The room went quiet for a beat before a wave ofughter broke out, dripping with


    sarcasm.


    "Simon, you really called it this time."


    Tonight, Simon hadn''t brought Quinn along; instead, he had some new escort hanging on his arm.


    The moment Simon spotted ra, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, quickly reced by a resigned look. He frowned, setting his drink down on the coffee table. "ra, aren''t you tired of this nonsense?"


    She''d already made a scene at Moonlight a few times, and now she showed up dressed like the staff. Each appearance seemed to cheapen her more.


    ra bent slightly, picked up the priciest bottle of Chateau Margaux, and shed a smile at the crowd. "Who ordered this? Need a hand opening it?"


    She had caught their chatter while standing outside the door. A twinge of bitterness tugged at her heart, but as she entered and saw their shy, nouveau riche airs, it felt like staring at a gold mine. Maybe she''d rake in that hundred grand sooner than expected.


    Chateau Margaux was a cool million a bottle.


    None of them were strapped for cash, but they were way more invested in seeing ra embarrass herself.


    Nate''s eyes lingered on ra''s figure before he nudged Colton with his elbow. "You gotta admit, she''s looking hot."


    Both were Simon''s friends. They were always ndering ra, and Simon never stepped in. Having a stunning girl cause a ruckus over him was a badge of honor among the guys.


    Colton''s gaze was full of disdain. No matter how stunning ra was, she was a pathetic waste. "ra, for every bottle you drink, we''ll open another."


    Simon wanted to jump in. They had money for sure, but he knew ra''s drinking habits and was a bit skeptical about opening million dor bottles.


    "Colton, she can really put it away..."


    Before he could finish, ra had uncorked the bottle and was smiling at everyone. "Alright, you said it."


    Colton was itching to see her drunkenly humiliated, so he leaned back, lounging in his seat. "I did say it. Go on, drink. And ra, don''t say I didn''t warn you— Simon doesn''t like you. Everyone here hates you. If you get wasted and make the front page tomorrow, no one''s gonna pull your name out of the headlines."


    Everyone knew the Bradfords favored Quinn; ra was just unwanted baggage.


    ra picked up a wine ss, filled it to the brim, and drank until the bottle was empty. Then she started on the second, and the third.


    Colton''s smug anticipation turned to difort, as if ants were crawling all over him.


    ra showed no signs of getting drunk, as if she could tackle several more bottles. Three million had already been poured out, and no matter how wealthy they were, this wasn''t the way to y.


    The room''s lively buzz turned to tense silence. Someone, anxious that Colton couldn''t handle it, tugged on Simon''s sleeve.


    Simon frowned, ring at ra. "Enough, ra, stop making a fool of yourself." ra finished the fourth bottle, then smiled at him. "And who are you?"


    Her words sparked immediate mockery from the room. "Who are you kidding? Tonight''s all about Simon, right? Though you did make sure everyone will remember you."


    ra opened the fifth bottle, and Colton''s face darkened with anger.


    Simon stood up, grabbing ra''s wrist. "That''s enough, stop before you really embarrass yourself."


    ra held her wine ss, her eyesnding on Colton. "If this gentleman can''t cover it, maybe the rest of you can chip in."


    Colton wasn''t used to this kind of humiliation, and his face was red with anger. "ra, it''s antics like these that make Simon despise you. You''re nothingpared to Quinn!"


    ra leisurely finished herst ss. "Oh, so you have a thing for Quinn."


    Colton''s secret was out, causing him to panic and instinctively nce at Simon.


    Simon''s expression shifted, and he shoved ra. "What nonsense are you spouting?!"


    "You can tell I''m not making it up by looking at your buddy''s face. Maybe check if he''s been fooling around with Quinn."


    As she spoke, she lined up the five empty bottles. "Five million, credit card?"


    She extended her hand to Colton.


    Colton, feeling guilty, quickly handed over his card.


    After ra swiped it, she nced at Simon, the unwitting fool. Judging by Colton''s quick payment, it seemed he really had been involved with Quinn.


    She raised an eyebrow, saying nothing, letting silence speak volumes.


    ra turned to leave the room and headed to the staff lounge to change. The door was suddenly kicked open, and Simon stormed in, his temper ring as he grabbed her by the throat.


    "ra, are you looking for trouble? You''ve gone too far this time!"


    With what she said in front of everyone, how could he and Colton ever face each other again?


    ra watched his furious face, feeling a sharp pain in her chest.


    The grip on her neck tightened, pushing her toward suffocation. That pain spread from her heart to her entire body, leaving her ice cold.


    "Smack!"


    She raised her hand and pped Simon hard across the face.