As Mandy snuggled in Finneganâs embrace, she blushed under the dim lighting. âI was wrong, Finnegan!â
She didnât expect him to be that mischievous.
Although he didnât ruin her plan, he did take revenge on her on the spot.
Regret started flooding Mandyâs heart.
âDoes it matter if you repent now?â Finnegan sniffed the fragrance of her hair. âIâve already offended Vilmar. I can tell from his eyes that heâll kill me if heâs given the opportunity!â
âYou canât blame it all on me.â A bitter stnile curved her lips.
While she did make Finnegan her shield through her scheme, he was the one who provoked Vilmar on his.
Own.
âItâs because they didnât treat me nicely.â Finnegan pursed his lips. âYouâre to blame, too. If you hadnât tricked me, I wouldnât have encountered this group of idiots and started arguing with them.â
Before Mandy could explain herself, Matthias and the others approached the two. âFinnegan, right? Itâs no fun if you cling to Ms. Langdon. How about you play some games and have some drinks with us men?â
Mandy grew apprehensive and leaned closer to Finnegan.
It was because she didnât want others to see Finneganâs hand behind her.
Vilmar was further enraged upon witnessing Mandy being so close to Finnegan.
He even clenched his fists.
Finnegan cleared his throat and released Mandy. âGames and drinks, eh?â
âThatâs right. Dare you accept the challenge?â Matthias smirked.
Mandy finally felt a little better. âFinnegan canât hold his liquor well. You should drink among yourselves, Matthias.â
Using that opening, Ariendel pulled Mandy closer to her. âWhy not let Finnegan drink a little with them, Mandy? After all, heâs with you now, so he should familiarize himself with your circle of friends.â
Mandy frowned. âAriendel!â
Anyone could tell Matthias and the others were targeting Finnegan, so she couldnât just sit by and watch.
Ariendel played dumb and grinned at Finnegan. âDo you really not have the guts to drink, Finnegan? If you donât, you should leave now instead of ruining the mood.â
Finnegan shot a glance at Mandy, telling her not to act.
Then, he smiled. âSure, Iâm up for playing games and drinking. I donât know the rules, though.â
Of course, he wasnât blind to Matthiasâ goal, but it didnât matter to him.
He was eager to crush the arrogant scions facing him as retaliation for the disdain they had expressed at O Matthias placed a game wheel with a diameter of fifty centimeters on the table. âWeâll be playing the simplest game. You turn the wheel, and yoù follow whatever instruction that stops at the arrow. You can only pass to the next player if the instruction says so. Otherwise, youâll have to keep spinning and doing what the instruction says.â
Finnegan glanced at the game wheel. It had a total of twenty sections.
Eight of them punished the player to drink, ranging from a sip to three glasses of alcohol.
Four of them requested the previous and next player to drink.
Two of them allowed the player to demand another to drink.
The rest would change the player to the next one in line.
Over half of the sections werenât penalties to the player spinning the wheel.
However, if one had terrible luck, they might not be able to switch to another player.
A troubled expression settled on Finneganâs countenance. âIâm pretty unlucky. I canât drink that much!â
âWhat are you afraid of?â Matthias smirked. âIf you keep failing, you can ask someone else to help you drink. Besides, there are six sections here that change the player. Even the unluckiest guy will eventually hit one of those sections.â
A cold look flashed past Finneganâs eyes when he heard that. Ask someone else to drink, he says.
Heâs clearly trying to divide the risk between his buddies if one of them gets too unlucky. Meanwhile, aside from Mandy, thereâs no one else I can ask to help me drink.
Matthias mocked, âWhatâs the matter? Donât tell me youâre too scared to play.â
The others cackled.
Finnegan, seemingly enraged, slammed his palm on the table. âWho said Iâm scared to play? Howeve whatâs the fun if there are only this few players? All men here should join in!â Since they want to mess wi me, I suppose I should use this chance to teach them a lesson!
Seeing that Finnegan had fallen for the trick, Vilmar sauntered toward him with a sneer. âConsidering how enthusiastic you seem, I guess weâll all play with you. Think of it as my way of making things up to you.â
A dozen men settled down around Finnegan while the women either sat or stood at the side.
Mandy furrowed her eyebrows. âFinnegan?â
Ariendel smiled. âDonât ruin the fun, Mandy. Besides, Finnegan himself wants to play. I doubt heâll be that unlucky in a game of luck.â
âThatâs right! No need to be concerned, Mandy.â Confidently, Finnegan patted his chest.
Vilmar smirked. âShould we decide our turn by pulling straws or playing rock-paper-scissors?â
âIâll start, and then weâll go anti-clockwise.â Finnegan placed his hand on the wheel.
L Vilmar and the others watched him spin the wheel with teasing eyes.
Mandy gripped the edge of Finneganâs shirt. âPlease let it be âChange Playerâ!â
âYouâre right, Finnegan. You do have terrible luck!â The crowd laughed upon seeing the arrow pointing at âTwo Glassesâ after the wheel stopped moving.
Mandy sighed. âIâll help you drink one glass.â
âItâs fine. This is only the first round. I can still drink.â Pushing her hand aside, he downed two glasses of alcohol in a row.
Taking in Finneganâs red face, Matthias exclaimed, âKeep spinning! You can only stop if the arrow points. at âChange Player.ââ
âAll right!â Finnegan snorted and spun the wheel again. âCome on, please let it be âChange Playerâ!â
The crowd laughed when the wheel stopped again.
Tears were even spilling out of Matthiasâ eyes. âOh my god, I canât. My stomachâs starting to hurt from laughing too much! You had to drink two glasses earlier, and now you have to drink three glasses! Are you that thirsty, Finnegan?â
Finnegan grimaced. âWhat are you laughing at? Do you think I canât do it?â Promptly, he picked up a bottle. âA bottleâs just enough for three glasses! Bottoms up!â
He then glugged down the entire bottle in one go.
When he was done, he coughed violently.
Mandy hastily patted his back. âStop playing, Finnegan.â
âYou shouldnât say that, Ms. Langdon.â Matthias smirked. âWeâve only started playing. If he stops flow, the mood will be ruined. If you pity him, you can help him drink two glasses.â
âThatâs right! He canât just quit right after the game starts. He should stay until at least the next player starts drinking,â the others added.
After grabbing a piece of tissue paper, Finnegan wiped his mouth.
His face was turning pale, and he broke into a cold sweat.
It was a sign that he had drunk too much.
Vilmar grinned sinisterly as that was the result he wished to see.
Moreover, he was hoping Finnegan would ask Mandy to drink as well.
Finnegan exhaled deeply and spun the wheel again. âMan, Iâm not playing anymore if I still have to drink!â
A dozen seconds later, Matthias guffawed again. âI canât! Oh my god! I donât think any of us will be drinking tonight. Weâll be watching Finnegan empty every bottle here instead!â
Finnegan had to drink another three glasses.
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