?Chapter 1038:


    No man would stand by while someone openly tested his patience—especially not when it involved his fiancée.


    Moses moved quickly, drink in one hand, as he pped the other firmly onto Doug’s shoulder. The gesture was friendly, but the warning was clear. “Doesn’t matter whether you’ve met before or not. What matters is that we’re all friends now.”


    Without waiting for a response, he pried Doug’s fingers from Corrine’s hand and pulled him down into the chair beside him. “Been too long since we all got together. Let’s start with a drink.”


    Doug, though clearly distracted, lifted his ss. He took a sip, but his eyes drifted toward Corrine once more.


    Under the golden glow of the lights, she raised her own ss. Her slender neck arched as she drank, her smooth jawline catching the light. Her skin had the kind of luminous beauty that turned heads without effort.


    Even in profile, she was stunning.


    And then, as if struck by lightning, Doug’s eyes widened. “I remember now!”


    Moses had just taken a sip from his ss, but the moment Doug spoke, he choked, coughing repeatedly.


    With irritation bubbling beneath the surface, Moses kicked Doug under the table and hissed, “Will you ever quit?”


    For the sake of their friendship, Moses was doing his best to stop Doug from stepping straight into a disaster.


    But the fool was hell-bent on heading into the storm without a second thought!


    Doug, however, remained unfazed. Despite the kick, his face was an open book of innocence as he stared at Corrine, his gaze sharpening as though trying to read some hidden code.


    Herbert,ying down his ss and wiping his hands with a napkin, leaned forward, his voice low and serious. “You need to cut this out.”


    Exclusive stories avable on gαlnσv?ls


    Had Doug lost his mind? Publicly showing interest in Nate’s woman? It was a reckless game.


    Meanwhile, Rosalie, observing Corrine with raised eyebrows, couldn’t suppress the mischievous smile tugging at the corners of her lips.


    Amidst the rising confusion, Doug asked, his tone suddenly serious, “Miss Hond, were you part of an elite military skillspetition some years ago?” The room fell silent.


    Corrine, not missing a beat, merely lifted her gaze to meet Doug’s, swirling her wine ss slowly before responding with coolposure, “Yes, I was.”


    “I knew it!” Doug burst out, practically jumping in his seat as he pped his thigh. A triumphant grin spread across his face. “I saw you at the knockout stage of thepetition a few years ago.”


    All eyes shot to Corrine.


    Elite military skillspetition? The knockout stage? The words hung in the air like a challenge.


    .


    .


    .