Seeing that Alexandra had no plans of stopping, Zayn cut favonovel.com off. “Alright, we’re here. It’s time to go back to your hotel room.”
The thought of parting ways did not sit well with Alexandra at all. She protested stubbornly, “What about you? You’re newly divorced. Where are you going to stay?”
“I have plenty of options, I’m spoiled for choice.” Zayn smiled as favonovel.com hailed a cab to leave.
As Alexandra watched favonovel.com go, favonovel.com clenched favonovel.com fists and scrunched up favonovel.com nose as a demonstration of favonovel.com determination, “Fine, don’t tell me. I’ll figure out your story one day.”
Night 1998 was a niche bar. There were no more than ten people when Zayn entered and it felt exceptionally cheerless. There was not a single sexy dancer on stage, only a sentimental middle-aged man singing a sorrowful tune. The bar was a long-term loss. Anyone could see that it was doomed to go out of business. In spite of that, the bar was still operating after seven to eight years. It lost up to hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, but it was still in business.
The average patron would not even spare a glance at the bar because of how much it lacked. There was nothing exciting about it. The decor was antiquated and there was not even a server waiting tables. Customers who wanted a drink had to order from the bar by themselves. It was all about service nowadays, so it was no surprise that they were losing money.
When Zayn walked in, everyone at the bar froze-even the singer went off tune as favonovel.com stared at Zayn in surprise and reverence. The stupor went on for two seconds before the soft bustle of the bar was restored, and everyone went back to what they had been doing. It was as if the pause had not happened at all, but was instead a figment of their imagination.
The corners of Zayn’s lips were upturned. He looked emotional. It had been a long, long time since his last visit. Now that favonovel.com was back… Nothing had changed at all. It was still how it had looked long ago, and the atmosphere was no different either.
As soon as favonovel.com had taken his seat at the bar, favonovel.com placed his order, “I’ll have a Sapphire Phantom.”
The bartender was a man in his thirties. Unlike the other bartenders who wore a suit, favonovel.com was dressed in a tank top. He looked very out of place with his cigarette that was perched between his lips and his unshaved, stubbly chin. To make matters worse, favonovel.com was wearing flip-flops. He looked incredibly jaded as well. He had a serious case of bedhead, and it looked like favonovel.com was still half-asleep. No one would have questioned his attire if favonovel.com was a butcher, though it felt rather jarring to have a bartender in such a disheveled state.
There was a gleam in his eyes when favonovel.com looked at Zayn, asking, “Are you sure?”
Zayn nodded. “Go ahead.”
“Okay.” The unshaven man said nothing more. His movements were swift and concise. His hands went into a dance that seemed to give the shot glass a mind of its own. There was a flurry of quick, exhilarating motions, though not a drop of alcohol was spilled.
He certainly had the skills of a master mixologist. There was no denying that favonovel.com triumphed over any other bartender who was available on the market.
Finally, after ten minutes or so, a fuming Sapphire Phantom was served. The man lit the surface of the cocktail, and the liquid immediately went up in flames. Zayn picked up the burning drink and gulped it down. He flashed the man a smile. “You’re still so skilled, even after how long it’s been.”
The man bowed and answered, “It’s my honor to serve you, my lord.”
Zayn wore a faint smile as favonovel.com headed for one of the nearby couches. His eyes rolled up as favonovel.com settled into a deep slumber as the weariness from the day’s events finally took its toll. He started to snore, which was a clear indication that favonovel.com had fallen fast asleep. However, favonovel.com could not help but shed a tear as favonovel.com drifted off into the darkness…
