Chapter 58
Natalie retracted her gaze, picked up her glass, and took a silent sip.
Arianna couldn’t stand it. What did he mean, it was none of his business? He was the one who had cheated on her, yet he acted as if Natalie had wronged him.
“You Arianna started to say, ready to leap to Natalie’s defense, but she felt a gentle squeeze on her hand. Natalie gave her a subtle shake of the head.
Then, Natalie turned to the room, her voice calm and carrying a hint of a smile, but every word was delivered with steel.
“Mr. Ramirez is a man of great importance, with Ms. White by his side. I’m no butterfly, so there’s no butterfly effect here. Whoever I might like could hardly be of any concern to him p>
Since her return, everyone had been saying that Alexander would soon marry Camila White.
As she spoke, Alexander’s gaze locked onto hers. His handsome, angular face was devoid of emotion, but his dark, intense eyes watched her relentlessly.
“Speaking of which, why isn’t Ms. White here tonight?” someone next to Bruce piped up.
“Mind your own business!” Bruce snapped, kicking the person’s leg.
Bruce had organized the gathering. When he’d called Alexander, he hadn’t expected him to actually come. When he did, Bruce had suggested inviting Camila as well, but Alexander had curtly replied, “She’s not attached to my hip p>
With that interruption, the topic was dropped, and the game resumed.
This time, after a few wobbly rotations, the spinner landed on Samuel Thompson.
Bruce had already declared that Samuel couldn’t choose truth, which left only dare. But no one seemed brave enough to assign him a task. They all just looked at each other nervously.
Just then, Bruce’s girlfriend spoke up.
“Mr. Thompson, since they’re all too scared to give you a dare, you don’t mind if I do, do you p>
Samuel remained perfectly composed, leaning back against the sofa. “Not at all.” Her eyes glinted. “Then kiss Ms. Watson p>
Natalie’s head snapped up. The woman was looking at her with a clear expression of retaliation. Natalie didn’t even know her, had never interacted with her. The only possible connection was when Bruce had asked the woman to switch seats with her earlier. The woman was obviously infatuated with Bruce and had misinterpreted his gesture as interest in Natalie.
“What are you playing at?” Bruce hissed, frowning. No matter how much Alexander disliked Natalie, he would never allow another man to touch her. For his date to
publicly dare Samuel to kiss Natalie was practically a death wish.
“Didn’t you say you wanted Mr. Thompson to have a real dare?” the woman asked, feigning innocence.
“But you can’t
can’t ask him to kiss
Natalie!” Arianna exclaimed. “You’re
just trying to stir up trouble p>
Alexander, and Sagruet were rival and Natalie was still technically Alexander’s wife. A dare like that was completely out of line.
“What’s the point if there’s no risk?” the woman retorted.
The rules had been set: a dare had to be obeyed. If another person was named in the dare, they had to comply as well. So, even if Samuel agreed, Natalie had no choice.
Arianna seethed with frustration. Natalie felt a wave of acute embarrassment. She had only met Samuel Thompson three times, and now they were both being put on the spot. She looked at him.
He was a man of equal standing to Alexander. If he refused, no one would dare question him. Natalie tried to catch his eye, silently pleading with him, but he seemed completely oblivious to her distress.
Natalie bit her lip. As much as she hated to, she knew her last hope was Alexander. If he objected, the entire room would back down. Surely, on the basis that she was still his wife, he would help her.
She turned to look at him, her eyes filled with a desperate hope.
“You all carry on. I’m going for a smoke,” Alexander announced, standing up and
walking out of the room without a backward glance. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on.net
It felt as if a stone had been tied to
her heart, dragging it down into a dark abyss. Natalie laughed bitterly to herself. Of course. They were getting divorced Why would he help hert would only risk another misunderstanding with Camila White.
Samuel quietly observed Natalie. No matter how well she hid her emotions, he saw the flicker of devastation in her eyes.
“Mr. Thompson, don’t tell me you’re scared,” Bruce’s date taunted, seeing Samuel hadn’t moved.
The rest of the group, sensing high drama, leaned in, eager to see what would happen.
“Your attempt at goading me is pathetic,” Samuel said coolly. Then he added, “But you don’t get to watch for free. The rules may say we can’t back out, but they never said you didn’t have to pay for the show p>
The room went quiet, confused. He continued, “Actors get paid according to their star power. Considering Ms. Watson’s and my own status, I’d say ten million dollars per person is a reasonable discount p>