Chapter 59: Do You Hate Each Other?
Sitting between her two cousins, Caroline Whitman remained silent.
Fortunately, Adrian Grant said nothing and just kept drinking.
"Whoa, Mr. Grant, do you even know how to play? You’re such a spoilsport."
"I’m just following the rules."
The group didn’t buy it. They were determined that the next time they caught him, they would pry a single answer out of him.
In truth, his friends and family all knew about his situation, but they loved watching him spill his own secrets. That’s what made it fun.
Everyone now had all sorts of questions prepared for Adrian Grant. They were just waiting for their chance.
The fifth round.
Once again, Caroline Whitman drew the King card.
And the one chosen to answer the question was, yet again, Adrian Grant.
Caroline couldn’t help but feel a little schadenfreude. Holding up the question they had given her, she asked with a slight smile, "Do you like your dad more, or your mom?"
"..."
’I must have been out of my mind to agree to play this little drinking game,’ Adrian Grant thought.
’And I never expected my luck in these games to be this bad.’
’Unbelievable.’
So, he picked up his glass again and downed it in one go.
"Alright, alright, let’s go again!" Evan Shaw cheered, clapping.
For the next several rounds, it was as if Caroline had been blessed by Lady Luck herself, for she kept drawing the King card.
And by some stroke of terrible luck for Adrian Grant, every number she called happened to be the one in his hand.
"Do you like kids?"
Adrian Grant still said nothing, only drank.
"Growing up, have you ever met a girl who made your heart skip a beat?"
Adrian Grant said nothing, only drank.
"Have you had your first kiss yet?"
Adrian Grant drank.
"Dude, act like you’ve been here before. Don’t drink all my good stuff,"
Zane Carson complained.
When the cards were dealt for the new round, after several rounds of being the unlucky one, Adrian Grant’s fortunes finally turned. The tables had reversed.
This time, it was finally his turn to be the King.
Perhaps after holding every number card, the guy had figured out the pattern of the deck.
He scanned the cards in everyone’s hands, then calmly announced a number, "Number 3."
Without hesitation, Caroline Whitman threw down her number 3 card.
"Ask away."
"Is there anyone you have a secret crush on?" Adrian Grant’s voice was slow and deliberate.
Caroline raised an eyebrow. ’That sounds like one of the questions I asked earlier.’
She shot him a cool glance. ’Is this guy trying to get back at me?’
It was a question she could take or leave, especially since she had already confessed the answer to him back when they first met.
But thinking about how Adrian had acted earlier, she decided, ’If you’re not talking, then neither am I.’
So, Caroline Whitman picked up her glass and downed it in one go.
Lily Young was dumbfounded. "Sis, how can you be a spoilsport too?"
She was actually quite curious about Caroline’s love life. After all these years, there hadn’t been the slightest hint of anything, which made it all the more intriguing.
Caroline smiled. "The rules are the rules."
"..."
Yvonne Grant glared at her cousin. "Look what you started."
Adrian Grant replied, "I can’t stop the person from choosing."
For the next several rounds, it was always Caroline who was chosen to answer, and Adrian who was asking the questions.
And the questions were always the same ones she had asked him earlier.
"Do you like kids?"
"Still have your first kiss?"
"Ever met a man who made your heart skip a beat?"
"..."
Caroline downed one glass after another.
The onlookers could only blink, dumbfounded.
’Have they locked horns or something?’
"Damn, your cousin’s incredible," Finn Kaye exclaimed to Lily Young. "She’s giving him a taste of his own medicine."
But Lily Young sounded a little scared. "Your childhood friend is so vengeful."
"Still, this is the first time I’ve ever seen two people continuously draw each other like this."
"Hey, you two! Don’t you dare finish all my good wine!"
Who would have thought the game would turn into a private showdown between the two of them—the kind where questions are only asked, never answered.
One round, Caroline would be King; the next, it would be Adrian’s turn.
And the person chosen to answer was always the other one.
Each of them would just repeat the questions from the previous round.
And the result was always the same: they drank.
It was a coincidence, a twist of fate, the likes of which none of them had ever witnessed.
Milo Morgan and the others watched on, secretly dumbfounded.
"Those two must have been enemies in a past life or something."
Finally, Chloe Carson thought for a moment and suggested a new rule. "All this drinking is bad for you. Why don’t we add another person? Otherwise, if we keep drawing the same person, it’s no fun."
"I’m fine with that."
"Me too."
No one had any objections.
And so, the number of people chosen to answer went from one to two.
’Surely they can’t both choose to drink this time,’ everyone thought.
But unexpectedly, Caroline’s and Adrian’s luck with drawing the King card ran out at the exact same time.
This time, it was Evan Shaw who asked the question. A mischievous smile played on his lips as his eyes darted between the two.
"What’s your impression of each other?"
The two remained silent in perfect unison, simultaneously picked up their glasses, and downed them.
It was just as they’d expected.
No one even bothered to tease them anymore.
Still, watching them resort to drinking at the slightest provocation was pretty entertaining.
Zane Carson, however, was still crying in mock agony that he was going to make them pay for the drinks.
「A few more drinks in.」
The two of them were chosen to answer again.
"Do you hate each other?"
Caroline was already starting to feel the alcohol. Hearing the question, she boldly drained her glass and slammed it onto the table with a bit more force than necessary.
"I’m done playing!"
"This is cursed! How are we always the ones getting picked?"
Lily Young was also puzzled. "Yeah, what’s going on? You guys didn’t rig this against my cousin, did you?"
She had been hoping to hear some gossip about the others, but it had been a dozen rounds of just Caroline and Adrian. And those two were so cunning and tight-lipped, they wouldn’t let a single thing slip.
Evan Shaw replied, "Of course not. We’ve never seen targeting this precise either. Besides, you two only drink and never answer. I’m starting to suspect you just came here for the free booze."
Adrian Grant glanced at his watch and stood up. "It’s getting late. I’m heading out. We’ll have to do this again sometime."
Caroline stood up as well. "I’m also heading out."
Lily Young quickly got to her feet. "Sis, wait, let me call a designated driver."
She’d had a few drinks herself and didn’t dare drive.
Just then, Adrian Grant suddenly spoke up. "My driver is downstairs. If you don’t mind, I can have him take you home first."
Caroline replied, "Then thank you, President Grant."
Since Caroline had already accepted, Lily Young didn’t dare refuse.
So, the two of them got into Adrian Grant’s car. They dropped Lily Young off safely at her home first.
Soon, only Caroline, Adrian, and the driver were left in the car.
As the car started, the driver asked, "Sir, where to now...?"
Adrian replied coolly, "Golden Crest Manor."
The driver acknowledged the order and, without another word, drove toward their destination.
The cabin was quiet, and the seats were soft and comfortable. Caroline’s eyelids, which she had been struggling to keep open, gradually grew heavy.
Now that she knew Lily was home safely and had heard Adrian give the address, she finally relaxed. Closing her eyes to rest, she drifted off to sleep.
As she slept, her body unconsciously slumped to the side, her head coming to rest gently on the shoulder of the person beside her.
Adrian, sitting beside her, tilted his head and glanced down. The moment she leaned against him, he reached out to steady her. He gently shifted her into a more comfortable position before leaning his own head back and closing his eyes once more.
It wasn’t until the driver’s soft voice said, "Sir, we’ve arrived," that he slowly opened his eyes and answered with a quiet, "Mm."
He looked at the woman in his arms. She was still asleep.