As soon as they spotted the weapon, someone let out a terrified scream, and the crowd scattered like roaches.


    Oliver jumped in front of Be. "Got beef? Bring it to me. Leave her out of this."


    Zachary twirled the knife in his hand, not even giving Oliver a nce. Instead, he smirked at Be with a creepy grin.


    "Of course, I won''t touch her. She''s too precious for that."


    His moves were so slick that the knife spun effortlessly. It wasn''t until I saw his blue cocktail turn red that I realized he had cut himself.


    Zachary swirled the ss and strolled forward, ignoring Oliver''s death stare. He grabbed Be''s injured hand and let a drop of her blood fall into the ss too. The blood mixed with the drink, and in the next second, Zachary downed the cocktail, now spiked with both their blood, in one gulp.


    He wiped his mouth, shed a wicked grin, and tossed the empty ss behind him. One of his goons caught it with a smooth arc. Zachary had made his point loud and clear.


    For a moment, everyone was stunned into silence. Even Oliver was breathing hard, lost for words.


    "Aren''t you gonna put the ring on me? Hurry up, stop dragging your feet."


    Be broke the silence, sounding super annoyed.


    Oliver snapped out of it, grinning like an idiot, and nervously pulled out the ring, almost dropping it.


    With shaky hands, he slipped it onto Be''s finger, knowing she had made her choice. Ignoring the rival nearby, he smiled like a fool and pulled Be into his arms. Frank shouted, "Hell yeah!"


    He started pping, and a few others joined in, though most were too scared of Zachary to do more than stand there quietly.


    Zachary seemed to have expected this and stayed cool, his smile never fading.


    He brought his cut finger to his mouth and licked it, his eyes locked on Be.


    Be stepped out of Oliver''s embrace and nced at Zachary, a flicker of somethingplicated crossing her face.


    Zachary wasn''t the typical pretty boy, but he had a rugged charm. From what I knew about Be, Zachary was her type. If Oliver hadn''t swooped in first, Zachary might''ve had a shot. "If Oliver ever messes with you,e find me."


    Zachary''s tone was calm but firm, showing he wasn''t giving up.


    "Can you quit the crap? Can''t you read the room?" Oliver shouted, barely holding it together.


    Zachary just smirked at him, gave Be onest look, and then turned to leave.


    His buddies seemed pissed and called out, "Zachary,"


    "Let''s bounce."


    Zachary said coldly, and no one dared to say another word.


    As he walked away, his smile faded, and he looked kinda bummed. I figured he really did like Be, but with guys like them, how long could real feelingsst?


    I watched Zachary and his crew leave. Only when I heard everyone cheering did I turn back to see Oliver making out with Be like there was no tomorrow.


    I got it. His big proposal almost got wrecked. Like Jason always says, the easier something is to get, the less you value it. Zachary''s stunt must''ve made Oliver feel like he barely won, so he was all in with that kiss. The apuse kept going, and honestly, it got to me.


    Oliver and Be had been through a lot to get here. I hoped things would be smooth sailing for them from now on.


    Everyone in the booth stood up, and Lacey looked towards the stage, clearly moved.


    The long kiss finally ended. Being kissed in front of so many people made the usually carefree Be a bit shy, and she kept her head buried in Oliver''s chest.


    Seeing there was no more drama, the crowd started to thin out. Oliver and Be came over, and everyone insisted they drink.


    But Oliver was worried about Be''s hand and asked, "Do you want to get it bandaged?"


    Be sat down and shrugged it off, "It''s just a scratch."


    As the drinks flowed, I noticed Lacey sitting quietly, looking kinda down. I wondered if she was still stressing about work.


    I sat down next to her and asked, "What''s up? You don''t seem too happy."


    Lacey smiled at me and said, "Nah, I''m good."


    She got up to go to the restroom, but she didn''te back for a while. I started to worry and went to look for her.


    As I reached the corner, I heard Lacey''s voice and stopped.


    "Oh,e on, how could I forget you? No way."


    "Dinner? Sure, but there''s no way I''m letting you pay. I should be the one treating you. Work''s been nutstely, but as soon as I get some free time, I''ll definitely set it up. Mark, you gotta let me do this." Lacey leanedzily against the wall, holding her phone.


    She was grinning ear to ear on the phone, a total 180 from her earlier mood.


    I headed back to the booth, and after a bit, Lacey returned.


    Her face was a bit damp, and her sleeve looked wet too. I pretended not to notice and handed her a fruit tter.


    She smiled and said thanks but didn''t touch it. Instead, she pped her hands twice and said, "That was wild."


    Frankughed and pointed at Oliver. "Oliver kept this under wraps the whole time. Who knew he had a romantic side?"


    Having nailed the proposal, Oliver was on cloud nine and grinning like a fool.


    "Of course."


    "I actually have something to announce too."


    Lacey''s serious tone made everyone hush up.


    She slowly turned her gaze to Jason, who had been chilling quietly in a corner.


    I had a hunch about what she was gonna say.


    "Jason, I like you!"


    Lacey was straight-up, confessing her feelings without a second thought.


    The booth exploded with teasing and cheers.


    Lacey let out a deep breath, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and smiled with relief.


    "Even though I like you, it doesn''t mean you have to do anything about it. I just got inspired by what happened earlier and wanted to get it off my chest." Honestly, I admired Lacey''s guts and honesty.


    "Kiss! Kiss!" Oliver and Frank led the teasing, pounding the table and drawing everyone''s attention.


    After a long pause, Jason finally looked up and gave a faint smile. "Lacey, don''t joke like that."


    Lacey looked at him seriously. "I''m not joking."


    Jason bit his lip, looking a bit flustered, and gave a bitter smile. "What did I do to deserve this? Actually, I was also inspired and wanted to confess."


    He suddenly looked at me, and our eyes locked. In those few seconds, his gaze was so intense it made my heart race.


    Suddenly, my hand was held. I turned to see Ethan bringing my hand to his lips and gently kissing it.


    I was kinda freaked out by his sudden show of affection, which could easily mess with my emotions.


    With a loud thud, I snapped back to reality. Jason had mmed his empty ss on the coffee table.


    I remembered that his ss had been full earlier, but in the brief moment I was distracted, he had downed it.


    "I have someone I like, someone I''ve liked for many years, but I missed the right moment. So now I can only regret it at the wrong time."


    Lacey smiled nonchntly at Jason''s indirect rejection.


    "You like who you like, and I like who I like. Like I said, my feelings for you have nothing to do with you. I''m just happy today, and keeping this bottled up was driving me nuts. Saying it out loud makes me feel better. Jason, don''t sweat it. I just needed to say it, not get a result."


    Despite her chill words, Lacey''s hand shook a bit as she reached for her ss.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Sensing the awkward vibe, Oliver shouted, "Drink up, everyone! It''s on me tonight. I''m stoked, so drink as much as you want."


    In the end, everyone drank, and we sorted out a few designated drivers when it was time to bounce.


    As we left the bar, I took Be''s hand and stared at the diamond ring on her finger.


    "Be, I''m really happy for you," I said.


    Be smiled at me, a rare, flirtatious smile.


    She hooked her arm around my shoulder, pulled me aside, and whispered, "Emily, honestly, I don''t know if I found the right person. At that moment, I just impulsively said yes. Do you think I was too hasty? Emily, if Oliver ever dares to hurt me, I''ll break his leg."


    Be had had a bit to drink and was both happy and conflicted, her expressions all over the ce.


    Iughed and said, "Be, for the sake of his leg, Oliver wouldn''t dare hurt you."


    When we got back to the vi, the living room lights were on.


    The TV was off, and Faye was sitting quietly on the couch, looking a bit lost.


    "Have you eaten?" Ethan asked casually as he changed his shoes and walked in.


    No matter what mistakes she made, he still cared about her.


    Faye nodded, looking pitifully at Ethan.


    "I''ve been thinking all day, and I know I was wrong."


    But I didn''t feel she truly got it.


    I gave a magnanimous smile. "It''s okay. Since you were forced into it, we don''t me you. Don''t overthink it."


    Faye looked at me with a hint of surprise, and I kept my smile steady.


    Our calm eye contact was actually filled with underlying tension.


    After going upstairs, I went to take a shower while Ethan sat on a small sofa, working on hisptop.


    I finished my shower and got into bed. After a while, he closed hisptop and went into the bathroom.


    The sound of running water came from the bathroom.


    After a bit, the water stopped, and the bathroom door opened.


    For some reason, I felt a bit nervous and closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep.


    The side of the bed sank slightly, and a pair of still-damp arms pulled me into an embrace.