Chapter 4
Vivian said, "Rachel, I'm raising the stakes. If you lose, not only do you have to divorce Mr. Quinn, but you also have to..."
She paused, then spoke in a sinister voice:
Vivian added, "And you'll have to spend a night with Mr. King—for free."
Mr. King glanced at Michael, saw he didn't give a damn, then turned his sleazy eyes straight at me.
He sneered, "Mrs. Quinn—no, Rachel—do you still have the guts to bet?"
The crowd erupted, cheering and jeering.
"I'm in too! If Mrs. Quinn loses, how about she spends the night with me as well?"
I looked at Michael, his face completely unmoved.
I scoffed coldly.
"Fine, but you'd better put up a bet that's actually worth my attention," I said coldly.
If they wanted to make themselves targets, I wasn't going to go easy on them.
I was going to make sure Michael and his so-called partners paid dearly for daring to insult me.
With everyone watching the drama unfold, Michael finally spoke up.
Michael said, "Rachel, I never thought you'd turn out to be such a shameless, cheap woman. Betting yourself like this?
Win or lose, someone as shameless as you doesn't deserve to be my wife."
"If you're so set on this bet, then sign the divorce papers first. My wife will never be a slut," Michael said.
Vivian was the one who set the stakes, but the moment I agreed, all the blame landed on me—now I'm suddenly the shameless one.
His favoritism for Vivian is really something.
I shot him a cold look.
"Are you sure? Not even going to think it over?" I asked.
"Leave now, apologize to Viv, and treat her respectfully. Then I'll drop this. But today's wager is about who can pay more for the auction item. You cannot beat me financially," Michael said.
Michael looked at me like he was doing me a huge favor, as if he was handing me some great mercy.
I smiled.
"Then hurry up and give me the divorce papers," I said.
Michael stared at me in disbelief.
"What did you just say? Do you even realize what happens if you lose this bet? You'll be nothing but a slut. I'm giving you one last chance—think carefully before you answer me," Michael said.
Seeing the disbelief on his face, I was starting to get annoyed.
That's my business. I don't need you, my ex-husband, worrying about me. You wanted the divorce papers, right? Then hurry up and get it done," I said.
Michael just stood there, stunned.
Maybe he never expected that the woman he thought was just mooching off him could actually have this much backbone.
I could see right through him—threatening me with divorce was just his way of trying to keep me in line.
But now he was stuck—he couldn't back down even if he wanted to.
Vivian noticed Michael's hesitation.
She tugged at Michael's sleeve and whispered.
Vivian whispered, "Mike, she's bluffing to make you yield. What will your partners think if you do? She's a housewife you support and won't leave her source of money. Everyone is watching."
Vivian's words seemed to give him the confidence he needed.
He shot me a cold look. "Fine. If you're so eager to disgrace yourself, I'll let you have it your way."
Because of the drama between me and Michael, the auction had to be put on hold for a bit.
The lawyer quickly handed Michael two copies of the divorce agreement.
I gave him a teasing look. "Michael, are you really sure about this?"
He didn't even spare me a glance, just signed the papers without a second thought.
Talk about cold-blooded.
Just then, Mr. King leaned in. "Shouldn't we put our bet in writing too?"
Does he really think this is legal? What an idiot.
But just to put their minds at ease, I signed it anyway.
The bet was 17 million dollars.
If I lost, I'd have to spend the night with them.
If I won, they'd have to cough up the cash.
Just imagining all those millions landing in my account for nothing—now that's a sweet deal.
I really ought to thank Vivian for setting this up.
With our drama finally over, the auctioneer wasted no time and kicked things back into gear.
Vivian confidently raised the bid to 27 million dollars.
"Go, Viv. This painting's totally worth it," Mr. King shouted, egging her on.
Mr. King was right there, hyping her up.
Meanwhile, he gave me a leering grin, looking at me like he already owned me.
I picked up my coffee mug, my fingers tapping lightly against the rim.
A soft click sounded as I glanced over at Mr. King.
"Is this how your company handles investments? Just blindly trusting your assistant's advice?" I asked.
Mr. King's face flushed dark red.
"Rachel, who the hell do you think you are, talking to me like that? If it weren't for Mr. Quinn, you wouldn't even be allowed through that door," he snapped.
"Mr. Shaw must be out of his mind. Mr. Quinn's got a bright future, and you're nothing but a roadblock holding him back," he sneered.
"But honestly, a woman who'd gamble with her own body isn't worth much. Don't worry, tonight, I'll make sure you pay for it," he added.
Michael's partner turned out to be this kind of scum. Serves him right for going bankrupt.
Looks like my family's investments are going to take a hit because of him.
I set my coffee mug down, my gaze calmly sweeping over everyone in the room.
"Since you're already putting my marriage and my body on the line, how about we raise the stakes and make things a bit more interesting?" I said.
Michael's brows knitted together.
"What are you up to this time?" he asked.
"Just tell me, are you in or not?" I shot back.
I let out a cold snort. So this was just about flexing who had more money, huh?