Save Myself From Desperation by Cara Agnes novel Chapter 169

'That man in the black jacket seems a bit like...Ryan?'

Ashley looked closely, but Bradley had got in the car, and she could no longer make out his features clearly.

'Is it someone with a similar build?' she wondered.

Miranda sighed regretfully, "I wanted to introduce you to Bradley, but his team had a sudden issue, and he had to leave."

Pondering, Ashley raised her eyebrows and smiled, "No worries. He is in the game tomorrow, right? I'll see him then."

Miranda wrapped her arms around Ashley's. "Right, we'll catch him tomorrow then!"

Then, they got into Lester's car.

Seeing the man in the driver's seat, Miranda greeted him awkwardly. "Hello, Mr. Pliskin."

Lester's hand rested casually on the steering wheel, strong and veined, exuding a sense of allure. He glanced at Miranda through the rearview mirror. "Hello."

Ashley was sitting in the backseat next to Miranda.

Miranda leaned close to Ashley and whispered, "Ashley, I forgot to mention at the charity dinner last time that your friend is so handsome! He could be a star!"

Ashley couldn't help but laugh. "How does he compare to that race car driver, Bradley?"

After a moment of thought, Miranda replied, "Mr. Pliskin is still more handsome. Oh! And Mr. Kingsley could be a star as well. He's like the definition of handsome!"

The image of Valentin's charming face flashed in Ashley's mind.

Miranda wasn't exaggerating. Valentin, indeed, was very attractive.

As they were quietly chatting, Ashley's phone suddenly rang. It was a call from Valentin.

As Ashley discussed him, he called, suddenly making her feel guilty.

After answering, she heard the man's deep, magnetic voice. "I've calculated the time difference. Is it dinner time there?"

With the sunset nearing the horizon, Ashley replied, "It's evening, yes, time for dinner."

Valentin said, "Remember to eat well."

Ashley was speechless. "I'm not a child. I know that."

After a brief chat, they hung up, and Ashley continued discussing with Miranda the topic of who was more handsome.

Lester saw the two girls in the back whispering and giggling about something.

Upon returning to the hotel, Ashley searched around and finally found the person she was looking for in Joseph's room.

The moment Ashley knocked and entered, she saw Bryce and Jaden with their faces covered in long, thin strips of paper, looking utterly hilarious.

Joseph, on the other hand, had a clean face.

Noticing Miranda, Bryce waved his hand to her. But as he spoke, a strip of paper by his mouth was blown away, making the scene even more comical.

Ashley couldn't help but laugh. "What are you guys up to?"

Joseph was holding a deck of cards and waved it smugly. "Playing a game. Whoever loses gets a strip of paper stuck on their face. These two just can't beat me!"

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "You're good at this game, right, Mr. Fox?"

Joseph looked proud. "Exactly, I was born to play! Come on, Ashley, join us. It's more fun with more people!"

Seeing his mischievously smiling face, Ashley felt her competitive spirit was instantly ignited.

With nothing much to do at the moment, she gathered Miranda and Lester to sit down, forming a circle.

Joseph brought over a plump, balloon-like toy and explained, "Let's go over the rules. This thing will slowly inflate until it pops. We'll pass it around, and whoever has it when it bursts must answer a truth question or take on a daring challenge."

Ashley quickly said, "Simple enough, let's get started."

"Then let the game begin!" Joseph announced, passing the balloon toy to Lester next to him.

Joseph scanned the group, first looking at Lester, who was sitting next to him.

As soon as Lester caught his gaze, he narrowed his eyes, smiling dangerously, "Joe, are you picking me?"

Joseph's eyelid twitched. He certainly didn't dare to choose Lester and turned to Jaden.

'Jaden...' Joseph was pondering.

Jaden raised his eyebrows and smiled mysteriously, "Darling, even though it's just a game, let me tell you in advance, don't choose me."

"Who said I was going to choose you? Stop flattering yourself!" scoffed Joseph, then playfully pointed at Bryce with a challenging smile, "You! I choose you!"

With that, he lunged at Bryce, pretending to kiss him.

Bryce was terrified and nearly collapsed, desperately trying to protect his dignity. "Stay back! I only said you could choose me, not actually kiss me!"

Ashley laughed so hard upon seeing this.

Indeed, nobody could beat Joseph when it came to messing around.

Of course, Joseph was just scaring Bryce and let him off the hook once he saw him surrender.

After a few more rounds, unfortunately, the balloon burst in Ashley's hands.

This time, it was Jaden who posed the question.

He looked at Ashley with a mischievous smile, "Let's not go for truth this time. How about a dare? Call the first contact on your phone and tell that one you miss him."

Ashley was stunned.

Joseph was even more anxious than Ashley, nearly spitting out his drink in surprise. "Jaden, what kind of dare is that!"

It might work if said to Valentin. But it would be chaos if it were said to someone else.

Especially if the first contact happened to be one of Ashley's admirers, that would stir up even more trouble.