Marina stood frozen, eventually succumbing to his persuasive kiss. Within his skilled embrace, Marina could find no trace of emotion, only the practiced art of a kiss. Still, an unspoken intimacy clouded around them, making her heart race uncontrollably. She'd never thought a minute could feel so eternal. His timing was impeccable, ending the kiss precisely after a minute, stepping back with a polite smile, "If you ever need this kind of help again, I'm your guy. And I'll make sure it's a perfect experience for you!"
Squeezing the words through clenched teeth, Marina managed to say, "Well, thanks for that!" Avoiding the mocking glances of the other men, she hurried away.
As soon as they started kissing, Magdalen had turned Kya away, holding her close, while Estelle sat by her side, distracting her with a lollipop. Upon returning, Marina wiped her mouth with a tissue, declaring, "Alright, punishment's over. Let's get on with the next game!"
Susanna looked a bit pale but urged, "Yes, let's keep it moving." This time, it was Amiee dealing the cards. Magdalen couldn't help but gloat as she revealed her hand, "Bet nobody's got anything to beat this!" Her trio of fives drew a collective sigh from the group, revealing their cards in turn. Susanna had a mix of three, four, and six, all different suits, the weakest hand.
Without a hint of malice, Magdalen asked, "Ms. Murphy, truth or dare?" Without hesitation, Susanna chose, "Dare!" "See? That's the spirit!" Magdalen turned towards Marina, who simply took a swig of her drink, ignoring the comment.
Magdalen then looked at Susanna with a mild smile, "Then please, Ms. Murphy, go to Mr. Foster and ask for a slap. Let's see if he has the guts to do it?"
The room went silent, surprised by the request, wondering if Magdalen had misspoken. After all, Susanna was engaged to Andrew! Only Estelle, still busy with her lollipop and entertaining Kya, showed no sign of shock. Susanna's eyes sparkled with a mix of dread and anticipation, almost standing up before Magdalen finished, "See if Mr. Foster dares to slap you."
Morrison adjusted his glasses, apologizing to Andrew, "Sorry, Magdalen tends to joke a lot." Andrew waved it off, "It's all in good fun, nothing too outrageous for a game!"
Mr. Foster jokingly turned to Andrew, "What do you say? If I don't slap her, I'm disrespecting Ms. Murphy. But if I do, wouldn't you feel bad for her?" Andrew laughed it off, "Pretend I'm not here. Just focus on not letting Susanna down!"
Carson chuckled, "Well, that's a problem. I've never hit a woman, and I don't intend to start now." Charlie jumped in, "So, what now? Looks like Ms. Sampson is still waiting for an outcome!" Jonathan, sitting at the head of the table, exchanged a knowing look with Estelle, their expressions unreadable yet clearly entertained by the unfolding drama.

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan)
Why can't m Xavier just admit that he loves Norah...
Why can't m Xavier just admit that he loves Norah...
Norah took Estelle to tutor her brother. Both of them are around the same age. So why is Janice and Xavier father feel that there's an age gap for Norah and Xavier. L I know they will be together....
Norah isn't a girl, but a twenty -five year old beautiful woman that loves Xavier Fleming/Gonzalez/Hanson....
Update 3103 hasn't been received and it hold pertinent information. Please fix it for us. Thank you....
This is great! I love the updates....
Now Xavier needs to call in the reinforcement, Gabriel and Jonathan to settle this. Thank you for the updates....
May we please have updates. Thank you...
Xavier will always protect Norah he must admit this to himself and Norah. I believe after they return from this , he'll need to approach Norah 's parents and he'll get support from Jonathan and Ella....
I like how you are getting all the different love interest committed, thank you for the updates....