To Be the Perfect Childhood Friend - Chapter 90

“…If you hadn’t said that, you might have scored higher.”

“Come on, cut me some slack.”

“Alright, fine.”

Anita agreed with a smile. At that moment, a cheer erupted from behind her. Startled, she turned around. A group of men had gathered around a round table, apparently engaged in some sort of betting or game. Anita decided it was none of her business and started to head back to her original spot. However, Finian had other plans. Somehow, he was already in the middle of the crowd.

“Anita, do you want to join in?”

“What?”

Finian pointed to something beside him. Anita followed his gesture with her eyes and gaped in surprise. It was a tower made of champagne glasses—fifteen layers high.

She had no idea what the game involved, but she wanted no part in it.

“You throw a ball through the tower,” Finian explained. “If you’re lucky, it passes through the glasses, but if you’re not…”

One of the men standing next to Finian made a throat-cutting gesture. Anita instinctively took a step back. This definitely didn’t seem like her kind of place.

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

Someone shouted loudly. Anita saw Finian’s expression momentarily stiffen at the suggestion. He quickly masked it with a casual smile, but the brief change in his demeanor hadn’t escaped her notice.

“Ah, sounds fun. Maybe tomorrow we’ll find a body floating in the sea?”

A burst of laughter spread around at the provocative comment. Anita tried to ignore the laughter and head back into the villa, but Finian’s earlier expression still weighed on her mind.

“Nigel, how about it? Care for a round?”

“Of course,” Nigel replied.

His hands, tucked behind his back, were trembling slightly—a detail Anita noticed, though it seemed she was the only one who did. Normally, she would have just walked away, especially since this had nothing to do with her and interfering wouldn’t end well.

But Finian had helped her when she was in trouble. Without him, her encounter with Roy Krieger could have ended badly.

Unable to shake the feeling of indebtedness, Anita finally stepped forward. As she stood next to Finian, the surrounding crowd’s attention quickly shifted to her.

“Lovers?”

“What nonsense.”

One of them whistled, prompting Finian to respond with irritation.

“I won’t stop you from taking the lead, but we’re not the kind of people who’d push a lady into the sea.”

That’s a relief. Anita thought to herself.

She hoped their words were sincere. She took the ball from Finian, hoping it wasn’t her ticket to being submerged in the sea.

“Forget it.”

“Why?”

Finian, no longer bothering to maintain his composure, whispered to her with a stern face.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“……”

“Give it here.”

“But you’re afraid of water too.”

Was that too blunt? Anita glanced sideways. As expected, Finian’s previously pale face was now flushed red.

“I-I…”

Only then did Anita understand why Finian had made those remarks at dinner. It was because he hadn’t been able to shake off his past fears, which was why he was reacting so strongly.

“Wait. I’ll handle this.”

“How?”

“There’s always a way. Just pretend to throw it casually.”

With that, Finian disappeared. As Anita watched him leave, someone urged her.

“If you’re not going to do it, just give up now. Don’t be stubborn.”

Anita seriously considered whether she should run away. Being thrown into the sea was one thing—primitive punishment or not—but what was scarier was the thought of dozens of wine glasses shattering at once. She hadn’t even thrown the ball yet, but she could almost see the shards of glass crashing down before her eyes. Sweating and slipping, she nervously rolled the ball in her hands when suddenly a loud shout rang out.

“Stop messing around or we’ll have to clean up a corpse!”

Anita, startled by the shout, dropped the ball and turned to see Liliana approaching with an expression of sheer frustration.

“Entering the water? Are you trying to call the police again?”

“Don’t worry. We’re not going to report it.”

The man who had been urging Anita on raised his hands and responded with a smirk.

“It’s not just about reporting. Do you know how long it will take to clean up all those broken glasses? I was planning to have a garden party tomorrow! A garden party on the lawn with shards of glass everywhere?”

As Anita looked at the infuriated Liliana, her gaze met Finian’s, who was standing behind her. He winked at her, suggesting that this was his idea of a solution.

“Well, you’re quite the stickler. This is…”

“Security!”

One of the men tried to offer an excuse, but Liliana was unyielding. Her raised voice brought muscular security guards rushing into the garden. Seeing the security, the men seemed to realize the situation and scattered, grumbling as they went.

“Let’s maintain some decorum. A person of refinement doesn’t jump into the sea in the middle of the night.”

Liliana shouted after the fleeing figures with a tone of disdain.

“Is it really okay to drive them away like that?”

“It’s the homeowner’s authority.”

Liliana scoffed and tossed her hair back. For the first time, Anita thought Liliana looked impressive.

“Here.”

A glass was thrust right in front of Anita’s face. She took it almost reflexively.

“But I don’t usually drink…”

“Just have one. It’s to forget the memories of the past?”