Chapter 8: Taking A Gamble

Words : 1741 Updated : Feb 26th, 2025

A flamboyantly dressed waitress walked over, casting flirtatious glances at Ethan Zorn upon spotting his expensive attire. Ethan chuckled and gave the waitress a playful pat on her butt as he took the menu. His smile widened when he saw the menu. The total came to over 60,000 dollars, which was painful to fork out even for him. But it was an exorbitant figure for a nobody—precisely what he intended. "Oh, Kayden, my bad. Without rounding, it's 60,000 dollars. Maybe I should cancel my order?" Ethan feigned embarrassment, but everyone could hear the mockery in his voice. "Is that so? Let me see." Kayden thought it was much higher, taking the menu with a slight frown. With a 2 billion fortune, spending a million was like pocket change to him. "Kayden, if you can't handle it, I can help you. Just beg me." Ethan took Kayden's silence as a sign he was broke, so he arrogantly waited for Kayden to plead. If Kayden begged, maybe Amelia would see him for what he really was and switch sides willingly. "Kayden, if you can't afford it, don't pretend you can," Cody chimed in. "Kayden, you got our hopes up for nothing." "I knew he couldn't afford it." "He's broke and still brags." Everyone assumed Kayden's silence meant he was too ashamed to speak. Amelia looked at him with unwavering faith, knowing Kayden had 2 billion; this amount was nothing to him. "Kayden treating you guys to a meal is a courtesy. If he doesn't want to, that is his right. It's none of your business," Amelia, unable to stand their attitudes, defended Kayden. "Amelia, can't you see what kind of person he is? He's just putting on a show, and now he's suffering the consequences. It's not my fault." Troy shrugged, eager to embarrass Kayden. Kayden suddenly shook his head and said, "This little bit of alcohol isn't enough. It's a reunion, after all; we should drink to our fill." "Not enough?" Troy rubbed his ears, thinking he had misheard. Even the people around burst into laughter. Any of these bottles could knock a person out—it didn't cost anything to brag, did it? "Fine, let's have another bottle. If you can finish it, I'll graciously pay the bill," Ethan ordered a high-proof, pricey liquor with a cold smile on his face. If Kayden drank that, he'd be lucky to escape with just a stomach ache. Theodore and Cody looked at Kayden with sympathetic eyes. That bottle was infamously strong; even three to five people might not finish it. A regular guy like Kayden wouldn't stand a chance. "Don't agree to it," Amelia whispered to Kayden, worried he was biting off more than he could chew. Losing his life over this wouldn't be worth it. "What? Are you chickening out?" Ethan had anticipated Kayden wouldn't dare, whether it was drinking or paying, and was ready to enjoy his embarrassment. "Drinking alone isn't much fun. Why don't we have a contest?" Kayden suggested with a slight smile. "A contest? What kind?" Troy's interest was piqued. Kayden ordered four more bottles and pointed at Ethan, Wilson, and Cody, "You three drink four bottles, and I'll drink one. How about it?" The trio burst into uncontrollable laughter at the suggestion, questioning Kayden's sanity. He was a goody-two-shoes in their eyes, and they'd never seen him drink. They, on the other hand, were seasoned drinkers. Despite the liquor's strength, Ethan and his friends, driven by pride, couldn't refuse. To make Kayden look bad, they agreed without hesitation. "Kayden, let me make this clear: if you lose, I won't pay a dime for you," Ethan, confident of his victory, taunted. Cody and Wilson were eager to see Kayden make a fool of himself and chimed in supportively. Everyone cast pitying looks at Kayden, thinking challenging Ethan and his friends to a drinking contest was asking for trouble. They remembered Kayden as someone who never drank, so his tolerance must be low. However, they forgot that since being expelled from the Shaw family, Kayden had turned to drinking heavily, his tolerance increasing to the point where he drank spirits like water. All eyes were on Kayden, waiting for him to fall apart. They had their phones ready to record, hoping to capture his drunken antics as a future joke. The crowd's attention was fixed on Kayden. Just one taste overwhelmed them, so they wondered how he would drink all in one go. Kayden poured himself a full glass and downed it as effortlessly as drinking water. "Holy crap! Is he drinking that like it's beer?" As he emptied the glass, everyone was stunned to see Kayden neither turn red nor cough. This was no beer, and few could handle a glass so smoothly. "What's the big deal? I can do that, too." Ethan, refusing to be outdone, poured himself a glass. But before he could finish, he choked, coughing and turning red. He was thoroughly embarrassed. The crowd was stunned. "Take it easy, Ethan. He'll be drunk soon enough, and then you'll win." Realizing they needed his favor, those around him began showing concern instead of laughing. Wilson and Cody, knowing they couldn't match Ethan's drinking, took it slow. "You're right." Ethan smacked his forehead at the reminder, still skeptical of Kayden's drinking ability, thinking he'd be drunk after five glasses. Everyone watched, eager to see Kayden's drunken state. They had their phones ready, hoping to capture his humiliation. Halfway through his bottle, Kayden paused, amused, "Why aren't you drinking?" "I think your drink is spiked." Seeing Kayden unfazed, Ethan approached to inspect, but the strong smell made him cough. After confirming it was real liquor, he sneered, "Amazing, you're drinking spirits like beer. Don't blame me if you drink yourself to death." "I'm almost done. If you don't start, you'll lose." When Kayden finished speaking, Ethan remembered their bet and returned to his seat.

Chapter 8: Taking A Gamble

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