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)
May we have more updates please....
Thank you so much for the updates today. Now that Yvonne knows that Gonzalez has established who's really in charge of the Hansen house hold she and her mother are treading carefully. It will be interesting to see how Jenny will get the information to see if Adrian is paying for Norah....
With Adrian last comment, he's gonna get whipped and wonder what happened. Thank you so so much for the updates....
May we please have more updates. Thank you....
I would like for Norah to secretly have her memory restored and not tell anyone just to observe how everyone is trying to keep mess going....
Janice and Adrian don't want Norah to be with Xavier....
Thank you for the updates. You do keep us in suspense....
Curious as to how, what, when and where Norah will get her memory back of Xavier....
I'm so glad that Gonzalez was able to get Luke, Oliver and all others who wanted to challenge himas the CEO straight. Interesting how Xavier made reference to a girlfriend concerning his gift to Norah, but never did this before her accident. I'm grateful for the updates. Thank you...
I had a lot of catching up to do..oh buoy, what twist and turns. Loved every bit of it, thank you for keep updating the novel. Hoping for more love along the way....