TPCF 90

CHAPTER 90………………………..

“…If you hadn’t said that, you would’ve gotten a higher score.”

“How about letting this one slide?”

“Sure, why not.”

Anita replied cheerfully. Just then, a cheer erupted behind her. Startled, she turned around. A group of men had gathered around a round table. It looked like they were betting on something. Deciding it wasn’t any of her business, Anita was about to return to her seat—but apparently Finian didn’t think the same. Somehow, he had made his way into the center of the group.

“Anita. You want to join?”

“What?”

Finian pointed to something beside him. When Anita followed his finger, her mouth dropped open. It was a tower made entirely of champagne glasses. She counted the levels—fifteen in total.

She had no idea what they were planning, but she wanted no part of it.

“You throw the ball through that,” someone explained. “If you’re lucky, it’ll pass between the stems of the glasses. But if you’re not…”

One of the men standing next to Finian made a throat-slitting gesture. Anita instinctively took a step back. This definitely wasn’t the place for her.

“How about taking a dip in the sea if you fail?”

Someone shouted loudly. Anita saw Finian’s expression stiffen for a moment. He quickly masked it with a smile, pretending nothing had happened.

“Oh, I like that. And then tomorrow morning, a body washes up on shore?”

Laughter rippled through the crowd at the man’s dark joke. Anita tried to walk past them as if nothing was happening and head back into the villa—but the look on Finian’s face lingered in her mind.

“Nigel. What do you say? You in?”

“Of course.”

Finian’s hands, clasped behind his back, were trembling slightly. Anita seemed to be the only one who noticed. Normally, she would’ve ignored it—this had nothing to do with her, and stepping in would only cause trouble.

But Finian had helped her when she was in a tight spot. Without him, things might have ended badly with Roy Krieger.

Anita couldn’t stand the thought of being indebted to someone. So, she stepped forward.

As she came to stand beside Finian, every gaze in the crowd turned toward her.

“Your girlfriend?”

“What nonsense.”

Someone whistled, and Finian replied irritably.

“I won’t stop her if she wants to take your place. But we’re not the kind of guys who’d toss a lady into the sea.”

That’s a relief, Anita thought to herself.

She hoped they meant it. Anita took the ball from Finian’s hand. She prayed it wasn’t her ticket to a watery grave.

“Don’t.”

“Why not?”

Finian’s face had hardened; he wasn’t even trying to hide his concern anymore.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“…”

“Give it back.”

“You’re scared of the water too, aren’t you?”

Maybe she’d been too blunt. Anita glanced at him. Sure enough, Finian’s pale face was now flushed red.

“I—I just…”

At last, Anita understood why he’d made that comment during dinner earlier. He couldn’t let go of the past, and that was why he’d reacted so strongly.

“Wait. I’ll handle this.”

“How?”

“I’ve got a plan. Just pretend to throw.”

With that, Finian disappeared. Anita watched the back of his head as he walked away, when someone urged her on.

“If you can’t do it, why not just quit? No need to be stubborn.”

Anita seriously considered running away. Falling into the sea was one thing, but what really terrified her was the thought of all those fragile glasses shattering at once. Even before she threw the ball, she could almost see shards of glass raining down before her eyes. Her palms were slick with sweat as she rolled the ball in her hand—when suddenly, a loud voice rang out.

“If you don’t want to clean up a corpse, cut it out already!”

Startled, Anita dropped the ball and turned toward the source of the yell. It was Liliana, striding toward them, her face twisted in irritation.

“A dip in the sea? Do you want me to call the police again?”

“Relax. We won’t report anything,” one of the men said with a smirk, raising his hands in mock surrender.

“It’s not just that. Do you have any idea how long it takes to clean up if those glasses break? We’re hosting a garden party tomorrow! A garden party on grass full of glass shards—how does that sound to you?”

Watching the furious Liliana, Anita caught sight of Finian standing behind her. Their eyes met, and he gave her a quick wink. So this was his plan.

“She’s so uptight. It’s just—”

“Security!”

One of them started to make excuses, but Liliana didn’t give him a chance. At her shout, muscular security guards came running into the garden. Seeing them, the men quickly scattered, muttering complaints under their breath.

“Try having some class for once! Civilized people don’t go diving into the sea in the middle of the night!”

Liliana shouted after their retreating backs in a tone dripping with disdain.

“Is it really okay to kick them out like that?” Anita asked.

“House owner’s privilege,” Liliana snorted, flicking her hair back. For the first time, Anita thought she actually looked kind of cool.

“Here.”

A glass was suddenly held out in front of Anita’s face. She took it instinctively.

“I don’t really drink…”

“Just one. Think of it as a toast—to forgetting the past.”