Chapter 8: One Versus Three

Words : 1876 Updated : Aug 7th, 2025

"Jordan, come here! Let me introduce you to everyone!" Arianna pointed at the group of rich young guys and introduced them to Jordan one by one. "This is Lincoln Ferdinando. His family owns a restaurant business with dozens of locations all over Herton, and every one of them is packed." "And this is Darren Halenkamp. His family's in the jewelry business, and even though he's still young, he's already running things, landed some huge deals, and made quite a name for himself in the industry." "And this is Jones Yoxall-he's even more impressive. His family is in commercial real estate. Every building they put up is worth millions, sometimes even billions, and they rake in millions a year just from rent." Jordan just sat down, poured himself a drink, and casually popped a grape into his mouth, chewing slowly. He couldn't care less about the introductions-who these people were didn't matter to him one bit. Arianna frowned, and Vivian looked downright furious. They'd gone out of their way to get these rich heirs from Herton together, hoping Jordan could make some connections for the future. "Jordan, what's with your attitude? Can't you act a little more serious, introduce yourself properly, and say a few nice things? If you ever need help, all it takes is a word from them!" Vivian scolded him, clearly frustrated. This was such a great opportunity, but Jordan just didn't care at all! Jordan rolled his eyes and said coldly, "Why should I ask them for help?" Like they were even worth his time! Then Jordan let out a burp, got up, and was about to leave. He'd had some fruit and wine, and wanted to go catch up with his sister, Elina. "You!" Vivian stomped her foot, fuming. "Miss Zuniga, just give it up. You can't wake someone who's pretending to sleep! A broke guy like him just doesn't fit in with us. Instead of acting all nervous, he might as well go back to wandering the streets. Just let him leave." Lincoln, who was as skinny as a monkey, said. "Yeah, Miss Showyer, you're the star among all of us, so how come you have such a broke friend?" Darren asked, genuinely puzzled. To them, Jordan looked like a total bumpkin who'd never been to a party like this-he just didn't belong. "He's Arianna's fiancé. He got into trouble, spent three years in prison, and just got out!" Vivian spilled the beans. This revelation caused a stir. So this nobody was Arianna's fiancé? And he'd done three years in prison? What a total loser! These rich heirs all had their sights set on Arianna-someone they could never have. Now, their eyes burned with jealousy and resentment. "Hey, kid, don't even think about running off!" Darren stood up, flashing his big Jados Ring as he swirled his wine, grinning. "Let's have a little fun!" "Yeah, if you leave, this party's gonna be a total snooze!" the others chimed in. There was no way they'd let Jordan just walk out-they wanted to teach him a lesson. He needed to know Arianna was way out of his league, and he should hurry up and break off the engagement so they'd have a shot. "How about we play a little game, huh?" said Lincoln, the skinny guy, challenging Jordan to a wine-tasting contest. "Man, Darren, you're slick! This broke loser just got out of prison-what does he know about good wine? Maybe he could guess between a Bud and a Coors, but mix two wines together? He probably couldn't even pick out a Martell!" Darren said, twirling his Jados Ring and sneering. Jordan just rolled his eyes and muttered, "Boring." Lincoln, worried Jordan would bail, jumped in front of him and yelled, "See? He's too scared to take the bet-he just wants to run away!" "Miss Showyer, you're our role model, but your taste is terrible! What kind of loser is this to be your fiancé?" Darren said, making a big show of mocking her. "You don't get it-Miss Showyer is our role model, sure, but she has a weird hobby: picking up trash! Who knew she'd end up with the worst of the worst?" Jones chimed in, and everyone burst out laughing. Jordan really just wanted to leave. To him, these people were nobodies, but they actually had the nerve to mock him. They had no idea who they were messing with! But what really got to Jordan was that Arianna and Vivian were right there-they didn't even try to stop the others, and even seemed to be enjoying it. It hit him: this whole welcome party was just a setup to embarrass him. Well, if that's how it was, he might as well play along. Jordan's eyes flashed. "So, what are we betting?" he said coldly. Jordan just nodded. He knew there had to be stakes if it was a bet. "If we win, you've got to get down on your knees and crawl between our legs!" Lincoln said with a big grin. "If we lose, you pick the punishment!" The others all nodded. The stakes were high-if Jordan lost, crawling under them would be beyond humiliating. Even if he didn't care about his own pride, Arianna would never want a fiancé like that! If Arianna dumped this loser, their shot would finally come. And as for Jordan winning? Not a chance. Jordan just nodded. He pointed at Lincoln, Darren, and Jones. "All three of you, at once." These three had been the loudest in mocking him, so Jordan picked them as his opponents. Might as well take them all on at once and get it over with. "Ha! Are you serious? You want to take on all three of us at the same time?" The three of them burst out laughing like it was the funniest thing they'd ever heard. "Lincoln's family owns restaurants-wine tasting is a must for him. I'm in the international jewelry business, always flying around, so I know my wines. And Jones? He's a serious drinker-he's got an 800-square-foot wine cellar at home, the biggest in Herton!" Darren bragged, showing off his huge Jados Ring. Most people would've backed down after that, but Jordan didn't even flinch. "You guys sure talk a lot."

Chapter 8: One Versus Three

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