After Divorce I Married a Tycoon-Chapter 206: Silas Rowan’s Heartbeat Was Thrown into Disarray
With Roxanne Peyton enthusiastically taking the lead, the game of Truth or Dare began.
She got a deck of cards from the owner and selected five to place on the table.
"Let’s keep it simple, none of that complicated stuff."
"There are five cards here. Four are Aces, and one is the Joker."
"Whoever draws the Joker has to accept a Truth or a Dare as their penalty. What do you guys think?"
Everyone nodded.
Roxanne then placed the cards in the middle of the table, pressing her hand on them as she spoke with mock seriousness.
"Okay, let’s get the rules straight. No cheating, no lying. Respect the game, and have some sportsmanship."
"Does everyone agree?"
Claire Mercer was the first to nod. "Agreed."
The others nodded in agreement one by one.
The atmosphere was great and everyone was happy, so of course they had to play along.
Adrian Sutton, for his part, couldn’t have been more eager for everyone to agree.
He wasn’t afraid of drawing the Joker—he was afraid he *wouldn’t*.
If he drew that card, he had a pretty good idea of what Silas Rowan would make him do.
’It might be taking advantage of the situation, lacking the grace of a gentleman,’ he thought.
But...
He was just so desperate to take his relationship with Claire to the next level.
He was already getting impatient, wanting the game to start right away.
As the host, Roxanne Peyton shuffled the cards again and fanned them out in the middle of the table.
"Alright, the rules have been explained, and everyone has agreed to play along."
"So, let’s begin. We’ll use rock-paper-scissors to decide the drawing order."
And so, the five of them started playing rock-paper-scissors.
After a few rounds, Claire Mercer and Adrian Sutton both threw rock, while the other three threw scissors.
Roxanne took charge again.
"Adrian and Claire, you two face off. The winner draws first."
"Adrian, don’t you dare throw the game for Claire."
"A game is like a battlefield. No room for love here."
Although she said it with a warning tone.
That one word—love—struck him right in the heart.
That word from Roxanne made him very happy.
Seeing that Claire didn’t object or correct her, he was secretly overjoyed.
"What are you two waiting for? Hurry up and settle it," Roxanne urged.
Stella Thorne couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter.
"You make it sound like we’re going to war."
Claire Mercer and Adrian Sutton wasted no more time and began their face-off.
In the end, Claire Mercer defeated Adrian Sutton.
"Adrian, you didn’t lose to Claire on purpose, did you?"
Adrian Sutton shook his head. "I’m not good at rock-paper-scissors."
He really wasn’t good at such a childish game.
What he *was* good at was creating wealth, crushing his rivals, and making the CZ Group ever stronger and more powerful.
’Besides, I’m more than willing to lose to my Claire,’ he thought.
Having won the first round, Claire Mercer was the first to draw a card.
She immediately picked it up and looked. It was an Ace.
’Thank goodness,’ she thought, a small thrill of delight running through her. ’I didn’t get the Joker.’
Next, it was Adrian Sutton’s turn to draw.
He casually chose a card. It was also an Ace.
’I thought I might actually get the Joker and face the penalty,’ he mused.
He hadn’t expected an Ace, and a flash of disappointment crossed his eyes.
And just like that, Stella Thorne drew the Joker in the first round.
Claire Mercer and Roxanne Peyton clapped their hands cheerfully, giggling.
Then they asked her, "Stella, are you picking Truth or Dare?"
Stella Thorne chose without hesitation. "Truth."
’It’s not like I have any secrets to hide anyway,’ she thought.
Roxanne said with a grin, "Now remember, you have to answer honestly, no matter what we ask."
"And before you answer, you have to down a glass of wine."
Stella didn’t hesitate, picking up the glass in front of her and draining it in one go.
But when it came to what to ask her, Claire Mercer and Roxanne Peyton were stumped.
They had known each other for years and were best friends; they already knew all of each other’s secrets.
"I don’t think I have anything to ask..."
"Me neither. We just know each other too well." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
In the end, they asked a trivial question and moved on to the next round.
This round, Roxanne Peyton drew the Joker.
She also chose Truth.
She had expected Claire Mercer and Stella Thorne to ask some random question.
After all, that’s what had just happened with Stella.
But to her surprise, Claire actually asked her:
"If you had to choose between Austin Thorne and Silas Rowan to be your husband, who would you pick?"
Stella Thorne chimed in with a sly smile, "You have to tell the truth, now."
Roxanne Peyton began to seriously consider Claire’s question.
The other subject of the question, Silas Rowan, unconsciously curled his fingertips.
He secretly dug his nails into his palm, trying to suppress a wave of inexplicable panic.
But his heart was still pounding like a frightened deer, hammering against his ribs.
It threw his breathing out of rhythm, his pulse quickening restlessly.
He didn’t even dare to look up at the source of his turmoil.
He could only pick up the teacup in front of him and take a small sip, trying to hide his anxiety.
He told himself over and over again, ’It’s just a silly, pointless question.’
’Whoever she chooses has nothing to do with me.’
’I didn’t start this game, and I shouldn’t be the one getting worked up over the answer.’
But the beat in his chest grew heavier, as if something was pulling it down, leaving it suspended in mid-air—neither rising nor falling.
The moment a flicker of hope emerged, he forcibly stamped it out.
’What am I even hoping for?’
’Hoping she’ll say my name?’
Even he found the thought absurd and laughable.
But then, a deeper sense of dread washed over him without warning.
He was afraid she would say the other man’s name without a moment’s hesitation.
He subconsciously held his breath, but his nervous hands picked up the teacup again, his fingers tracing its surface.
He looked as if he couldn’t care less about the question, but his ears were pricked up, straining to listen.
He was so focused that he didn’t miss a single sound. He even mistook the soft clink of Stella Thorne knocking over a water glass for the sound of Roxanne about to speak.
But Roxanne Peyton had no idea that this question had sent Silas Rowan’s heart into a chaotic spiral.
She just tilted her head, thinking the question over very, very carefully.
