Letting go of the hand that propped him against the pillar in the hallway, he staggered towards the archway.
The liquor he downed earlier had hit hard, now it burned through his stomach and coursed through his system. His eyes, glazed with the alcohol, saw everything in a haze. He squinted slightly and stepped through the arch.
On either side were trees of varying but neatly arranged heights.
A few steps forward led him to Joel Russo's courtyard, a grand and imposing villa. The lights were bright, reflecting into the courtyard, more dazzling than the few streetlights there.
In a distant corner, a wisp of white mist drifted ethereally through the air.
From bottom to top, the mist ultimately merged with the night sky above, vanishing without a trace.
Curiously, he walked a little closer in that direction, the faint sound of water ringing in his ears.
Through the misty blur, a figure sitting by the poolside slowly came into view.
