?<strong>Chapter 138:</strong>


    The force of it all made him feel utterly miserable, as if his insides were being wrenched out.


    Everything in his stomach came up in one painful rush, the pungent scent quickly filling the booth.


    When Belinda saw Ryan in such a pitiful state, her lips curled into a small, knowing smile.


    Her eyes glittered with sarcasm, her gaze fixed on him.


    Belinda rose from the sofa, her movements smooth and swift. “Alright, we’ve had our fun. We’ll leave you to your… recovery.” She nced at Bethany, a yful glint in her eyes. “Shall we?”


    “Let’s go!” Bethany replied with a bright smile, rising to follow Belinda toward the door.


    Their departure carried an air of quiet victory, their steps light, having already won the bet.


    “Ryan, are you feeling better now?” Verena asked gently, handing him a ss of water.


    Ryan took the ss with shaking hands, the cold water a wee relief after the chaos. After vomiting for a while, he felt a bit better now. His face was streaked with tears and snot, his usuallyposed demeanor shattered. The anger bubbling inside him was unmistakable. He had nned to teach Belinda a lesson, but instead, he had been humiliated by her. What was this? Karma? Or had he simply been too arrogant for his own good?


    Lucas sat still, his expression unreadable, but there was a subtle glimmer of amusement in his eyes. He found the whole spectacle oddly entertaining.


    “Ryan,” someone nearby said with a serious expression, “You might want to steer clear of Belinda from now on. There’s something off about her.”


    “Exactly. I’m even starting to wonder if she let you win earlier on purpose,” another person chimed in.


    Ryan wiped his mouth with a tissue, his indignation palpable as he shot a re at them. “Stop exaggerating things. It’s just a bottle of whiskey.”


    “No big deal. Next time, I’ll make sure she regrets this.”


    Hearing Ryan’s bold deration, the others exchanged brief nces and fell silent, sensing his bad mood. Verena was about to say something when her phone chimed with a message. She nced at the screen, her fingers stiffening when she saw the sender. “Noting?”


    The message came from the same number as yesterday, and Verena’s expression shifted in an instant. She fought to keep herposure and quickly typed a reply. “Who is this? I don’t know you. Why should I go and see you?”


    The reply was almost immediate. “Verena, are you sure you won’te and see me? Do you think you can handle the consequences of that?”


    Verena’s heart skipped a beat, and her face drained of color. She bit her lip, knowing deep down that there was no way out of this. Taking a steadying breath, she texted back. “Fine! Just go and see who you really are.”


    With that, she put her phone away and turned to Lucas and Johnson. “Lucas, Johnson, I’ve got something to take care of. I’ll leave now. Please make sure Ryan gets home safely.”


    “Of course, don’t worry about it,” Johnson replied, his voice calm.


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