Chapter 9 A Bet, Sleep with Me?

With her status, what difference would it make if she helped when she saw injustice? Would the Kanes dare to do anything? Unfortunately, despite her high hopes, Ryan didn't show any emotional reaction at all. D*mmit! How could he keep it together like this?! Cindy cursed inwardly, disappointed in Ryan. "Ryan, this is getting boring! No reaction at all?" Joel, in fact, also wanted to lash out or do something physical, that would be interesting! He wanted to see Ryan lose his temper, see him erupt in fury, with his eyes bloodshot, screaming, cursing madly, and completely losing control. But Ryan remained eerily calm, as if he hadn't heard a word, like a punch landing on soft cotton. "Ryan, it's been three years, and you've turned into a coward? Where did you learn this self-restraint? You've mastered it, huh? Hahaha ... " Joel spoke again, this time without lowering his voice. His words were loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, a blatant public humiliation of Ryan. When he finished, he straightened up and spat on the floor. "Coward. This is just boring." Then, he left. In the grand hall, the hundreds, even thousands of wedding guests now looked at Ryan with nothing but mockery in their eyes. He'd been humiliated so thoroughly by Joel, yet hadn't even dared to utter a word in response, that was something else. Cindy, sitting across from him, was livid. "Ryan, you're not a man!" She glared at him, her chest heaving with anger. "You let him say all that, and you didn't even react?! Then why even show up?" "I didn't let it slide," Ryan replied, setting down his glass with a faint smile. "Arguing with the dead is just tiring." Cindy froze for a moment, then scoffed. "What do you mean? Are you saying you're going to wreck the wedding? Ruin the banquet? Kill Joel? Keep bluffing!" She would have to be crazy to believe that. Forget about Ryan's behavior earlier, it was the definition of cowardice. Even if Ryan did want to kill Joel, could he actually pull it off? There were at least a hundred of the Kanes' bodyguards present, not to mention the Xander family's. "Bluffing? How about we make it interesting with a bet?" Ryan said, his eyes glinting with amusement. "A bet? On what?" "Let's bet on whether I can kill Joel today," Ryan said. "If I succeed, I want to sleep with you. If I fail, you can do whatever you want with me." Sleep with me? Cindy's face turned red instantly. If looks could kill, Ryan would have been dead in that moment. She was an unmarried young lady, the legitimate granddaughter of the head of the Rileys family, how could she have ever heard such blatant, vulgar words? And worse, there was no attempt to hide them at all. A mix of embarrassment and fury flooded Cindy, leaving her speechless. Normally, she was quick-witted and sharp-tongued. Instinctively, she raised her foot beneath the table and aimed a kick at Ryan. However, instead of hitting him, her foot in kitten heels was caught and held firmly by Ryan. Cindy's body trembled, and her delicate face turned a shade of red, like the glow of a sunset. She had never been touched on the foot by a man before, and for a moment, her mind went blank. "A lady should behave more gracefully," Ryan said, loosening his grip and letting go of her foot. "You, b*stard!" Cindy's eyes flashed with rage, as if they were about to burn through him. "Why so angry? I'm just making a bet with you. If I win, I'll sleep with you. If you're too scared, just refuse the bet, and I won't. What's there to get upset about?" Ryan blinked. "You ... " Cindy's chest heaved with frustration. "Fine, let's bet." After several breaths, Cindy gritted her teeth. She was certain the chances of Ryan actually killing Joel were zero, so what was there to fear? "If I win, you'll become my servant. You'll do whatever I say." Just because of that shameless "I want to sleep with you," Cindy was determined not to let Ryan off easy. "Fine." Ryan smiled, unfazed. He downed another glass of red wine and picked up some more food, enjoying the taste. It was still quite delicious. Having spent three years cooking for himself on the mountain, Ryan's culinary skills weren't bad, but couldn't compare to the top-tier chefs at Southeast Global Hotel. At that moment. In the backstage in the wedding hall, Abigail, who had already done her makeup, received the news—Ryan was alive and had arrived at the venue. In an instant, all her strength seemed to drain, and she sank into the chair, one hand pressed against her lips to keep herself from crying out. Her mind was in turmoil—joy, longing, regret, guilt, confusion, and worry all swirling together. A flood of emotions washed over Abigail. Beside her, her mother, Linda Spencer, had quietly slipped away from the wedding hall to the backstage to share the news with her daughter, that Ryan was alive and had arrived at the venue. She was afraid that if Abigail didn't hear it soon, she might lose control of herself later.