The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 147

Liora’s POV

I didn’t expect Callum to agree to the drinking contest. Neither did anyone else, it seemed, because when he did, the entire room fell silent again. Everyone stared at him in shock.

A moment later, though, the room erupted into cheers. Several pairs of hands pushed both Zane and Callum over to the punch bowl.

“C’mon!” Mia whispered, grabbing my hand and pulling me over. “Let’s watch up close! I hope Zane wins.”

Personally, I wouldn’t have minded if the party ended. But the sight of Callum participating in a jungle-juice-drinking contest definitely wasn’t on my Bingo card for today, so I couldn’t help but want to watch.

Zane grabbed two red solo cups and scooped two ladlefuls of the punch into each. He handed one to Callum, who took it, sniffed it, and wrinkled his nose.

“The fuck is in this?” he asked. “Raw sewage?”

Zane grinned. “Are you gonna ask questions, or are you gonna drink?” he retorted, to which Callum rolled his eyes. Zane glanced around, then pointed at me. “Liora! Get over here. We need a referee.”

“Does it need to be me?” I whined.

“Yes.”

I grit my teeth but obeyed, shuffling over to stand between them. Callum and Zane faced each other, cups lifted. Holding up three fingers, I began to count down.

“Alright, alright,” I said, holding up my hands to silence the crowd. “This is the last round: the tiebreaker. One of you had better win, or we’re gonna run out of punch and the party will be over anyway.”

Callum, to my surprise, nodded and held his cup out, wiping his mouth with the back of his other hand. Zane scooped two ladlefuls of punch into both of their cups. They clinked them together, liquid sloshing, then began to drink before I even counted down.

The crowd was silent this time around. Everyone was watching on the edges of their seats as Callum and Zane drank, throats bobbing. A collective breath caught as Zane choked, sputtering, and thus giving Callum a lead.

“Come on,” Mia whispered, clutching my arm so tightly that her nails dug into my shirt. “C’mon, Zane…”

I watched Zane with interest, but found my eyes instinctively wandering over to Callum. His cup was almost empty now, Adam’s apple bobbing with each gulp. But when his eyes met mine over the rim of his cup, he hesitated. His fingers tightened around his cup, throat stilling.