The lounge fell silent, then erupted in disbelief.

"Holy hell! A hundred grand just to make someone bark? That guy must be drowning in money!"

Another man shook his head with a bitterugh.

"I can''t even wrap my head around rich folks. A hundred grand is my whole year''s sry. If someone offered me that, I''d bark like a dog for an hour and take the rest of the year off."

Voices rose from the crowd-some in shock, others in envy, amusement, or raw jealousy.

"Start barking!"

"Bark! Bark!"

And in the bark of a dog, they saw their freedom for sale.

One of the smug businessmen leaned forward, his tone sharp and mocking.

"What''s wrong, kid? Cat got your tongue? Don''t tell me you''ve never even seen a hundred thousand in cash. Get down on all fours. Bark for it, and it''s yours."

Martin''s expression darkened instantly. "You dare mock me? You think you can unt your wealth in my face?"

He snapped his fingers. His driver, waiting quietly in the corner, stepped forward carrying a sleek ck suitcase.

Martin popped it open, revealing stacks of cash.

Without hesitation, he peeled off a bundle, then another, pping the money across the businessman''s face.

Again and again—until the total hit two hundred thousand.

He shoved thest stack at the man. "Two hundred thousand. Double your cheap offer. Now bark, dog."

The lounge gasped. The stakes had doubled.

Martin wasn''t about to back down, not with two beautiful women watching. His pride was on the line.

Amanda, one of hispanions, raised her voice above the noise.

"Old man, do you even know who you''re dealing with? This is Martin! You''re humiliating yourself. He''s money itself—you can''t outbid him."

A young man chimed in quickly, puffed up with arrogance. "Hah! Martin''s family has hundreds of millions. You think you can beat him? Keep dreaming."

"Exactly!" another echoed. "Two hundred grand is pocket change to him. Let''s see if you can top that, old man!"

The younger crowd erupted in taunts andughter, their egos zing, fueling the tension.

The older businessman didn''t flinch.

"Foolish brats," he muttered. His eyes narrowed on Martin''s suitcase he could tell there was still at least four hundred thousand left inside.

He raised his hand, and one of his workers brought over a heavy leather bag.

He pulled out three hundred thousand in crisp bills and hurled it at Martin''s face with a sneer.

Each p of money was a thunderp of arrogance.

"I have added three hundred thousand," the old man said with an icy sneer. "Bark three times—and you''re my dog. Come on, doggy... start barking for your daddy."

The room froze, every eye locked on Martin.

His face went crimson, shame and rage boiling under his skin. In front of his friends-and worse, in front of the woman he loved-he could not lose. He would

not.

With trembling hands, he ripped out thest four hundred thousand from the suitcase.

One by one, he smashed the stacks against the old man''s face, the sound like thunder cracking in the silent lounge.

"I added four fucking hundred thousand!" Martin bellowed, spit flying with his fury. "Now bark, you rotten old dog bastard-bark three times for me!"

The businessman suddenly broke into a smile, sweet and mocking.

Then, without hesitation, he barked loudly in the middle of the lounge.

"Woof. Woof. Woof."

Amanda burst outughing, her voice sharp as ss. "Look at you, old man. You''re not a businessman-you''re a dog. And now you''re barking. How dare you think you couldpete with Martin in money? Look at the disgrace you''ve be."

The businessman''sckey scrambled forward, bending low to snatch the bills off the floor. His hands swept greedily across the carpet as gasps rippled through the lounge.

The old man grinned as hisckey handed him the money.

"Shame?" he said, his voice thick with mockery. "Yes... I''m so ashamed." Every word dripped with biting sarcasm.

It was obvious to everyone: he didn''t give a damn about the barking. All that mattered was the money.

Martin''s chest tightened. Rage boiled inside him. Six hundred thousand gone, and the old man wasughingughing as he pocketed it without shame.

The lounge turned on him.

"What a fool! He''s the real tycoon here an idiot tycoon!" one man sneered.

"Six hundred grand for three barks? That''s a house, wasted just like that!" another shouted.

"Rich? Maybe. Stupid? Definitely."

Martin''s ears rang with their jeers. His face burned.

Josephine crossed her arms, lips curling.

"I know he was rich, but this? Blowing six hundred thousand dors just to make an old man bark?"

"Damn, if he''d given that to an orphanage, I''d have called him a prince-hell, I might''ve even wanted to be his girlfriend. But no... turns out he''s nothing but a stupid asshole."

Whispers spread like wildfire. All of them mocking him.

Then Giselle''s voice cut through the noise like a knife. "Martin, if I''m not mistaken, wasn''t that money meant for charity? For my birthday gift? The donation I asked for?"

Her words hit harder than a p. Martin bit his lip until it bled.

For a moment, he wanted to puff his chest, unt his arrogance. But the weight of shame was heavier.

He snapped, storming toward the old man.

"Hey! You yed me, didn''t you? Give me my money back!" His voice cracked with fury.

The old man turned, cold eyes fixed on him. Six burly men closed in at his side.

"What did you say?" he growled. "You paid me to bark. I barked three times. The deal is done. You want to call that a scam? You made the offer yourself."

Martin shouted back, spittle flying. "I don''t care! You scammed me! I want my money back!"

Five of Martin''s closest friends rushed to his side, standing shoulder to shoulder. "What if I don''t give it back?" the old man said, his tone like steel.

Humiliation and rage collided inside Martin. He couldn''t bear the stares, the whispers, theughter aimed at him. With a furious roar, he lunged and yanked the bag from the old man''s grip.  s

That was the spark.

In an instant, the old man''s men moved. Martin''s friends countered. Fists flew.

Chairs crashed.

The young ones, hot-blooded and reckless, fought with raw emotion.

The lounge erupted into chaos. Customers toppled.

Tables splintered. Strangers, caught in the frenzy, swung back just to defend themselves.

Within seconds, the entire room was a battlefield—people shouting, punching, throwing bottles. The chaos spread like fire, until no one knew who was hitting who.

The lounge erupted into chaos. Shouts turned to screams, bottles shattered, tables crashed to the floor.

What began as a night of drinks and music had spiraled into a violent bar fight. Giselle''s face went pale. Josephine clutched Alex''s arm in desperation.

"Alex, we have to protect her! If reporters see Giselle caught up in this, her career will be destroyed."

Alex scanned the room-men brawling, ss flying, fists swinging. It was no ce for women.

"Fine. Grab her. I''ll clear the way. We''re leaving."

They moved quickly, but in the chaos some drunkards lunged, reaching for the

two women.

Alex struck fast. His fistsnded like hammers-one man dropped instantly,

another copsed after a brutal jab to the ribs. No one dared block their path

again.

They pushed into the crush of people surging toward the elevators and joined the flood spilling into the lobby.

On the ground floor, Josephine noticed Giselle''s expression.

Her eyes were clouded with sadness, her birthday ruined by chaos and violence.

"Alex," Josephine pleaded, tugging his sleeve.

"Please... do something for her. It''s her birthday. I only have two hundred dors-can you make it special somehow?" She pulled the bills from her pocket and pressed them into his hand  s

Alex nced at the money, then at

Giselle. A faint smile crossed his face. "I''ll double it. We''ll throw a party in Vancouver City Park. Something simple, but meaningful.

What do you think?"

belongs to s

Josephine''s eyes lit up. "The park! We used to y there all the time. She''ll love

it. Let me tell her!"

While Josephine spoke to Giselle, Alex stepped aside and pulled out his phone.

His voice dropped into a coldmand. "Vancouver City Park. Set up something special for a birthday event. Name: Giselle Laurent. You have twenty minutes- make it perfect."

He hung up and rejoined them.

"So," he asked casually, "how about a party at Vancouver City Park?"

"Yes!" Josephine pped, her face glowing with excitement. "What do you think,

Giselle?"

Giselle hesitated, then gave a small smile. “I''m fine with it. My schedule''s clear tonight... I''ve got nothing else."

As they walked out onto the street, she nced at Alex. "Do you have a car?"

Alex grinned with boyish arrogance. "Don''t worry about that. I own plenty of cars

in this city. I''ll find one that suits you."

"Really?" Giselle''s eyes narrowed slightly. She studied him, wondering if he was secretly far wealthier than he appeared.

"I never lie," Alex said with a smirk. He raised his hand high. "Taxi!"

A cab screeched to a halt beside them. Alex gestured toward it with a triumphant

grin.

"See? I can stop any car I want."

Josephineughed, and even Giselle cracked a reluctant smile.

Still, she forced herself to lower her expectations. An improvised birthday party,

thrown together by two broke friends—what could it really be?fn8a21 The source of th?s content is find?novel/fn8a21

All she hoped was that it wouldn''t turn out hollow.

But when they arrived at Vancouver City Park, Giselle and Josephine froze in

ce. Their eyes widened in shock.

What they saw waiting for them was beyond anything they could have ever

imagined.