Valerie’s decision to let it slide left a positive impression on Noah.
He’d hosted tonight’s gathering, just to witness a tense conflict break out between Lucius, his closest friend, and Kieran, a rising star in the world of mystic arts.
If the fight escalated, no one would walk away with their pride intact.
To Noah, this was all Sonia’s fault. She was mediocre yet full of vicious thoughts, and he would have kicked her out long ago if not for Lucius‘ sake.
Forcing a smile to lighten the mood, Noah spoke up. “Since we’ve all stepped back, let’s call it even. We’re lucky to be gathered here tonight, so shall we play a game?”
He suggested a game of mystery boxes. The mystery boxes were prepared in advance and contained various gifts and handwritten challenge notes.
As the initiator of the mystery box game, he announced, “I’ll open the first mystery box.”
He rummaged through a large container of mystery boxes and picked one he thought felt right. Opening it, he found a thick stack of cash inside.
After counting the number of bills, he smugly said, “Not bad, huh? Ten thousand dollars for a lucky start!”
For most average families, ten thousand dollars would cover two months of expenses. But for anyone in Noah’s social tier, it was barely enough for a dinner out.
Still, the small win gave him a little rush.
Kieran reached for the slip of paper from the bottom of the mystery box and unfolded it. After reading the contents, he laughed out loud. “Ten thousand dollars don’t come so easily, Mr. Jensen. The task says that you have to call every man here ‘Daddy.“”
The room erupted in laughter.
Still fanning himself with the bills, Noah cursed, “Which bastard wrote that? Step forward and apologize.”
Barely hiding his glee, Dale clapped him on the back and said, “Come on, son. I’ll claim you.”
“Fuck off,” Noah snapped.
“You proposed the game, so don’t chicken out now.” Dale snickered.
Egged on by the crowd, Noah scowled but went around the room calling each man “Daddy“. Though he might look sulky, he didn’t mind the challenge.
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They were all good friends, and nobody was going to laugh at him for it.
With Noah breaking the ice, everyone eagerly dove in.
Guests at The Golden Chalice were all loaded, so gifts in the mystery boxes were expensive. However, each came with a prank note. Each was designed more to humiliate than harm.
Dale’s prize was a purple gemstone, won at the cost of chugging an entire bottle of red wine in
one go.
Naomi’s prize was a thick stack of Arkalian dollars, but she had to bark like a dog three times to earn it. Though humiliated, she did it anyway.
Sonia opened her mystery box and found a delicate diamond bracelet, worth at least 20 or 30 thousand dollars, and made with delicate craftsmanship. She loved it, but her face paled after reading the line on the slip.
Naomi, who’d barked like a dog, snatched up the slip of paper and read it aloud. “In your past life, the person sitting directly in front of you was your lady, and you were the maid. The maid must kneel, then respectfully address their lady as ‘My Queen.“”
After she was done, the room fell into an eerie silence.
With a bandaid still plastered across her cheek, Sonia’s expression turned grim because the person sitting right in front of her was Valerie.
Naomi pretended to sympathize with Sonia while relishing every second. “Wow. Who wrote that one? That’s so brutal.”
That condition was way worse than barking like a dog.
Kieran glanced at Valerie, who remained calmly seated while waiting for Sonia to kneel.
Others might have no idea what happened, but he did. He was 100% confident that Valerie had tampered with the slip of paper.
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Chapter 46
