Chapter 791 Lost Again—Still Want to Compete?

Chapter 791 Lost Again—Still Want to Compete?

"If you're not willing to let us check, then there's no point in continuing this game."

Simon was reckless, sure — but he wasn't completely blind to who he could push and who he couldn't.

Right now, he had the leverage of the contract renewal, and that was the only reason he felt bold enough to come at Emily and, by extension, the Day Group.

So he wasn't entirely stupid.

Even so, he was beginning to sense that Emily wasn't nearly as harmless as he'd assumed.

She had teeth.

He'd lost the second round, which had only cost him his shirt. But if he kept losing — was he actually going to end up streaking through this place?

Emily smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I have nothing to hide. But to make sure no one tampers with the inspection, I want an independent witness from the crowd to personally record the entire process on camera."

Being questioned like that made Simon's expression go cold.

"Emily, you're an adopted daughter. You really think Otto is going to go to bat for you? Don't push it. Throwing mud at me like this — do you have a death wish?"

Simon practically spat the words through clenched teeth, a vein pulsing at his temple.

He'd always done whatever he wanted. Nobody had ever humiliated him like this, not to his face.

But Emily didn't flinch. Not even close.

"I agreed to this bet, didn't I? I'm not afraid of anything. I'm just protecting my own interests — I'm not doing a damn thing to hurt yours. Unless, of course, you actually have something to hide. Is that what this is?"

"Sharp tongue on you. Fine." Simon's jaw tightened. "You want someone to film it? Go ahead. Ask anyone here. But not her —" he gestured toward the crowd — "that woman standing behind you. I could tell from the start she's with you. She doesn't count."

He was pointing at Kaia.

Kaia had been practically vibrating with the urge to step forward. The moment Simon's words landed, she was ready to march up and get right in his face.

Emily knew her too well. She caught Kaia's hand before she could move and gave her a small, firm shake of her head.

That's when Emily noticed Ollie standing beside Kaia.

He looked ready to volunteer. Emily glanced at him — then deliberately shifted her gaze to the crowd behind her.

She hadn't cheated. She had nothing to fear from this inspection.

Which meant she had no reason to use anyone tied to her. She wasn't about to hand Simon the slightest opening.

Her eyes swept the room and landed on Ace.

He was watching with a half-smile, his gaze sharp and clear — the kind of calm that didn't come from being unbothered, but from knowing exactly where you stood.

When their eyes met, he gave her a polite nod.

Emily had a gift for reading people. This man carried himself with the kind of quiet authority that money alone couldn't buy. There was real substance behind it.

She kept her tone easy. "Excuse me — would you be willing to film the inspection for us?"

"Absolutely. My pleasure."

Truth was, Ace had already been thinking about stepping in before she even asked. When she did, the answer was obvious.

Simon's eyes narrowed.

He fixed Ace with a hard stare. "You really want to do this. Think carefully."

The look was pure threat.

For most people, that alone would've been enough to shut it down.

But this wasn't most people. This was Ace.

A man who ran in the same circles as Daniel didn't get there by being soft.

Not that most people in the room would've known that. Ace moved quietly. In the world of Emerald City's inner circles, Simon and his crowd were practically junior varsity compared to where Ace actually stood.

"I love being helpful." Ace smiled, and somehow it managed to be both disarming and unsettling at the same time. "Plus, I never turn down a good show. Let's get this going."

Not only was he unbothered — he was rushing things along.

The contradiction in him was hard to pin down. Warm, but with an edge underneath.

Anyone paying attention could tell: this man was not someone to underestimate.

Simon almost laughed despite himself.

Great. Just great.

Was today cursed, or what?

Every single person in this room was going out of their way to be a problem.

Fine. Let them play hero.

He'd have someone pull this guy's background later. Once he knew who he was dealing with, he'd make sure Ace regretted every second of this little performance.

"Then let's begin."

He waved to his guys and moved toward the dice cup and dice sitting in front of Emily.

Honestly, by this point, Simon already knew in his gut — they weren't going to find anything.

And they didn't.

Emily watched him with a cool, even smile. "Well. The inspection's done, and everything checks out. So — a bet's a bet. Take it off."

It was somewhere around this moment that Simon, for the first time, actually started treating Emily as someone on his level.

He could admit he'd lost this round.

But still —

"Emily, I'll give you that — you've earned the right to look me in the eye. So let's make a deal. We call it here after this round. As for the contract, I'll give you what you came for. Renewal's on the table. The price goes up, obviously, but we can work out the number one-on-one at the office."

Nobody saw that coming.

It sounded almost like a concession.

And stranger still — she'd just embarrassed him in front of everyone, and he wasn't even angry. He was offering her the contract. The way he was acting, it almost seemed like his attitude toward Emily had... shifted. Like he was interested.

More than one person in that room was thinking it.

Lucky for everyone, Simon couldn't hear them. If he could, he'd have made it his personal mission to ruin every single one of them.

With Simon offering her a graceful out, nearly everyone in the room assumed Emily would take it. Mission accomplished. Quit while you're ahead.

Even Ace looked over at her, curious.

He wanted to see what she'd do.

If she accepted right now — smart move, technically. Practical.

But it would also disappoint him, just a little.

Because his read on Emily was that she was different. And different people made different choices.

Kaia, for her part, wasn't overthinking it. Whatever Emily decided, it was the right call. Full stop.

"No deal." Emily's voice was steady. "We signed a contract. You don't just walk away from that mid-game. And besides —" she turned slightly toward the crowd — "why don't you ask them?"

Simon swept the room with a cold look.

No one met his eyes.

Then, from somewhere in the crowd, a voice broke the silence. "We didn't agree to end it either."

"That's right. We're not done."

Another voice joined in. Then another. Then the whole room.

Because even Simon couldn't take on this many people at once. Some of them didn't have his kind of money — but together, the weight they carried wasn't nothing.

Emily shrugged. "You heard them. First, you take it off. Then we play round three."

Standing just off to the side, Ace let out a laugh. A real one — sudden and unguarded.

Every head in the room turned toward him.

He spread his hands, the picture of innocence. "Something funny just crossed my mind. Completely unrelated. I am absolutely not laughing at you."

Which, of course, made it sound exactly like he was.

Simon looked at him. The kind of look that had a very short shelf life before something happened.

Emily, for her part, couldn't help but admire the nerve. It only reinforced what she already suspected — this man had to be someone. Nobody that unbothered by Simon was operating without serious backup.

Simon ground his teeth. Under Emily's steady gaze, the cold danger in his eyes slowly flattened into something more controlled. And then, in front of everyone, he peeled off his shirt.

He'd bragged about his body earlier.

Emily looked at him and thought: primate.

Then, almost against her will, her mind went to Daniel. She'd had her hands on him once. Now that was a body worth talking about.

Lean with clothes on. Built without them. Eight-pack and all.

She looked away before she could linger on it any longer.