Chapter 64: A Bet

Chapter 64: Chapter 64: A Bet

Hearing this, Rian Sinclair was inexplicably reminded of *I Am A Rapper*!

Making the comparison, Rian found they actually had a lot in common. Jason Rivers immediately smacked Wyatt on the head. "Red Winslow, this is our Rian!"

Wyatt clutched his smacked head and glared at Jason with faux ferocity. "Young Rivers, you mother—BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP—"

Watching Wyatt fire off a barrage of bleep-worthy curses, and Jason firing back with his own string of profanities, Rian found the scene increasingly hilarious. Ultimately, Jason won the verbal battle without blushing, skipping a beat, or even speeding up his words. Wyatt, now red-faced and thick-necked with rage, turned and stormed off in a huff.

Jason rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and smiled at Rian. "Sorry you had to see that, Rian. That guy just has that kind of temper."

Leaning against the railing, Rian watched Wyatt’s retreating back. "His personality is quite a far cry from Cedric Winslow’s."

"You know his older brother, Rian?"

"We’ve met once. Wyatt’s temperament isn’t bad, though. At least he won’t be easily taken advantage of."

Chuckling, Jason scratched the back of his head and gestured toward the board game cafe behind them. "Rian, let’s head inside and play a few rounds."

Purse in hand, Rian followed Jason. The moment they stepped indoors, the surrounding decor nearly blinded her, and her mouth twitched uncontrollably. She wondered what kind of genius would design a room with gold glitter painted directly onto the mirrors.

Always attentive to her mood, Jason naturally noticed her reaction to the blinding decor and offered an awkward explanation. "Rian, this place belongs to the family of the buddy who organized today’s get-together: Ulysses Shepherd of the Shepherd family in Kyoro. We tried to talk him out of this interior design back then, but the guy is stubborn and wouldn’t listen."

Rian surveyed the surroundings and nodded fairly objectively. "It’s not bad. He actually has quite an artistic flair."

After Jason led her into the private room, Rian took in the sight of its occupants—a mix of young men and women gathered around a table playing games. Hearing the door open, the people inside looked over. Their attention wasn’t drawn to Jason, but to Rian standing right behind him. She was an absolute beauty, exuding a faint, aloof elegance.

Taking the cue, Jason announced to his friends, "This is my friend, Rian. I invited her over to hang out with us."

The black-haired young man at the head of the table slung an arm over Wyatt’s shoulder and lowered his voice. "Rivers the Sixth, which family is this beauty from? She’s gorgeous. I wonder if she’s taken."

After the introductions, Jason invited Rian to take a seat, incidentally placing them not too far from the black-haired man and Wyatt. Although the man had spoken quietly, Rian heard every word. She remained silent, simply accepting the glass of champagne Jason handed her and taking a slow sip.

Jason elbowed the black-haired man in the shoulder and muttered, "Ulysses, Rian isn’t someone you can joke around with. Stop fantasizing about her. Besides, with her noble temperament, why would she ever give the time of day to a little punk like you?"

Sitting close by, Rian coincidentally caught the "little punk" remark and let out a soft chuckle. Knowing he couldn’t out-argue Jason, Ulysses heard her laugh, leaned in closer, and asked, "I wonder if you’d take a liking to me, Rian?"

Rian shot him a fleeting glance. Deciding not to ignore him entirely, she looked up and teased, "I don’t really like raising children."

At those words, Ulysses immediately pulled his head back, the tips of his ears flushing a deep pink. His mind was completely consumed by Rian’s frivolous yet alluring tone. He couldn’t help but let out a soft cough, turning his head away to avoid looking at her any longer.

[Target Number 10’s affection level has increased. Current affection is at 70. You have been awarded 20 free attribute points. Please allocate them reasonably!]

Sipping her champagne, Rian’s lips curled up slightly at the system notification. She had thought he was a wild playboy, but it turned out he was just an innocent little puppy. She found his personality quite lively.

Jason shoved Ulysses aside. "Don’t mind Ulysses, Rian. He’s just a bit erratic—completely spoiled rotten by his two older brothers."

Rian didn’t mind at all and simply nodded. She lifted her gaze, sweeping it across the other occupants of the room. The rest of the guys weren’t bad-looking, but they didn’t quite meet the system’s threshold for high attractiveness. The other girls, however, were rather pretty.

Ever mindful of her comfort, Jason noticed her gaze lingering on the girls and leaned in to whisper, "Rian, those girls were invited by some of the others. We originally thought about inviting a few wealthy heiresses, but Ulysses felt they’d be too temperamental, so he vetoed the idea."

Leaning back against the sofa, Rian fixed her eyes on one specific girl wearing a pleated uniform skirt. "That one is quite cute."

Jason followed her line of sight. "Her? She chased Wyatt all the way here. That’s Ruby Forrest, the well-behaved darling of the Forrest family."

Hearing this, Rian glanced at Wyatt, and then back to the young girl who was secretly sneaking peeks at him. She couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. Clueless, Jason asked, "Did something funny happen, Rian?"

"Jason, how about a bet?"

At those words, Jason’s eyes immediately lit up. This was vastly more interesting than playing any board game.

"I bet that Wyatt and that girl will end up together in the future," she declared.

"Huh? Ruby Forrest and Wyatt?" Ulysses whispered, having quietly leaned over to eavesdrop.

Jason was equally incredulous. "Rian, you really think those two could work out?" He cast a doubtful look between the erratic redhead and the perfectly obedient good girl. No matter how you looked at them, they were completely different breeds!

Smiling, Rian took another sip of her champagne. "So, are we betting?"

"You’re on. Want to make it interesting with a wager?" Ulysses grinned, raising his champagne glass.

Jason clinked his glass against it. "What are the stakes?"

Both men turned their eyes to Rian.

"Jason, don’t you love luxury cars? If I lose, pick any one you want and I’ll buy it for you," she offered.

Jason’s eyes went wide. "Rian, you’re awesome!"

Rian laughed. "The bet hasn’t been settled yet. It might be a little early to celebrate." She then looked at Ulysses, who was clearly eager to join in. "If you win, I’ll buy you one too. How does that sound?"

Pondering his side of the wager, Jason said, "Tell you what, Rian. If you win, you have me at your beck and call for a whole month. I’ll do whatever you want."

Ulysses nodded in agreement. "And if you win, Rian, I’ll sign the deed to this board game cafe over to you."

"Then it’s settled. If they get together, you both lose. If they don’t, I lose."

While the rest of the table remained engrossed in their games, the three of them quietly sealed their high-stakes bet. Lounging lazily against the sofa, Rian looked across at the girl in the pleated uniform skirt and raised her champagne glass in a silent, mid-air toast toward her.

The girl stared blankly for a moment before timidly raising her own bottle of AD Calcium milk to return the gesture from across the room. Rian’s mood was excellent; it was well worth the trip out today just to see such an easily embarrassed, sweet girl. A sweet, soft little girl like her was infinitely better company than a gruff brute like Ash Sinclair.

Meanwhile, a bored Wyatt was organizing a game of Werewolf with the people around him. When his gaze landed on Rian, the gears in his head started spinning wildly. He frantically racked his brain trying to remember the girl’s name. She looked somewhat familiar.

Jason, perfectly aware of his buddy’s mild face-blindness and terrible memory, felt a twinge of helplessness. Nudging Wyatt gently with his elbow, he cast a subtle glance at Rian—who was currently taking small sips of her champagne—and leaned in to whisper a few words of reminder.

Ulysses had no idea who Wyatt inherited his face-blindness from. It was a real pain constantly acting as the guy’s personal notepad.

Naturally, Wyatt refused to admit that he had completely forgotten. He simply shoved Jason aside and called out, "Rian, do you want to play a round of Werewolf?"

Rian set down her champagne flute. "I’ll play a round."