasp, seemingly startled by the sensual yet humiliating scene.

"Oh my god, how disgusting." She covered her mouth, a look of repulsion on her face.

I ignored her, taking a second, then a third mouthful.

Each sip felt like swallowing broken glass. Damian just watched, his expression shifting from playful mockery to deep intensity, finally settling into a cold, dead stillness.

It wasn't until half the bottle was in the glass, and I felt a little tipsy, my cheeks flushed. "Enough." He suddenly spoke, his voice chillingly flat.

I stopped, a drop of red wine still clinging to the corner of my mouth.

He suddenly stood up, sweeping the wine-filled glass away.

With a crash, the crystal glass shattered against the cabin wall, breaking into pieces. Red wine splashed everywhere, just like the bloodshot eyes I'd seen in the rain-soaked night when I'd left him.

"Get out." He pointed to the galley outside the cockpit, his tone violent.

I clumsily wiped my mouth, lowered my head, and stumbled out. The moment I closed the cabin door, I heard him tell Tiffany inside, "Don't let me see such filthy things again."

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