Chapter 1824
The group burst intoughter again, and Magdalen said, "Remember the rules, folks—truth or dare,
Charlie, it''s time to state the penalty!"
Charlie turned to Marina, "Truth or dare?"
Marina, only somewhat acquainted with Estelle and not wanting to reveal too much at her first
gathering, pondered for a moment before dering, "Dare!"
Charlie seemed to have predicted Marina would choose a dare, showing no surprise, and without a
second thought, he said, "Easy peasy. Since you and Carson both lost at cards, how about a kiss?"
Carson immediately protested, "No way, that''s off the table. Let''s do something else—take a shot, do
some push-ups, anything more challenging. I''m game!"
Charlie''szy smile spread across his face, "Who''s calling the shots here, you or me? No changes, it''s
settled!"
Magdalen chimed in, "No chickening out, we all want to see this. Get on with it!"
Emily and Estelle eagerly watched themotion, while Josiah and the others egged them on,
"Mr. Foster, don''t tell me you can''t take a loss!"
"Exactly, you''ve never been this squeamish before!"
"She''s your girlfriend, for Pete''s sake. Kiss her already, no more yapping!"
Feeling somewhat reserved in Marina''s presence that day, Carson’s handsome face blushed as he
bargained, "Anything else goes. How about this—when the waiteres in with the drinks, I''ll kiss
whoever enters first!"
He had just had a heart-to-heart with Marina, and now that they were both in the know, any disy of
affection would make them both ufortable.
Magdalenughed, "Mr. Foster, that''s a bit much. Your fiancée''s right here, you dare kiss someone
else? If you dare, even if Marina forgives you, I won''t!"
Charlie said, "Why don''t you ask Marina if she agrees?"
Despite the others’ments, Carson remained adamant.
Suddenly, Marina turned, grabbed the cor of Carson''s white sweater, pulled him down, and nted
her lips on his.
Her beautiful face loomedrge before him, their lips met, and Carson''s eyes widened in shock.
The crowd was stunned, then burst into apuse for Marina.
Marina quickly let go of Carson, sat up straight, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and said
with an unchanged expression, "Let''s continue the game!"
Carson’s lips still bore the faint imprint of her lipstick. Taken aback and ignoring the teasingughter
around them, he gave Marina''s shoulder a light tap, "Hey, what''s with wiping your mouth?"
Marina''s tone was crisp, "Grossed out!"
The room erupted inughter, surprised to see the usually suave Mr. Foster caught off guard!
The atmosphere in the private room heated up even more, and Estelle found herself intrigued by
Marina''s boldness.
The next round began, and once again Carson ‘set off the firecracker,’ causing Estelle to win.
Jonathan and Charlie exchanged nces, smiling subtly, "No objections, right? Then let''s stick to the
N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.
kissing!"
Marina was quick to interject, "I''m not choosing dare. I''ll take truth!"
"What truth do you want?" Carson scoffed, suddenly standing up, leaning in, and gripping Marina''s chin
to nt a kiss on her lips.
He didn''t just peck and pull away; the kiss was longer, even audaciously nibbling at Marina''s lip.
Marina’s heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively turned her head to escape, but Carson firmly held
her in ce.
Trapped against the chair back, leaning forward only brought her face closer to Carson''s. With no
escape, their lips pressed tightly together, his unfamiliar breath intertwining with hers. She began to
panic and involuntarily inhaled, parting her lips—Carson slid in.
Both were momentarily stunned.
Carson dared not move further and quickly retreated, standing up and, almost in retaliation, asked
Andrew for a tissue, meticulously wiping his mouth clean.
Marina''s face flushed, whether from anger or embarrassment was unclear.
Estelle passed a tissue to Marina, who asked, "Got any sanitizer?"
The room filled withughter.
The merriment continuedte into the night, a sign of a truly enjoyable gathering.