Chapter b433 /b

“No, thank you. We’re not interested,” Alessia replied, her tone crisp and direct as she turned down the invitation.

The man clearly hadn’t expected her to refuse. He nced back at his friends, who were all watching eagerly, hoping for some entertainment.

But instead of helping, his friends only egged him on, silently urging him to keep trying.

“Oh,e on, gorgeous,” he pleaded. “How about this: if you win, you keep the pot; if you lose, I’ll cover your losses. Just y one round with us, alright? My buddies are all waiting to see me make a fool of myself–if you don’t join in, they’ll be teasing me about it for the rest of the year. You two are beautiful and kind–help me out here, won’t you?”

He motioned to his friend, who quickly came over with a stack of poker chips.

Setting the chips on the table, he draped an arm around Yves’s shoulders. “Come on,dies, don’t be so uptight. We all know why peoplee to these parties–no need to be so serious. We’re all just here to have a little fun.”

His words made Joyce frown. There was something in his tone that made her ufortable, as if there was a hidden meaning behind his words.

Alessia, however, remained expressionless. She picked up a chip, tossed it into the air, and caught it smoothly on the back of her hand.

“Wow, looks like you know your way around a game,” Yves said, his interest in Alessia clearly piqued.

“So, what do you think? Wanna y?” Alessia turned to Joyce, her voice gentle. For some reason, the moment felt oddly intimate, as if Alessia were a strong and confident partner indulging her shypanion.

“I don’t know how,” Joyce whispered quietly in Alessia’s ear.

“I’ll teach you. We’re already here, might as well y a couple rounds to

10:03

Chapter b433 /b

pass the time,” Alessia replied.

As she stood up, her long dress swayed gracefully, entuating her elegant figure.

Yves was momentarily mesmerized, instinctively reaching out a hand toward her. But before he could touch her, Alessia grabbed a wine ss from the table and, without hesitation, tossed its contents straight into Yves’s face.

Wine sshed across him, dripping down his cheeks and soaking arge patch of his designer casual shirt. Yves wiped his face, staring at Alessia in disbelief.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he shouted. “Can’t handle a little fun? Who do you think you are?”

His friends snapped out of their shock, immediately rushing to his defense. One girl hurriedly pulled several napkins from the dispenser, handing them to Yves while shooting Alessia a dirty look.

As the group closed in, Joyce hurriedly got to her feet, stepping in front of Alessia and shielding her with her own body.

Her hands trembled and her palms were mmy with nervous sweat, but she stood her ground between Alessia and the angry crowd.

Alessia’s expression softened. She gently patted Joyce’s head and lowered Joyce’s protective hand. Joyce nced back in confusion, but Alessia just shook her head, wordlessly reassuring her.

“Do you know who I am?” Alessia asked, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she looked at the hostile faces surrounding her.

“Oh, do you know who I am?” Yves snapped back, dropping his gentlemanly act entirely. “What, too good for us? You think you’re some kind of saint because you turned me down? Everyone here is ying the same game–don’t get holier–than–thou just because I tried to be nice!”

“Alessia,” she said simply, calm and unfazed by his outburst.

“Alessia? So what?” Yves sneered. “Let me tell you-b” /b

???

10.03

“Yves!” One of his friends finally intervened, grabbing at his arm. Yves angrily shook him off.

The friend gritted his teeth, then stepped forward and, in a desperate move, pped Yves hard across the face.

Yves stared at him in shock. The friend immediately signaled for the others to pull Yves away.

“I’m so sorry, Miss Morton. We had no idea you’d be here tonight. Please forgive us, we didn’t mean any offense–really, I apologize,” the friend stammered, hands sped in front of him in a pleading gesture.

The room fell silent. All around them, people whispered quietly, sharing exnations with those who hadn’t caught on. Their faces were a mix of surprise and disbelief.

Witnessing the sudden shift in everyone’s attitude, Joyce stared at Alessia’s back, her eyes wide with astonishment.