While we're playing King's Game, Olivia Bennett's male best friend, Damien Hayes, has drawn the punishment lot that requires him to spill one of Olivia's secrets.

He turns to look at me, a mysterious smile curling on his lips.

"Olivia needs to get my permission whenever she wishes to sleep with Ethan."

The atmosphere goes quiet immediately.

As Damien licks his lips, he adds, "C'mon, there's no such thing as taboo when it comes to Olivia's birthday party! Why are you guys so quiet? I thought y'all are the type who's capable of taking jokes of any kind!"

"Alright, alright. Just assume I failed the challenge," said Damien Hayes, raising his glass to his lips.

Before he could take a single sip, a slender hand clamped over the rim of the glass.

Following the arm up, I saw Olivia Bennett looking around at the rest of the group, who were all sitting there, dead silent.

"How was that not a secret?" Olivia said lightly. "Damien took his penalty and passed. Let's keep the game moving."

Damien smirked, dropping his glass instantly as he shot a casual, knowing glance my way.

"Good to know Olivia still has my back. The rest of you guys have zero loyalty!"

A few people laughed along.

Others, who hadn't had too much to drink, carefully read my expression, trying to smooth things over.

"Damien and Olivia grew up together, so it makes sense that they're close. We all get it…"

Their laughter came out awkward and dry. Someone straightened the deck in their hand and hurried the game along.

"Come on, let's keep playing."

I drew a card with the rest of them, keeping my smile completely effortless.

"Oh, so we're playing for keeps tonight? In that case, let's have the last two people who drew cards hook up right here in front of everyone," I suggested.

The second the words left my mouth, the room went dead silent.

Olivia's expression twisted in fury. "Honey, have you lost your mind?"

No one answered.

Damien's face hardened. "Ethan, don't you think you're making this personal? We all agreed that anything goes tonight. I'm just playing the game, so what's your problem?"

I picked up the bottle on the table and poured the golden liquor into a glass, letting the sound fill the silence.

"Well, I keep hearing about how close you two grew up," I said. "And apparently, my wife can't even hook up with anyone else without your approval first. I figured you two were so close that you have no boundaries at all, so why not give everyone a show to liven things up?"

Silence fell over the room once more.

I lifted my eyes to them, feigning surprise. "What's wrong? You don't want to?"

After filling up a glass, I set the bottle right down in front of Damien. He clenched his jaw, looking utterly humiliated.

I smiled. "Look, we can always do a penalty drink instead. How about chugging this entire bottle of cognac? Or would you prefer…"

I locked eyes with him, staring directly at the top of his head. His expression flickered, telling me that he knew exactly what I meant.

If he refused to chug it, he'd have to break the bottle over his head.

The air in the room froze solid.

I glanced around the table, watching the smug grins harden on the faces of Olivia's friends.

"What happened to all the laughs?" I asked. "Isn't this supposed to be a birthday party where anything goes?"

"Ethan Calloway!" Olivia yelled, her face pale with rage. "Sit down. You're crossing the line. It's just a harmless party game, and you're trying to turn it into some kind of prosti—"

She caught herself just before she finished her sentence.

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So you actually do realize how trashy your little game is? Don't get cold feet now. You either put on a show or you drink. Take your pick."

The others at the table scrambled to their feet, holding me back and trying to laugh it off as a misunderstanding.

Damien shot to his feet, his chest heaving violently as he ranted, "Don't push it. We're all adults here. What's wrong with playing a game that's a little suggestive? It's not like anyone even invited you!"

Olivia immediately stepped in, shielding him with her body. "Ethan, are you finished?"

Her circle of friends crowded around me in the chaos, their voices overlapping as they tugged at me.

"Ethan, Damien didn't mean anything by it. He's just a kid."

"Exactly. None of us even sees him as a guy. He's been hanging around us girls since we were kids. Olivia definitely doesn't see him that way either."

"How can two girlfriends hook up anyway?"

Crash!

Amidst all the jostling and shoving, someone bumped the table. The open bottle of cognac tipped over, spilling all over the floor.

I let out a cold laugh.

Reaching down, I grabbed the dirty dishes off the table, one by one, and hurled them right at Olivia and Damien.

"Since you all think this is completely fine, I'll make sure to impart some wisdom onto your husbands. The next time they want to get intimate with you, they can go ask their mistresses for permission first."

The second I said it, Olivia completely lost her composure, screaming my name at the top of her lungs while frantically grabbing a handful of napkins to wipe the mess off Damien's face.

Without another word, I turned and walked out the door.

Before I left, I even made sure to lock the door behind me.

"Hi, I'd like to report a crime. I suspect there's a massive prostitution party going on here."

I never realized how toxic Olivia's inner circle actually was.

If Damien hadn't rounded up all those girls to throw her a birthday bash, I would've thought they were harmless drinking buddies at worst.

As it turned out, they were anything but harmless.

My head spun as I replayed Damien's words about needing his permission. No wonder Olivia always acted so shifty and vanished into the restroom for ages before we got intimate.

I forced myself to breathe.

I wanted a divorce more than anything, but it wasn't that simple.

Our families were business partners, and our marriage was the anchor holding many joint projects and capital together.

Olivia thoroughly repulsed me, but I couldn't just drag everyone else into the mess.

As I took a deep breath to steady myself, my phone buzzed with a text from my mother-in-law, Margaret Foster.

"How was the birthday party, you two? Your dad wanted to grab dinner with you guys tonight, but I told him that young people don't want to hang out with a couple of old folks on a birthday, so we didn't call you today.

"Tomorrow, once you're done with your romantic weekend, why don't you swing by the house for a family dinner?"

I stared at the screen. Before I could figure out a response, my phone lit up with an incoming call.

Olivia was losing her mind on the other end. "Ethan, what the hell is wrong with you? Do you have any idea that filing a false police report is a felony?"

I ended the call and replied to Margaret, "Olivia isn't in a good mood today, so she went out to play some party games with her friends.

"I heard from some guys in our social circle that things got out of hand over some guy, and now the cops are involved. I can't even track her down right now. Mom, what should I do? She's a woman out there on her own, and I'm honestly worried."

I called Olivia right after, but just as I expected, it went straight to a busy signal.

At that point, I wasn't even sure we'd be visiting the Bennett residence tomorrow.

…

It was late at night when Olivia finally returned.

The alcohol had mostly worn off, leaving her expression flickering with a mix of frustration and fury. After pacing around the room several times, she couldn't help but stop in front of me.

"It was just a joke," she said. "Did you really have to blow it up like this?"

I let out a dry scoff. "I thought you said you didn't even see him as a guy?"

Olivia's words caught in her throat.

Only after a long pause did she clench her jaw and spit, "You already laid into him at the party! And before he could even recover from that, you threw him to the cops!

"He was just trying to do something sweet for my birthday, and you spent the entire night humiliating him. Ethan, just because your family has money doesn't mean you get to go around being a bully."

The amount of mental gymnastics she did was so absurd that I actually laughed out loud.

"I'm a bully? His family business is about to go under. Are you going to tell me that's my fault, too?" I retorted.

"No!" Olivia snapped, getting defensive. "Stop trying to twist my words! The bottom line is that you put your hands on Damien, and you terrified him! Why can't you get that through your thick skull?"

I held her gaze without saying a word, and her voice gradually died down.

Then, she uncomfortably shifted her eyes away from me.

"It was just a game," she said. "Everyone in our friend group swore we'd never get married. I was the first one to break the pact, and Damien just had a hard time letting go of me.

"Besides, it's not like he ever says no when I ask for his permission. Ethan, it literally has zero impact on your life. You're completely overreacting."

Deep into the night, the room was so quiet that the ticking of the wall clock was the only sound filling the silence between us.

After what felt like an eternity, I finally nodded.

"You're right. That actually makes a ton of sense."

A flicker of joy flashed in her eyes, but I continued, "From now on, I'll need the approval of my childhood friends and best friends before anything can happen between us."

Olivia froze.

"We're talking about our private life. What does that have to do with anyone else?" she questioned.

I looked at her, and she went completely quiet, her eyes turning stone-cold.

"Wow, Ethan. You really are a piece of work."

…

The aroma of breakfast was what finally woke me up the next morning.

When I opened the door, I found the dining table covered in a beautiful breakfast spread. The elegant presentation made the source instantly obvious.

It was from Copper Table, the private breakfast cafe Margaret ran.

Melissa Grant, the Bennetts' housekeeper, stepped back respectfully. "Mr. Calloway, Ms. Bennett asked us to prepare this for you and bring it over."

Set right in front of my usual spot was a plate of lobster rolls, each one garnished with a delicate pinch of caviar.

A bit further down the table, there were soufflé pancakes and croissants.

Every dish on the table was something I had reached for a second helping whenever we dined with Margaret.

The door to the guest bedroom clicked open, and Olivia stepped out, looking disoriented for a few seconds.

The sleep left her eyes the moment she caught sight of me.

After spending some time fussing around in the bathroom, she hurried out and sat across from me. "Honey, I had this spread made specially for you. These are all your favorites, right?"

"About last night... You know I had way too much to drink," Olivia said, wearing a fragile, pleading smile. "I said and did some incredibly stupid things, but none of it came from the heart. Please don't be mad at me."

I stayed silent, and her smile slowly petrified on her face.

Right on cue, Melissa stepped in, placing a fresh bowl of oatmeal in front of Olivia. "Ms. Bennett, your mother is still expecting both of you back at the house today."

Olivia let out a soft sigh.

"I admit I took things a step too far this time. I'll make sure Damien stays in his lane from now on, and I won't let him get carried away again, okay?"

She placed a lobster roll on my plate.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Honey, at least give me some credit for trying."

I set down my fork and cut straight to the chase. "Are we going to the Bennett residence or not?"

The drama from last night had made it all the way to a police station. I didn't need a crystal ball to know that Margaret had personally pulled strings to get Olivia out of there as fast as possible.

Whether the police report was a false alarm or not didn't matter.

Margaret would never allow the slightest speck of dirt to stick to Bennett Group's reputation.

As for our marriage, I knew exactly how her family viewed it. To them, if we could be happy, great. But if we were miserable, we just needed to sweep it under the rug and keep it on the down low.

After all, that was how most families in our circle operated.

…

When we arrived at the Bennett residence, Margaret welcomed me with a smile, as if she knew nothing about what had happened the night before.

"Ethan, you're finally here. We've been waiting for you."

As she spoke, she gave Olivia a sharp, warning nudge. "You brat. I told you to just stay home and celebrate with Ethan, but you just had to insist that you guys don't run in the same circles. Look at the drama you're causing! If you make Ethan unhappy again, see if I don't give you a piece of my mind!"

She deftly blocked any opportunity I might have had to bring up Olivia's behavior.

Wesley Bennett, my father-in-law, guided me over to the couch, opening a polished wooden display box. "Margaret and I spotted this at an auction a few days ago, and we both instantly thought of you."

Inside sat a pair of black opal cufflinks. One look at them told me they were worth a fortune.

I hesitated, remaining silent, when a sudden commotion echoed from the front door.

Damien walked right into the living room, cradling a small Maltese puppy in his arms and wearing a bright smile.

"Olivia, you're back home. I figured as much when I saw your car parked in the driveway. That's cold. You came home and didn't even tell your best friend. Look how stingy you've gotten. It's not like I held a grudge against you after getting pushed around last night."

He pretended to be upset as he set the puppy down. The moment his hands were free, he casually slapped her rear end.

The second the puppy's paws hit the floor, it started darting around the room. Suddenly, as if spooked by something, it bolted straight toward the coffee table where the gift box was resting.

Crash!

A porcelain teacup fell to the floor, striking the Maltese right on the head.

The puppy let out a sharp whimper.

Damien's expression instantly shifted. He rushed over, scooped up the puppy, and glared at me in fury.

"Ethan, can't you tolerate a helpless puppy? This is Olivia's home, not yours! Even if you hate me, you didn't have to—"

Before he could finish his performance, Wesley's face hardened.

"I'm the one who threw that cup," Wesley barked.

Damien froze, the fury draining from his eyes in an instant. "M-Mr. Bennett?"

Wesley's voice rose. "Who let the dog in? Have I not made it clear to every single person in this house that I'm allergic to dog fur?"

The entire first floor went dead silent as the maids exchanged nervous glances, none of them daring to speak.

I picked up a fresh teacup from the tray. "It's just a stray that wandered in without an invite, Dad. There's no reason to let it ruin your day."

Damien's face flushed with anger. "Who are you calling a stray?"

I didn't answer. Instead, I lifted the teapot, filling the cup with fresh tea.

Only then did Olivia seem to come back to herself, and she hurried over. "That's enough. Besides, Livie didn't break the cuff links, and Damien didn't do it on purpose either."

The puppy's name sounded awfully like a nickname for Olivia.

Damien instantly realized something was off. He reached out, tugging at her sleeve.

"Mr. Bennett, it's not what you think. It's just a puppy Olivia gave me right after you guys finalized the wedding date," he stammered. "She said she was worried I'd get incredibly lonely without her around. That's why she bought Livie to keep me company."

The rich aroma of the tea began to fill the room.

I shut my eyes.

Maybe I shouldn't have held out any hope for Olivia.

As I slowly closed my fist around the black opal cufflinks, I smiled. "Dad, whatever stunts Olivia has pulled, consider it even."

Olivia's gaze landed on my hand.

Her expression stiffened, and she looked at me in disbelief.