Chapter 133



For a moment, Belinda considered refusing.

But when her gaze shifted to Verena and Ryan seated there, she changed her mind.

“Sure!” she said after a brief pause.

She nodded at Johnson and then turned to Bethany, saying, “Let’s go, Bethany. Let’s join them.”

Bethany, ever in tune with Belinda, gave a small nod of agreement.

She knew that since Belinda had accepted the invitation, there was a reason behind it, so she said nothing further and simply followed along.

The three of them made their way to Lucas’ booth on the second floor.

As Belinda approached, her eyes casually fell on Lucas’ face, and at that moment, their gazes locked.

There was a brief, almost imperceptible pause before both of them quickly looked away, the tension palpable.

With Belinda and Bethany now present, the atmosphere in the booth shifted, the air thick with an undeniable strain.

Ryan, ever the schemer, his eyes flickering, quickly formulated a plan.

Turning toward Belinda, he said, “This sitting around is getting a bit dull, don’t you think, Mrs. Clark? How about we play a game?”

Hearing Ryan’s suggestion, Belinda lazily lifted her gaze, her eyes locking with his as she asked, her voice calm and unbothered, “What kind of game do you suggest we play?”

Ryan, with a mischievous glint in his eyes, picked up the dice cup from the coffee table, giving it a casual shake. “It’s simple — dice. We roll and compare the numbers; the one with the smaller number is the loser. The loser needs to drink.”

Belinda raised an eyebrow slightly, her expression calm.

“Sounds good,” she replied coolly, clearly unfazed.

The man sitting next to Ryan grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the table and poured generous amounts into their glasses, filling them to the brim.

Belinda’s gaze flickered to her glass, eyeing the amber liquid sloshing dangerously close to the rim.

Ryan, noticing her gaze, chuckled softly. “If it’s too much for you, Mrs. Clark, feel free to let me know. We can always make it half a glass.”

Belinda gave a brief, dismissive glance at the whiskey before responding, “No need for that. A full glass is fine.”

“Great! Let’s start then!” Ryan grinned, clearly enjoying the challenge.

The first round began.

Belinda rolled a three.

Ryan rolled a four.

“Just a bit of luck,” Ryan said, placing the dice cup down with a smirk.

Without missing a beat, Belinda picked up her whiskey and downed it in one swift motion, not even flinching.

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