Frowning, Matthew snapped, “It’s none of your business who calls the shots in this household! If you’re
not going to drink, sit down.”
“And what do you mean by sending me away while I’m trying to offer President Cunningham a glass of
wine?” the boy challenged him with a glare. “Do you actually think you’re the head of the household?
Even if you were, it’d only be polite to allow me to pay my respects. Don’t you think so, President
Cunningham?”
The boy’s friends cheered him on and he shot Matthew a smug, disdainful look.
If he managed to crush Matthew under his foot by the end of the night, he would consider his evening a
success.
As long as he could get the older man to admit defeat, he would have more chances to interact with
Sasha in the future.
Unfortunately, Sasha begged to differ and she slammed her hand on the table before shouting angrily,
“That’s enough! Mind your friends, Minerva! If you can’t do so, don’t come back in the future!”
Upon hearing that, Minerva instantly became anxious. “What are you saying, Sasha? W-We’re here to
visit Aunt Helen, so how could you send us away?”
Similarly, Helen quickly added, “Exactly! How could you say that, Sasha? Minerva is your cousin. Don’t
forget that your aunt—”
However, Sasha interrupted her mother and she thundered, “I haven’t forgotten, alright? I haven’t
forgotten anything! But let me tell you something—the name on the deed for this property is Matthew
Larson so yes, he is indeed the one who calls the shots here!”
“What do you mean by that, Sasha?” James questioned angrily. “Are you saying you have a problem with
us living here?”
“Yes!” Sasha snapped. “Didn’t you say you wanted to go to Lakeside Garden? Why are you still here
then?”
Just like that, James was struck silent.
When it came to the incident with President White, they were indeed the ones in the wrong. Thus, he had
no rebuttal for her.
Upon assessing the situation, Minerva realized that continuing to throw a fuss would not be to her
advantage.
Thus, she quickly gave the three boys a look and said with an ingratiating smile, “Very well, then! Since
Matthew is being so hospitable by asking you to drink with him, you should!”
The boys understood what she was implying—it was obvious that she wanted to get Matthew drunk.
During the past gatherings she attended with him, he hadn’t consumed much alcohol.
Thus, she assumed he was unlikely to be able to hold his liquor so it would be all too easy to make him
drunk.
After exchanging a glance with the others, the boy leading the charge boomed, “Of course. Let’s do so
then, Mr. Larson! How about this—since it’s our first meeting, let’s drink to our hearts’ content! Bring out
the largest wine glasses. As men, we must be bold about our drinking, mustn’t we?”
Immediately, Minerva walked over with the wine glasses and chimed in, “Look how cordial my friends are
being, Matthew. You mustn’t disappoint them! Come on, now. Sasha’s reputation depends on you!”
Naturally, her words were meant to provoke him and force him to participate.
On the other hand, Demi and Liam turned away, hiding their laughter.
They were well aware of how much alcohol Matthew was capable of consuming, and it was suicide to try
and outdrink him.
Nonetheless, they didn’t feel like saying anything.
It wasn’t as if Minerva was a saint, anyway. They were highly dissatisfied with her behavior, especially
now that she had brought home a group of ne’er-do-wells.
If Matthew could teach her a lesson on their behalf, they would be thrilled.
For his part, Matthew didn’t bother making small talk. All he did was raise his wine glass and say,
“Alright! Let’s drink to our heart’s content! Whoever stops first is the loser!”
“Aye, whoever stops first is the loser!” The boys cheered.
And so, the leader of the group called out with a complacent look, “I’ll start. Let’s toast to our first meeting
with three glasses!”
Given how large the Cunninghams’ wine glasses were, three glasses could hold as much as 42 liquid
ounces of red wine.
Proudly assuming that his own alcohol tolerance was extremely high, the boy set out to put Matthew
down.
His ultimate goal was causing the older man to embarrass himself by getting drunk and throwing up.
However, Matthew didn’t bother to answer him and only started drinking.
After all, when it came to drinking competitions, there was no one Matthew Larson feared.
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