Chapter 224

Emily lowered her gaze to the steaming cup of black tea before her, fingertips tracing the rim. She remembered her preference for black tea, but she hadn't expected William to recall it.

The private room was warm, the heating turned up high, yet it couldn't dispel the chill in her chest.

"Miss Smith, care for a taste?" George broke the silence with a perfectly measured smile.

The tea shimmered like amber under the soft lighting. She took a sip, the sweetness of longan blooming on her tongue.

"Good tea," she remarked flatly.

The corner of William's lips lifted as he continued pouring tea for the others. The usually arrogant heirs now accepted their cups with both hands, as if receiving a royal decree.

"How about a game?" George suggested suddenly.

Emily frowned, but before she could refuse, William's deep voice cut in. "Sure."

The game started simply—counting frog legs. When it was William's turn, his slender fingers idly tapped the teapot as he murmured, "Plop."

The sound brushed against eardrums like a feather. The women in the room flushed without realizing it.

The first to falter was a slick-haired playboy. Choosing truth, he boasted, "Five in one day."

Emily sipped her tea, but from the corner of her eye, she caught William staring. His gaze was so tangible it made her skin prickle.

The game continued. A woman in a low-cut dress lost and picked dare. She swayed toward Ethan Zheng, only to be coldly rejected.

"Pay your dues," someone teased.

Without hesitation, she stripped down to her lingerie, chest thrust forward proudly. Emily noted how the woman kept glancing at William and smirked inwardly.

When it was Mia's turn, the question was blunt. "How old were you your first time?"

"Haven't had one yet," Mia answered, drawing whistles. George's eyes visibly brightened.

Emily lifted her cup, letting the steam veil her faint frown. Suddenly, she wondered—what would William choose if he lost?

The thought vanished as quickly as it came. She shouldn't be curious about him at all.