Gerard waspletely numb. On the other hand, Calvert didn''t agree with


    Vespera''sst sentence. He said, "Vespera, how can you say that? Gerard and I are both men. Would you be able to do anything to Reba?"


    Vespera paused and answered, "No, definitely not."


    Calvert then said, "Exactly! So, I couldn''t do anything to Gerard either. We rely on our strong hands..."


    Before Calvert could finish, Dominic whacked him on the back of the head. Calvert clutched his head, eyes wide with betrayal.


    Vespera stared at him nkly. She thought, "Relying on yourself is quite good!"


    Not far away, Evelyn and Vance exchanged a nce, then quickly looked away. Almost instantly, she turned to look at him again. With a sly smile, she said, "Honey, why aren''t you like them? Oh, right. Only your butthole itches."


    After saying that, she pped his butt yfully.


    Vance''s expression immediately darkened with a mix of shame and disbelief. He asked, "Do you have to put it that way?"


    Evelyn replied, "Oh, please. Who else is going to love you like I do? Now, say you love me."


    Vance looked like he was seriously rethinking all his life choices.


    At this time, Vespera snapped out of her daze. Surrounded by so many people, she realized that the ghost situation wasn''t that terrifying anymore.


    The guests waited in the hall for more than half an hour before Belinda finally showed up. She had changed her clothes. Now, she wore a dark greence dress that clung to her in all the right ces.


    Many male guests had their gazes fixed on her. Just earlier, the men had been murmuring about how uncanny she looked, but now, their gazes were thick with lust.


    "Did everyone rest well?" Belinda asked, her stiff smile seemed charming but uncanny. As she spoke, her gaze lingered on Dominic.


    The guests murmured vague replies. No one brought up the earlier incident about the woman who had fallen.


    Among the crowd, a man stepped forward and asked, "Ms. Belinda, you mentioned earlier there would be an exciting program tonight. What kind of program is it?"


    His implication was obvious. Whatever that was in the air had definitely released the men''s nature. At this moment, his mind was filled with dirty deeds. He was hoping that the program was something wild.


    It wasn''t abnormal for him that way. After all, the thing that was in the air did carry such meaning.


    "Sir, this is aworking event, not an orgy," said Belinda directly. She slowly walked toward the crowd, her hips swaying. She said, "You''re all here for a reason. You want to join the association. Of course, the association wees you, but there is no room for the weak."


    As she spoke, she walked straight toward Dominic. She reached out, her gloved hand moving toward his chest. Before she could touch him, a hand shot out and intercepted her.


    It was Vespera. She smiled politely, but her gaze was firm. Why couldn''t Belinda keep her hands to herself?


    Vespera didn''t care who Dominic belonged toter, but right now, he was hers. No one could touch him.


    For a fleeting second, Belinda''s and Vespera''s eyes locked, and something about Belinda''s gaze struck Vespera as familiar. However, the thought slipped away before Vespera could catch it.


    Belinda calmly withdrew her hand. She smiled at Vespera before continuing to walk forward.


    Meanwhile, Dominic was clearly enjoying himself. He slid an arm around Vespera''s waist and whispered in her ear, "That was hot. I liked it."


    Vespera pulled his hand down and muttered, "People are watching. Stay in character."


    But Gerard and Calvert had seen everything. Evelyn and Vance were stunned as well. Did Dominic just act cute? Was he really the same cold and untouchable man they knew?


    Up at the front, Belinda removed a ne from her neck and ced it onto a silver tray held by the steward. She announced, "This is the centerpiece of tonight''s program."


    Everyone was puzzled.


    Belinda continued, "This ne will be hidden somewhere on the ind. It could be in the castle or deep in the forest. Who knows?"


    Then, she paused before adding, "Whoever finds it first will own this entire ind. Think of it as a wee gift. It''s the association''s way of showing sincerity."


    There was an explosion of gasps. The entire ind as a wee gift?


    Even if the guests were all wealthy people, they were stunned. What was supposed to be aid-back evening gathering had suddenly be a high- stakes treasure hunt.<fncd1a> Discover more novels at find·novel</fncd1a>


    The fear they had of Belinda, the unpleasant food, and the side effects of what was in the air were all forgotten in the face of sheer greed.


    It didn''t matter if they reached out to the association toe here or were tricked intoing here. Now, everyone in the room could feel the full weight of what the Lumena Order had to offer. How could anyone resist wealth?


    Even Dominic looked intrigued. He leaned toward Vespera and whispered, "Vera, do you like this ind? I''ll win it for you."