Vera smiled and said, "I got married in a hurry, during the summer holiday. He''sing to pick me up tonight. You''ll know when you see him." Vera kept the true identity of her husband a secret.


    If she were to reveal it herself, she wouldn''t have a moment''s peace tonight.


    Some people still tried to ask about Vera''s husband, but Vera shook her head and refused to say anything.


    Patrick''s wife''s identity was enough to make her the center of attention tonight.


    Some even tried to get information from Mia, who looked at them as if they were out of their minds. She couldn''t understand why they thought she would reveal anything about Vera.


    In a ce Mia wasn''t familiar with, behind some decorative nts, stood two men watching the women.


    One of them was Eric, whom Randall despised the most.


    Eric held a bottle of wine and, with his friend, hid in the shadows, admiring Mia''s face.


    "I feel a physical desire for her again. From the first time I saw her, I was attracted by her," Eric said, staring at Mia''s face, fantasizing about her. "How can I make love to her, kiss her, and torment her?" He nced at the group ofughing girls and then at the hotel''s unused swimming pool.


    It was lively in the summer when everyone would swim, but now, in the cold season, it was deserted.


    The man beside Eric grinned wickedly. "If you want to kiss her, it''s easy. A pure girl like her, with a little nning, will be at your beck and call."


    Eric was interested. "You have a good idea?"


    "How could I let you down, my friend?"


    Theyughed evilly and clinked their bottles together.


    In the ss, boys didn''t dare to mess with Vera easily because they had heard of several instances where Vera had beaten people up.


    Even Randall had been beaten up by her three times, and twice he had to take a few days off to recover in the hospital.


    To pursue her, one had to defeat her first.


    Otherwise, if she was unhappy, she would directly use her fists, and the next stop would be the hospital.


    Randall had predicted thating here would inevitably involve drinking.


    Thest round ended in a draw, so they decided to go again.


    "Last round was a tie. This time, let''s go with bottles. Ten thousand dors per round, are you in?" someone pointed at Randall.


    Randall smiled and ced an empty can on the table. Considering they were all students, he said, "Ten thousand is too much. Since it''s a ss reunion, one thousand dors per round is enough for fun. No need to go big."


    The people around misunderstood Randall, thinking he was chickening out. "Randall, are you afraid of losing? If you can''t afford to lose, why don''t you put one of the beauties beside you on the table and let us be their protectors?" The people around joked about Vera and Mia. To Randall, that was an insult to his friends.


    Randall, who had beenughing just a moment ago, immediately darkened his expression upon hearing the crude joke. He looked up, his eyes filled with anger. "Afraid of losing? If you really want to go big, then one million dors per round. Whoever falls first, the winner takes a million dors. Dare you guys y it?"


    He looked around at his ssmates, his gaze finallynding on the man who had joked about Vera and Mia.


    The boy who had mocked Randall had a frozen smile on his face. One million dors? That much?


    He dared to y for ten thousand per round, but one million? If he lost one round, he would lose a million dors. However, looking at Randall''s expression, it didn''t seem like he was joking.


    "y? Why not? It''s thrilling," Eric walked over, patting the man Randall had provoked. "Stephen, you can''t miss out on such fun."


    "Eric, I..."


    Before Stephen could finish, Eric interrupted. "We''ve alle together after a long time. Let''s have some fun. If you lose a million dors, I''ll cover it for you. If you win, the money is yours. How about that?" "Wow, Eric, you''re so generous. The Nelson family is so wealthy."


    "Stephen, go for it. Someone''s covering your losses, and you get to keep the winnings. What are you afraid of?"


    Eric patted Stephen''s shoulder. ;"Everyone''s here. Don''t worry. Even if you lose, I won''t make you pay."


    Randall watched the troublemaker Eric, feeling slightly uneasy. He nced toward Mia and Vera.


    "Alright, if we''re ying, let''s y big. Randall, one million dors per round, I''m in. Bring out the drinks."


    Randall took out his card and ced it on the table. Eric did the same, and the hidden tension was nowid bare on the table.


    Soon, all the cans were cleared from the table, reced by bottles of alcohol.


    A waiter opened the bottles, signaling the start of the drinking contest.


    The girls nearby noticed themotion. "Wow, Randall and Stephen are having a drinking contest with a million-dor stake. Let''s go see how it goes."


    Vera and Mia exchanged nces, then quickly made their way over.


    Randall and Stephen had already started drinking. Randall had taken off his jacket, leaving it on the sofa, and was now in a brown shirt, chugging a bottle of alcohol. Stephen wasn''t backing down, matching Randall drink for drink.


    Randall was slightly faster, finishing one bottle and immediately grabbing another.


    The surrounding cheers, noise, apuse, and encouragement urged them to drink faster.


    Vera and Mia, however, were not pleased.


    Vera grabbed a ssmate and asked, "Why did they set a million-dor bet?"


    "Randall set it. Stephen joked that if Randall couldn''t afford to y, he should put you or Mia on the table. Randall then set the million-dor bet."


    Mia asked, "Can Stephen afford a million-dor bet?"


    "Eric said he''d cover Stephen''s losses. If Stephen wins, the money is his; if he loses, it''s Eric''s. Everyone''s just watching the show."


    Vera understood why Randall was angry.


    Betting women on a drinking game was an insult, implying they were mere objects. Stephen''s words had offended them, and Randall''s anger led him to throw down his card for a million-dor bet. "Is Stephen looking for trouble?" Mia cursed.


    She saw Eric, the loudest cheerleader. "Vera, can you help me deal with Eric?"


    Vera assessed the situation. Randall had already downed six bottles.


    Vera remained calm and said to Mia, "Mia, go hurry the staff to bring out the food."


    Mia left the crowd to find the hotel staff, hoping to interrupt the drinking contest by serving the food.


    Vera watched Randall with concern as he continued to gulp down alcohol, his Adam''s apple bobbing with each swallow.


    While Mia went to call for help, Eric exchanged a nce with someone, nodding slightly, sealing a mysterious agreement.