Chapter 1 A Daunting Punishment

"Kimberly, you've lost!"

The cards laid out on the table revealed a pair of matching Ace of Hearts, indicating that the player must accept the punishment as per the rules of Truth or Dare.

"Okay, I lost." Kimberly Powell conceded with a shrug, taking a sip from her glass of martini. "What's my punishment?"

She glanced nervously at Millie Walsh, seated opposite her, and added, "Just don't make it too harsh."

Millie chuckled mischievously, swirling her wine. "Kimberly, it's a rare sight to see you at the bar, and even rarer to see you lose. Let's make this one memorable."

"What? What is it?"

Kimberly felt unsettled under Millie's gaze.

Millie was known for her plethora of tricks and her lack of mercy when it came to playing pranks.

"You need to go to the door, find a man, and ask him about the color of his underwear. And remember, you have to verify it with your own eyes."

"No!" Kimberly replied promptly, rejecting the idea outright.

Millie narrowed her eyes and stared at Kimberly.

Sighing, Kimberly pleaded, "Millie, let's pick something else. This is too much."

"Too much?" Millie raised her glass, scanning the room with a confident gaze. "Does anyone else think it's too much?"

"Not at all!"

"Absolutely not. I think it's too tame."

Their friends in the room were eager to please Millie.

Kimberly felt the urge to flip the table in frustration.

Then, a realization dawned on her, and she blinked. "Millie, I would find this punishment quite fun if it were in the past, but now..."

She offered an innocent but helpless smile. "You know, I'm married. My husband wouldn't approve."

Marriage! That was a convenient excuse!

Kimberly felt a sense of pride in her cleverness and wanted to applaud herself.

But Millie scoffed, raising an eyebrow. "Your husband?"

Leaning in close to Kimberly, Millie lowered her voice. "He's been absent for six months since you two got married, and he was recently photographed at a charity event with Melina Shaw, who just won the Best Actress award."

Millie then unlocked her phone and opened a photo to show Kimberly. "I was at that event too, and I have high-definition pictures."

Kimberly's gaze immediately fixed on a tall, handsome man standing in front of a woman in a long dress. His smile exuded grace and nobility.

A sudden chill flooded Kimberly's heart, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over it.

She felt a twinge of disappointment settle within her.

Standing up with determination, she declared, "Fine, I'll take the punishment. Just wait."

Millie leisurely sipped her wine, a smirk playing on her lips. "Go on then."

Kimberly approached the bar door, her pulse quickening. It was too late to back out now.

Taking a deep breath, she peeked outside and spotted a man.

Looking down and concealing her face with her hand, she approached him.

"Excuse me, what color is your underwear? Can I see?"

No answer came.

The man seemed to be stunned.

From her vantage point, Kimberly could only see his handsomely crafted, expensive black leather shoes.

Anxious, she twisted her fingers and considered asking another man if he kept silent.

Just as she was about to lift her head to look at him, she heard the man's clear and pleasant voice.

"You can if you want. But how will you repay me, Mrs. Hussain?"