The Dare That Brought Him Back

After I lost the Truth or Dare, my colleagues started cheering.

Call your ex and tell him you're pregnant and the baby daddy ran off.

What a joke. My ex blocked me ages ago; the call wouldn't even go through.

I dialed his number, but to my surprise, he answered immediately.

Uh, I'm pregnant, and the baby daddy ran off...

The person on the other end froze for a second, then gritted his teeth: "Chloe, I'd rather die than be your fallback guy!"

My heart trembled, and I let out a soft "Mhm."

Just as I was about to hang up, his voice grew noticeably irritated.

"Address!"

"What?"

"I asked what hospital you're at. Give me the address!"

I sobered up instantly.

Because I actually did have a child, and it was his.

01

From the moment I walked into the private dining room, the assessing gazes of those older, high-ranking men landed on me.

They clinked glasses, and with every drink they took, a sycophantic colleague accompanied them.

I tried to shrink myself down as much as possible, aiming to go unnoticed.

But it was too difficult; at a round table drinking session, everyone is in plain sight.

"I heard Manager Smith is the top sales rep for the UK region this quarter. Truly a woman who outshines men."

"Come on, Manager Smith, let's have a drink."

One drink started it all, and seven or eight more followed in quick succession.

A group of old creeps stared at me like hungry wolves.

I smiled disdainfully. I had built up my alcohol tolerance years ago. It wouldn't be that easy to get me drunk.

After a few rounds, one of the old fogeys said with a smile:

"I heard you young people like playing Truth or Dare. Let's play a round today."

The first few rounds were normal enough. The worst punishment was just making an Omega get the WeChat of the first Alpha they met outside the door.

But when the game got to me, the tone changed completely.

"I remember Manager Smith is an Omega too, right? You lost, so accept your punishment and call your ex."

"Tell him you're pregnant and the baby daddy ran off. Let's see how he reacts."

Several men exchanged smiles.

"Manager Smith, what are you waiting for? You can't be a sore loser, can you?"

"Hey, it's not that she's a sore loser. I think our beautiful Manager Smith is just wondering which ex-boyfriend to call."

"No way. An Omega as top-tier as Manager Smith probably hasn't even had a boyfriend yet."

I kept my head down and smiled along.

A bunch of scum.

They couldn't beat me in business, and they couldn't outdrink me here.

Now they want to play the purity card on me, huh?

Old men who refuse to retire should at least bleed a little for me.

I smiled: "How about we up the stakes?"

The alcohol had fumigated those old guys until all they had left was lust.

"Sure! Whatever Manager Smith wants to add, goes!"

Is that so.

I raised my foot, clad in a red-soled black leather shoe.

And stepped firmly onto the leg of the man who smiled with the most malice.

"Manager Lee, I heard your department is negotiating that Swiss project."

"How about giving it to me?"

Manager Lee's face instantly turned purple, like pig liver.

"This..."

"Huh? Manager Lee isn't going to be a sore loser, is he?"

Another manager slammed the table.

"Old Lee, you've been dragging your feet on that project. I'm making the call on this! We play! Manager Smith, we play!"

"Not just his Swiss project, I'll give you that Saudi project too!"

I smiled, my eyes crinkling. If I won those two projects, my bonus would be at least seven figures.

Besides, Arthur had blocked me four years ago.

The call wouldn't even go through.

I smiled lightly as I dialed the number I knew by heart.

The phone rang once, and was immediately answered.

"Chloe?"

02

After such a long time, that familiar voice sounded a bit surreal.

Fuck...

When the hell did that bastard Arthur unblock me?

My colleagues grew visibly excited, urging me in low voices: "Say it, come on, say it."

The situation, which had been completely under my control a moment ago, instantly crumbled.

I braced myself and stammered.

"I, I just went to the hospital... The checkup said I'm pregnant, and the baby daddy ran off..."

Arthur paused for a second before speaking again, his teeth gritted.

"Chloe, you deserve it! This is your karma for playing with people's true feelings!"

"I really admire your nerve, daring to ask me to be your fallback guy?"

"After all these years, it's a miracle I haven't killed you!"

My heart trembled, and I let out a soft "Mhm."

But the person on the other end just got angrier, firing off sentences like a machine gun.

After not seeing each other for so many years, he's really gotten crazier.

"Chloe, why aren't you saying anything?"

"I..."

Just as I was about to speak, I was cut off.

The voice on the other end grew noticeably irritated.

"Address!"

"What?"

"I said address! Can you not understand the word 'address', Chloe?!"

"Aren't you at the hospital? The address of the hospital!"

The alcohol I had drunk instantly sobered up by half.

Because I actually did have a child, and it was his.

A single mother, raising a daughter. He had no idea.

03

"No, I'm not at the hospital."

"Good job, Chloe. You have the nerve to call me to be your fallback guy, but don't have the guts to admit it, huh?"

"Too late. Address!"

Someone tried to help by speaking up, but just opening their mouth infuriated Arthur.

"Uh, excuse me, sir. Sorry, we were just playing a game with Manager Smith."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Chloe, why is there another man next to you? Tell him to get lost!"

"Did you hear me? I said tell him to get lost..."

I hung up the phone directly.

"Sorry about that. Treat it as a joke."

"About the projects Mr. Lee and Mr. Wang mentioned, I'll go over and finalize the handover tomorrow. Thanks in advance for arranging the contacts."

After saying that, I sat down with a smile, completely ignoring their expressions or moods.

Either way, I was stealing their rice bowls. Sacrificing my ex for a moment counts as reaping the benefits of my past relationship.

The game continued for a while longer before the dinner officially ended.

The early winter wind was biting cold.

It blew my drowsy mind increasingly awake.

Not heading the same way as any of them, I declined all offers to share a ride.

Mr. Wang, who gave me the Saudi project, still hadn't given up.

Stumbling, he tried to lean against me.

He smelled awful.

"Little Chloe, we, we're going the same way. Wherever you're going, I'm going the same way."

I subtly sidestepped, and he lost his balance, falling headfirst.

When people reach middle age, having a little extra fat is usefulit cushions the fall.

I let out a gasp and quickly crouched down.

"Mr. Wang, how could you be so careless?"

My tie brushed across his face back and forth. He stared blankly, completely unaware that I did it on purpose.

"I-It's fine, Little Chloe. I, I just slipped and fell accidentally."

Heh, too bad the fall didn't kill you.

I kept a polite smile on my face, but internally I had already cursed his ancestors for eighteen generations.

"Let me help you up, Mr. Wang."

Just as I reached out my hand, the sycophants who heard my gasp swarmed over, pushing me right out of the way.

"Oh my, how did Mr. Wang fall? Hurry, let me help you up."

"Are you okay, Mr. Wang? It's all because of these steps, they're too slippery!"

Even a sycophant who couldn't reach him found a way to chime in frantically from the outside.

"Mr. Wang, Mr. Wang, a fall takes away bad luck, and good fortune naturally follows!"

I was dumbfounded. I couldn't believe someone could come up with such a beautiful phrase at a time like this.

Truly a god among men.

I stepped further away, leaving this place of trouble.

Just as I was about to call a car, a silver Porsche Panamera stopped right in front of me.

The driver was wearing a baseball cap and a mask.

Only revealing a pair of beautiful peach-blossom eyes, staring at me darkly.

My mind buzzed, leaving only one thought.

Run!

04

Arthur knew me better than I knew myself.

A split second before I lifted my leg to run, he unbuckled his seatbelt, pulled open the passenger door, and yanked me inside.

The movements were smooth and continuous, done in one breath.

Afraid I would jump out halfway, he even plugged the passenger seatbelt into the driver's buckle.

"You lunatic!"

He slammed on the gas, and we sped off.

"Chloe, after so many years of not seeing each other, instead of catching up, your first word is to curse at me?"

"You've grown bold, haven't you?"

I glared at him: "What is there to catch up on with you? We said it when we broke up, we'd never see each other again."

"Did I agree to break up? Did I agree to never see each other again?"

"Lunatic!"

Less than ten minutes after we drove off, we turned into a large courtyard.

The courtyard had an underground garage equipped with strip lights.

As the car drove past, the lights illuminated meter by meter.

The entire garage became brightly lit.

"I knew you were rich when we were dating, but I didn't know you were this rich."

"What, regretting the breakup? If you want to come back now..."

I cut him off: "No, I'm regretting I didn't write a bigger number on that check."

Arthur ripped off his hat and mask, grabbed my collar, and bit me.

The taste of blood instantly filled my mouth.

Like a wild beast, only tearing and biting.

I couldn't push him away, so with my free hand, I grabbed his hair.

He let out a small cry of pain.

Seizing the opening, I grabbed his neck with one hand, forcing him back into the driver's seat, and slapped him twice, left and right.

The world suddenly fell quiet.

Arthur slumped in the driver's seat. On his pale skin, the handprints were clearly visible.

He let out a low chuckle.

I gripped his neck tighter.

"Alright, I know you're tough."

He raised both hands in a gesture of surrender, his voice growing hoarser, yet he still looked completely at ease.

"Haven't seen you in a few years, how did you get even prettier, cough cough..."

"Arthur! You just took me away like that, aren't you afraid paparazzi will photograph you and you'll be trending tomorrow?"

"Then I should thank the paparazzi."

Lunatic, a total lunatic!

05

I loosened my grip on Arthur's neck.

Pulled the door handle, ready to leave.

"Chloe..."

He grabbed the hem of my coat, completely losing the crazy energy from moments ago.

His beautiful peach-blossom eyes were red.

He sounded like an incubus, calling out once wasn't enough, he called out a second time.

"Chloe..."

His scent enveloped me from behind.

My legs turned to jelly.

When it came to Arthur, I had a fatal attraction to him from the very beginning.

I have absolutely zero resistance to guys who are bad to the bone like him.

When his soft lips kissed my scent gland, his hands started teasing too.

My remaining consciousness told me I couldn't get entangled with this lunatic again.

I pushed against him, panting heavily.

Arthur stopped all his movements, visibly becoming happier.

"You even forgot how to kiss? Haven't dated anyone in all these years, huh?"

I ignored him, took out my phone, and checked the time.

It was almost 11 PM.

No good, the nanny was off the clock by now. Joy was home alone.

I have to go home.

"Arthur, I need to go home."

"Okay."

This time Arthur didn't argue. He picked up the baseball cap and mask he had thrown away earlier.

"I'll give you a ride."

I looked at him suspiciously: "Being so nice?"

"You know I always respect you."

06

After returning to the country, Joy and I lived in an apartment near my company.

I sneaked a peek at Arthur.

Tsk, what a lunatic.

Whatever, I only signed a six-month lease anyway. If worst comes to worst, I'll just move again.

In short, I can't let him know about Joy's existence.

"What are you thinking about?"

Arthur's sudden question startled me.

"Ah? What? Oh, nothing."

"When you lie, you tend to repeat words."

I immediately shut up.

"When you're thinking about something, you like to pick at your cuticles."

My hands immediately separated.

Arthur smiled again: "Pretty obedient."

Seeing the atmosphere in the car starting to heat up.

I changed the subject: "How did you know where I was eating?"

"Liam saw you. He wasn't sure at first, so he took a video and sent it to me."

"Coincidentally, I live nearby."

I gave a sound of acknowledgement: "Oh."

He pointed at the destination on the GPS: "Is this your new house?"

"I don't have the money to buy a house."

"Then that guy at the door trying to grab your arm is your new husband?"

I thought of Mr. Wang's fat, greasy face and shook my head in disgust.

"He's your husband!"

The corner of Arthur's mouth turned up: "Why did you call me today?"

"Lost a game, so I called my ex... well, I just randomly called a contact in my phone."

He nodded: "I see."

"I'll be home in a minute. Sorry for the trouble today."

"They say a good ex should be like a dead ex. I'll delete your contact info when I get back."

"I promise I won't bother you again."

Arthur didn't answer me. Unregistered cars can't enter the complex, so he parked on the street.

I opened the car door and walked out without looking back.

07

I kept looking back the entire way.

Terrified that lunatic Arthur was following me.

Until the very last moment when I reached the apartment door, it was still empty behind me.

I let out a long breath and pressed my finger against the smart lock.

"Door unlocked."

The robotic female voice sounded. The next second, the door was pulled open by someone behind me.

I was pulled into an embrace and pushed into the room.

In the darkness, there was only the sound of kissing.

Arthur leaned one hand on the cabinet and pinned my hands with the other.

I struggled uncomfortably a few times.

He immediately let go, burying his entire face in the crook of my neck, his body trembling slightly.

Warm liquid kept falling onto my skin.

This posture lasted for a long time, until he let out a soft whimper.

"Chloe, I hate you so much."

"God knows how much I wanted to kill you."

"When you called me today asking me to be your fallback guy, I was almost ready to accept it..."

Before he could finish, the lights in the room turned on.

Joy, who had been woken up, was rubbing her eyes with her little hands.

She wasn't wearing shoes and was holding a small bunny plushie.

Her voice was soft: "Daddy, why are you home so late?"

I instinctively tried to push Arthur away, but he hugged my waist tightly.

His eyes went wide, his voice full of disbelief: "Kid, what did you just call him?!"

I was so angry I stomped on his foot hard: "Why are you being so loud? You scared the child!"

"Joy, go back and put your shoes on."

Joy, this child, looks soft and sweet like a strawberry cupcake.

But inside, she's a dark chocolate cupcake with a mischievous core.

"Daddy, who is this uncle?"

"Daddy, why won't this uncle let you go?"

"Daddy, is this uncle crying?"

"Daddy..."

"Daddy..."

Every "Daddy" broke Arthur's defenses further.

"Chloe, didn't you say you loved me the most? How could you have a child with someone else?"

Joy kept up the attack: "Uncle, you're lying. Daddy clearly loves me the most."

Arthur cried until his nose was red.

I pushed him away, looked at Joy, and made a gesture of drawing a circle in place.

"Joy, stay right there and don't move. Daddy will go get your shoes."

Joy gave me a sweet smile: "Okay, Daddy."

Three or four is an age where kids are so annoying even dogs dislike them. The moment I stepped into the bedroom, Joy ran right up to Arthur.

Arthur was collapsed on the floor, crying.

Joy reached out and patted his head.

"There, there, big doggy, don't cry."

I had just come out with her shoes and heard Joy call him that. I couldn't help but laugh.

The next second, the little one suddenly got close to Arthur, their identical peach-blossom eyes staring at each other.

"Hmm, Uncle, you look so familiar. Joy feels like she's seen you somewhere."

Arthur instantly stopped crying, looked up, and stared at me suspiciously.

My smile froze instantly.

This is bad.