淑女的欲望

Carter groaned, his head throbbing from the alcohol. "What the fuck, Man!…. Why…What do you want to talk about?" he slurred while trying to open his eyes. As his eyes slowly adjusted to the light, he widened in surprise as he saw his older brother, Xander, sitting beside him.

"Oh... Oh... my god, B-Big B-Brother!" Carter gasped in surprise when he saw Xander sitting beside him. "I can't believe it's really you!" he exclaimed, his face excitedly lit up. However, his joy quickly turned to disappointment.

"W-Wait a minute, this can't be right," Carter muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "My brother is at home with his beautiful woman. There's no way he would come to a party like this."

Just as Carter was about to reach out and touch Xander's face, Xander's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, stopping him in his tracks.

"What the hell?" Carter cried out in shock as Xander's grip tightened. "Let go of me, you! You are not my brother!" He blinked several times, looking at his hand and then back at Xander's face. 

"What happened? Is this some kind of horrible magic trick? Why do you look so much like my older brother?"  Carter asked, his drunken laugh echoing through the hall, amused to know his brother came to this place.

Xander's expression turned dark, and his voice was low and menacing. "Do you want to kill yourself by drinking this much alcohol?" he growled, pushing Carter away so hard that he nearly fell over. Alex rushed over to help him up.

Carter felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, and he realized that he had drunk far too much. He was surprised to see his brother standing before him, looking angry and concerned simultaneously.

"Brother, it is you…." Carter muttered, trying to steady himself. After focusing his mind as best as possible, he said, "Brother, why did you come to this party?"

"Carter," Alex said, patting him on the shoulder and guiding him back into his chair. "Xander is my best friend. So, it's only natural for him to come to this party."

"Oh, you're right, brother Alex," Carter said, smirking at his cousin. He turned to Xander with a smile. "I'm glad you came to the party, big brother. Let's have a drink together," he said, trying to push away his gloomy thoughts — because a particular goddess stole his heart.

He grabbed a glass of whiskey, intending to drown his sorrows, but before he could drink it, Xander's hand shot out, grabbed it, and gently threw it. "What the hell, brother?" Carter glared at him, feeling annoyed.

"If you keep drinking like this, you might as well ask for death." Xander snapped, his expression turning serious. 

Carter's anger melted away, replaced by shame and guilt. He knew he had been drinking too much today, trying to forget the pain of his lost love. But he had never considered the toll it was taking on his health.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, hanging his head in shame. "I didn't realize what I was doing to myself..."

Xander didn't say anything. He just took a deep breath. Even though he wanted to beat him up, he felt sorry seeing his brother sad like this. However, his pity vanished when he heard Carter's following words.

"Bro, don't worry. I'm not going to die," Carter said, reassuring Xander. "I just need to drink to forget about that goddess who stole my heart." He took a deep breath before continuing, his voice trailing off. "Why do I always miss my chances with the women I like?"

"A Goddess? A woman? You have someone you like, Carter?" Alex asked, surprised by his cousin's words. He had assumed that Carter was still single.

"Yes!" Carter said, taking another deep breath as he remembered the beautiful woman he had met earlier, Mrs. Roger. "...But unfortunately, she's already married. She fits all my criteria for the perfect wife, but... once again, I'm too late! Damn, it!!"

"..." Xander felt the urge to hit Carter's head. However, he held back his anger. 

"I'm sorry to hear that, Carter!" Alex shook his head in sympathy as he listened to Carter's story. He knew all too well the pain of losing the woman he loved to someone else. His own heart had been shattered when the woman he adored married his best friend. Even years later, he wasn't sure if he could ever open his heart again to another woman. 

"Thank you, brother Alex! I hope you find your woman too!" Carter said as he patted Alex on the shoulder, trying to sympathize with him.

"Thank you! But, I'm not in a hurry..." Alex said.

"No, Brother Alex, don't delay finding your soulmate. Even my elder brother Xander has found his soulmate and married her..." Carter said.

  Alex is shocked to hear that. He looked at Xander with a slightly raised forehead.

"Wait a minute, Xander is married?" Alex asked, surprised. He had no idea that his friend had tied the knot.

Carter nodded, "Yes, he is. He's been married for about... Mmm... half a year now. Didn't you know?"

Alex shook his head, feeling sad because Xander didn't tell him. "No, I had no idea. Congratulations, Xander. Who is the lucky woman?" Alex looked at Xander. 

Xander smiled. "Thank you, Alex. Her name is Scarlett Piers. She's an amazing woman, and I feel blessed to have her in my life." His eyes lit up as Scarlett's pretty face flashed through his mind.

Alex smiled back, genuinely happy for his friend. "That's wonderful news, Xander. I would love to meet your wife."

"I will introduce you both. She happens to be in town." Xander decided to make amends for not telling Alex about his marriage by inviting him to lunch with Scarlett. It would be an opportunity for his best friend to get to know his wife.

"Oh, sister-in-law is in town?" Carter, feeling the effects of too much alcohol, suddenly perked up at the mention of Scarlett's name. His headache and blurry vision seemed to disappear, and he felt re-energized at the thought of seeing her again.

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AN: If you want to read about Alex Hill, you can read my novel: Damn! I Fall in Love With Him