After Divorce I Married a Tycoon-Chapter 209: Locked Horns

The moment she said that, Roxanne Peyton instantly started to whoop and holler.

She and Stella Thorne banged on the table, egging Claire Mercer on. "Hurry up, don’t dilly-dally."

Alcohol may give one liquid courage, but Claire Mercer’s cheeks were still burning hot.

She glanced up at Roxanne Peyton, who was still leading the charge, and a mischievous glint flashed in her eyes.

"Just you wait. You’d better not draw the King card, or else..."

"We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now, you’re the one being punished. You lost the bet, so you have to face the consequences."

Claire Mercer bit her plump, red lips, then took a deep breath.

Then, she suddenly leaned over and planted a quick peck on Adrian Sutton’s faintly blushing cheek.

Her movement was as swift as the wind, yet its impact was enough to silence the entire crowd for a second before they erupted into even louder, riotous laughter.

"Whoa! You’ve got guts, Claire! Hahaha..." Stella Thorne shot up from her seat and slammed her hand on the table.

"That went above and beyond the call of duty!"

Embarrassed, Claire Mercer immediately sat back down in her seat, her heart pounding outrageously fast.

Meanwhile, Adrian Sutton had frozen completely, even the tips of his ears turning bright red.

The only thought running through his mind was, ’She kissed me.’

He was so flustered he forgot to even move his fingers.

The warm touch of Claire’s lips still lingered on his cheek.

It carried a faint scent of alcohol, mingling with the festive air of the evening breeze.

His heartbeat instantly lost its rhythm, and even his breathing grew ragged.

As for Claire Mercer, she buried her head in her hands, wishing she could just hide her face in her glass.

Her fingertips gripped the rim of her glass so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

That kiss just now had been a complete impulse, done in a moment of rashness.

Coupled with the influence of alcohol, it had made her do something that went far beyond the script.

Now that she had calmed down, she felt her cheeks were hot enough to fry an egg on, and even her ears were ringing.

Adrian Sutton was the first to recover. His Adam’s apple bobbed.

He reached out to gently touch the top of Claire Mercer’s head, unable to resist teasing her a little.

His magnetic voice, tinged with a slight huskiness, carried a playful smile as he asked her,

"Honey, are you sure you didn’t kiss the wrong place?"

At his words, the entire crowd went silent for two seconds.

Then, they erupted in a roar of teasing.

Stella Thorne clapped so hard her palms began to sting.

Roxanne Peyton went even further, banging on the table and yelling, "Claire, kiss him! What’re you afraid of?"

Stella Thorne quickly chimed in with a laugh. "Exactly! He’s your husband, and he’s handsome. It’s not like you’re losing out by kissing him."

Roxanne Peyton was smiling so wide her eyes curved into crescents.

She shouted excitedly at Claire Mercer,

"Yes, yes, yes! Reclaim your ground! Take the initiative!"

Claire Mercer was so flustered by all the teasing that the tips of her ears felt red enough to bleed.

’Just a peck on the cheek made my face turn beet-red...’

’And now they’re egging me on to kiss him on the lips?’

’In front of all these people? Have I no shame?’

She shot Adrian Sutton a look of mock reproach.

"I was just kidding. My wife is shy, so stop teasing her, you guys."

"Fine," Roxanne Peyton said with a smile. "Then we’ll just save this punishment for the next round. No problem with that, right?"

Seeing how fired up Roxanne Peyton was, Claire Mercer’s interest was suddenly piqued as well. "Fine. But when you draw the King card, you can’t back out, no matter what I tell you to do."

"When have I, Roxanne Peyton, ever backed out of anything? Bring on whatever dare you want. As long as it’s not illegal or criminal, I absolutely will not chicken out."

"It’s definitely not illegal or criminal."

"Fine, I’ll cooperate completely."

"You said so yourself."

"I said it."

Claire Mercer and Stella Thorne exchanged a look. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Their eyes held a cunning glint and the triumphant smile of a successful plot.

Seeing that the two seemed to have locked horns, Silas Rowan asked Adrian Sutton, who was sitting to his left, "Why is your wife going at it with Roxanne Peyton?"

Adrian Sutton grumbled inwardly, ’Isn’t it obvious? It’s all to set you up with Roxanne Peyton.’

Out loud, however, he said, "People only clash like this when they’re close. If they were just casual friends, they’d be more reserved."

"Besides, everyone’s having a good time today. Just let them be."

Silas Rowan nodded.

He was, however, a little worried about Roxanne Peyton drawing the King card in the next round.

’When the time comes, surely Claire wouldn’t make her go kiss some random passerby, right?’

Just as the next round was about to begin, Stella Thorne raised her hand and spoke up.

"Seeing as Claire and Roxanne are squaring off, I have a proposal."

Adrian Sutton asked, "What’s your proposal?"

Stella Thorne smiled. "How about we let the two of them play a couple rounds of rock-paper-scissors? The rest of us won’t participate. The loser has to take the dare. What do you think?"

After speaking, Stella Thorne gave the two of them a playful wink.

Claire Mercer understood her meaning, nodding quickly while also goading Roxanne Peyton.

"I don’t have a problem with it. I’m just afraid Roxanne here won’t dare to."

With that, Claire Mercer gave Roxanne Peyton a provocative smile.

Roxanne Peyton lifted her chin. "What would I have to be afraid of?"

"Great! In that case, you two will play rock-paper-scissors. And forget best-of-three, we’ll do one round, winner-take-all."

Claire Mercer readily agreed. "Okay, I have no objection."

"I don’t have any objections either. Even though Claire’s always been better than me at rock-paper-scissors, I, Roxanne Peyton, have never been one to be scared."

And so, a one-on-one duel between Claire Mercer and Roxanne Peyton began.

They both threw paper on the first go, then both threw rock on the second.

After that, Claire Mercer threw rock, and Roxanne Peyton threw scissors.

Stella Thorne was so excited she almost jumped out of her seat, clapping and cheering.

"Roxanne, you lost!"

Claire Mercer wore a smug, triumphant smile.

"Drink your forfeit first, then I’ll tell you the punishment."

Roxanne Peyton never hesitated. She picked up the glass in front of her and downed it in one gulp.

There was a certain bold, unrestrained air about the way she drank.

But because she drank too quickly, a few drops of liquor trickled from her chin.

It slid down her neck and into her collar, dampening the front of her shirt.

Seeing this, Silas Rowan’s brow furrowed unconsciously.

He reached out, almost subconsciously, his fingertips hesitating for a moment.

In the end, they landed gently on her chin, and he used the pads of his fingers to wipe away the lingering drops of alcohol.

His touch was light and gentle; even he was startled by his own action.

By the time he came to his senses, it was already too late.

Because the moment the warmth of his fingertips touched her skin, Roxanne Peyton instantly froze.

When she turned her head to look at Silas Rowan, the drunken haze in her eyes seemed to clear a little, and her cheeks grew even redder.

"What’s the rush?"

There was an almost imperceptible hint of reproach in Silas Rowan’s voice.

Yet he couldn’t stop himself from pulling out a napkin to dab at the wet spot on her collar.

When the napkin touched her skin, Roxanne Peyton flinched as if scalded, but Silas Rowan held her by the shoulder and said with a sigh, "Don’t move. Your shirt is all wet."

Seeing this, the other three at the table erupted into wolf whistles and teasing cheers.

Roxanne Peyton finally snapped out of it, snatching the napkin from Silas Rowan’s hand. She wiped at herself haphazardly and mumbled with her head down, "I’ll do it myself..."

Silas Rowan pulled back his hand. Watching her flustered state, the corners of his lips couldn’t help but lift into a faint smile again. Only this time, he didn’t hide it, letting the tenderness in his gaze show.

Roxanne Peyton, always a bit oblivious and carefree, naturally didn’t notice the gentle look in his eyes.

After finishing the glass of beer, she couldn’t help but let out a small burp. Unfazed, she turned directly to Claire Mercer and asked,

"Alright, out with it. What’s the punishment?"

Claire Mercer glanced at Roxanne Peyton, then at Silas Rowan, before announcing the punishment.

"Kiss Silas Rowan. For thirty seconds."