"I can afford this car, but I can't find it in the market. I heard there's one here, so…"
Peter didn't bother hiding the truth. After all, he hadn't technically bought this car himself, but considering everything he did for Panan, he figured they were even.
"For the sake of your honesty, I'll let this slide," Panan said with a sigh. "You know I hate being lied to."
At first, she had been furious—after all, she had been fooled—but after some thought, she realized that Peter had helped her get her car back. Not only that, but on the way, he had handled most of the planning and even taken down the Chaos Knife Club. She had only played a supporting role.
Besides, Peter didn't try to cover it up. He admitted it without hesitation, making it impossible for her to stay angry.
"Hey, how about I treat you to some drinks as an apology?" Peter grinned.
"Hmph, you're on! Just don't regret it later," Panan said proudly, lifting her chin.
"Regret? You could drink up my whole bank account, and I'd still be fine," Peter shrugged.
He had over 300,000 Euros in his account. Was she planning to drink all the alcohol in the city?
---
Outside a Bar in Night City
"Vomit!!!"
Panan leaned against a wall, throwing up what looked like a rainbow-colored liquid.
Peter stood a few feet away, wrinkling his nose. "Why'd you stop drinking? I've still got plenty of money left!" he called out.
He wasn't about to get close—not even his own wife could make him tolerate that smell.
"I give up! You're a freaking monster!" Panan groaned, barely able to stand.
Determined to make Peter suffer financially, she had ordered the most expensive drinks. Each bottle cost over 1,000 Euros, and she had downed ten of them, expecting to see some reaction from Peter.
But nothing.
Peter matched her drink for drink, downing ten more bottles on the spot. While she ended up throwing up her soul, he looked completely unfazed.
"Ah, are you f***ing pretending to have a prosthetic stomach?!" she accused, staggering.
"Please, except for one part, everything is original, okay?" Peter spread his arms as proof that he wasn't cheating.
"Ugh, fine, you win," Panan mumbled, rubbing her temples. "I'm finding a hotel and sleeping."
Before she could take another step, her vision blurred, and she collapsed on the spot.
---
The Next Morning
Panan woke up to a splitting headache. Groaning, she forced her eyes open and found herself in a clean and tidy hotel room.
"Where… is this?"
She blinked, trying to piece together the night before. The last thing she remembered was drinking with Peter—after that, everything was a blur.
Panicked, she yanked back the covers. The sheets were clean. No stains. She got out of bed, checked herself, and paced around the room. Nothing felt off.
Finally, she exhaled in relief and flopped back onto the bed.
After a few minutes, she sat up again and noticed a neatly placed breakfast on the table with a note taped beside it.
Curious, she walked over, picked up the note, and read:
---
"There's breakfast and hangover medicine on the table.
Eat when you wake up.
I didn't have any conditions.
I just grabbed breakfast randomly.
You were so noisy last night.
Carrying you to this hotel almost killed me.
You didn't sleep well.
It was a nightmare.
Had me dealing with it all night on the couch."
---
"Pfft."
Panan laughed halfway through, then turned the note over to see if there was more.
---
"I parked your car downstairs too.
If you ever need anything, just call me."
---
She folded the note and slipped it into her pocket. Then she took the hangover medicine and started eating breakfast.
"Peter, you really are different from the others," she muttered between bites.
Anyone else in Night City would've just dumped her in some random, shady hotel and taken advantage of the situation. But Peter had taken her to a clean, safe hotel and even parked her car downstairs.
---
Meanwhile… Back at Peter's Place
At that moment, Peter was facing a completely different problem—two very angry women.
"Peter, can you tell me where you've been these past two days?"
V stood in front of him, arms crossed, towering over him as he sat pressed against the couch. She looked far from amused.
Peter forced a smile. "V, let's talk this out. No need to get mad."
He turned to Lucy, who was lying casually on the sofa, hoping for backup.
But Lucy only smirked. "Actually, I'm pretty curious too."
Help! Lucy! Why are you like this?!
"V, I swear I wasn't out messing around! Jack dragged me out for drinks and dancing these past two days. If you don't believe me, you can ask him," Peter pleaded.
"Oh? Is that so?" V pulled out her phone. "I'll just call Jack and confirm."
Peter broke into a cold sweat.
Jack, my life is in your hands right now!
---
V dialed the number. After a few rings, Jack picked up.
"Hey, V! What's up? Calling me this early in the morning?"
"Jack, has Peter been drinking with you these past two days?" V asked in an innocent tone.
Jack immediately sensed danger. V's voice was too calm. There was no way this was a casual question.
"Uh… yeah! That's right! Peter and I were drinking together the past two days… uh… sorry, I think I had too much to drink," Jack stammered, trying to sound natural.
V nodded. "Okay. Actually, Misty asked me to check if you've been drinking these past two days. I'll call her next and let her know."
Jack and Peter both exhaled in relief—until V's words sank in.
"Wait! No! Don't tell Misty I was drinking!" Jack panicked.
"Ah, I see," V hummed. "So you weren't drinking with Peter yesterday, huh?"
Jack glanced at the girl sleeping beside him, then instantly betrayed Peter.
"Yeah… I mean, uh, I only drank with him the day before yesterday! Yesterday, I didn't see him at all!"
Jack! How could you be so disloyal?! Peter screamed internally.
"Thanks for the info," V said sweetly before hanging up. Then she turned back to Peter with a knowing smile.
"So, where were you yesterday?"
Peter sighed, realizing he was cornered. He gave a brief summary—leaving out details about Sasha and Panan—focusing only on helping with some work and retrieving a car. He made sure to downplay anything that might sound suspicious.
"No picking up girls," he emphasized.
V raised an eyebrow and glanced at Lucy, who gave her a knowing look.
"Oh really?" V smirked.
Peter gulped. He had a bad feeling about this.
---
To Be Continued…
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