Chapter 310 Her Betrayal Gabriel smiled, albeit rather forcefully. âThatâs because I love my job, and I donât want to be distracted by relationships.â
âTsk, tsk. Who would believe that?â Wyatt said with a naughty smirk. âAnyway, we wonât judge you if youâre really gay. I can even introduce a couple of fine young men to you!â
That, of course, rendered Gabriel speechless.
âShut up, Wyatt,â Curtis scolded as he replaced Wyattâs glass of brandy with juice. âEveryone else can drink to their heartâs content, but you can only have juice tonight.â
âHuh? Whereâs the fun in drinking juice? Alcohol is what gives you a buzz!â Wyatt grumbled before attempting to snatch his brandy back.
Curtis, however, instantly fired a warning shot in the form of a cold-eyed stare.
Perceptive as always, Jessica grabbed Wyattâs hand and chimed in, âThatâs right. You should stick to drinking juice! Have you forgotten that youâre still nursing a gunshot wound? Youâre not allowed to drink or smoke for the next two months. Understood?â
âOkay, okay. Iâll do as you say, Babe,â Wyatt uttered obediently.
Alas, it wasnât even a minute later when he pulled out his sunflower pendant and showed it off to everyone. âSee this? Itâs a Christmas gift from my darling fiancée. Theodore and Curtis, I doubt you guys got any gifts, huh?â
âOf course they did. I gave Curtis a scarf,â Rayna retorted. âBesides, a scarf is much more practical than your necklace. It keeps one warm.â
âMy gift, on the other hand, might be rather niche compared to everyone elseâs,â Jasmine said smilingly as she lifted Theodoreâs hand, revealing the red string bracelet with a gemstone on the latterâs wrist. âI didnât think an ordinary necklace or bracelet would fit his image, so I braided one for him as a good luck charm. Itâs not worth much, but Iâm happy as long as it can keep him safe.â
Just then, Theodoreâs voice rang out. âTo me, this gift is priceless.â
âQuite right. Besides, itâs not like youâd dare despise it,â Jasmine quipped, shooting a sidelong glance at Theodore before turning to Wyatt. âBy the way, thatâs a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, isnât it, Wyatt? Youâd better take good care of such a valuable item.â
Upon hearing that, Rayna pursed her lips, a mischievous look in her eyes. âHa! I canât tell if heâd treasure the necklace, but given his character, thereâs a good chance it might end up around the neck of some female celebrity.â
âThatâs indeed possible.â
âOh, come on! I only wanted to show off my Christmas gift. Have I offended either of you?â Wyatt protested, clearly annoyed at Raynaâs and Jessicaâs relentless wisecracking. âWhy must you gang up on me?â
The next second, Jessica smacked him on his head. âHow dare you talk to Jasmine and Rayna in that manner! They arenât wrong. Itâs your fault for having a colorful dating history! You even kept sexy photos of models, for goodnessâ sake!â
âI-Iâve already turned over a new leaf, Babe. Why arenât you standing up for me...â Wyatt mumbled pitifully.
To his despair, Jessica merely rolled her eyes at him. âI do what I like. Do you have a problem with that?â
âNo. I wouldnât dare.â
âIn that case, shut up and drink your juice!â
Left without a choice, Wyatt grabbed his glass of juice and drank it in silence while the others laughed at him.
As the night went on, more and more people gathered in the club, to the point where nearly all the booths were taken up.
There were even festive songs being played to celebrate Christmas Eve, and it wasnât long before young men and women leaped and jigged about the dance floor with merriment.
Wyatt was soon back to his usual self. He started whining about the lack of entertainment at their booth. In the end, he asked the waiter for a deck of cards and suggested playing poker, with the loser having to down a glass of wine.
Since Curtis wasnât a big fan of the bustling activity around him, he sat beside Rayna and sipped at his wine, guiding her from time to time so she could ace her game.
After more than ten rounds of poker, Wyatt found himself utterly defeated.
âHey, you guys are too much!â Wyatt grumbled. âHaving a counsel to help you along is as good as cheating. Jessie and I may take turns playing, but Iâm the one who has to drink when we lose! Iâve drunk almost nine glasses of juice! Do you know how awful that feels? Theodore, Curtis, where are your morals?â
Upon hearing that, Gabriel quickly leaned in. âMr. Lopez, I can help you if youââ
âOh, get lost!â Wyatt shouted in disgust. âIâve played with you before, and your card skills arenât even comparable to my fiancéeâs!
If you were to play for me, Iâd end up drinking even more juice!â
With that, Gabriel silently retreated into his corner.
Argh! I sincerely wish Mr. Lopezâs fiancée dumps him! When that day comes, itâll be my turn to humiliate him!
Curtis casually draped his arm across the back of the couch and chuckled. âIf Theodore and I went up against you, youâd be puking your guts out in just a few rounds. Are you sure you want to play with us?â
It had been nearly four years since Wyatt had befriended Curtis and Theodore, so he knew better than anyone else how good they were at cards.
If they played with him instead, there was no doubt heâd suffer an even more embarrassing defeat.
Just then, Wyatt glanced at the stage and had a lightbulb moment. âAll right, enough of poker. Iâve gotten sick of drinking juice.
Letâs play something else!â he suggested while fishing out his phone.
Rayna immediately saw through him. âChanging games already? Are you being a sore loser?â
âHa! Iâll have you know Iâm an expert poker player! Losing isnât a big deal to me!â Wyatt scoffed haughtily. âTell you what. We can carry on if you swap juice out for alcohol!â
Rayna couldnât help but laugh as she shook her head. âOh, please. If we did that, youâd use your gunshot wound as an excuse to get out of your punishment. Fine. Weâll play whatever game you like.â
With his confidence renewed, Wyatt arched his brows. âWell, well, well. This time around, you guys wonât be able to cheat!â
As it turned out, the game that he wanted to play was âTruth or Dare.â
Once all the players had placed their fingers on the blue wheel displayed on the phone screen, the pointer would spin until one of the sections turned red, thus determining the winner. The winner could then pick any other player to either answer a question truthfully or complete a dare.
Gabriel was more than eager to participate, but after receiving a rather urgent call halfway through their conversation, he decided to excuse himself.
With Gabriel gone, Wyatt promptly set the game up for six players and placed his phone on the table. âAll right. Letâs start!â
Rayna and the others pressed their fingers on the screen, and after the pointer had spun for a few seconds, the blue section under Jessicaâs finger turned red.
âYes! I won!â Jessica exclaimed.
âOh, my gosh. Youâre amazing!â Wyatt chimed in before leaning into her ear. âBabe, letâs team up tonight and embarrass Theodore and the rest!â
To his surprise, Jessica nodded and suddenly turned to him. âI choose you! Truth or dare?â
âB-Babe, have you made a mistake?â Wyatt stammered. My goodness. Didnât we agree to humiliate the others?
âNo, I have not. Well? Are you going to make your choice or not?â Jessica huffed as she grabbed a pitcher of juice. âIf you refused to choose, not only would you have to drink all of this, but youâd also be barred from playing!â
Wyatt gaped at his fiancée in stunned silence. F*ck! She sure is quick to betray me...
After a while, he hung his head and muttered, âTruth, I guess.â
âHereâs my question, then. Before me, how many girlfriends did you have?â
Taken aback by the unexpected question, Wyatt tried to bumble his way through. âThatâs too long ago... I-I donât remember.â
âExcuse me? You were the one who suggested this game, yet you donât want to follow the rules?â Jessica snapped, looking even angrier than before.
As much as he hated it, Wyatt knew he had to bite the bullet. âA-About twenty-six in total... I think...â
âWow! Thatâs incredible, Mr. Lopez! I canât believe you have twenty-six ex-girlfriends!â Jessica said, a half-smile flickering across her face as she patted the manâs cheek. âWhy donât you put in a little more effort and bump that number to sixty-six? Wouldnât that be a feat?â