Chapter 297: Don’t tell me you lost your manhood.
Karl blinked. Adelyn’s words left him utterly confused.
Not just him—
Even Zeke, who had been smirking confidently just moments ago, paused when he heard her.
"What did you just say?" he asked, a frown tugging at his brows. "You accepted because you believe in yourself?"
Adelyn’s lips curved into a beautiful smile. Looking up at him, she gave a soft yet unwavering hum.
"What else did you think?"
Zeke frowned even more deeply.
But Adelyn remained completely unbothered. Instead, she took her time explaining herself.
"That’s a bet we made," she said calmly. "And decent people place their bets on themselves —not on someone else."
She let out a light chuckle before adding, half mockingly,
"I don’t know about you, but I consider myself a fairly decent person."
She then gestured toward Karl.
"So tell me ... how could I possibly bet on him? That wouldn’t be very fair, would it?"
"You—"
"And furthermore ..." she deliberately cut him off before he could speak again. "I put myself on the line."
She paused briefly before continuing in the same calm tone.
"I’m my own person, not someone else’s possession. So only I have the right to wager myself." Keeping her gaze fixed on his, she finished, "After all, no one else has the authority to decide my worth for me."
Karl blinked blankly.
When Adelyn turned toward him, she simply raised a brow.
"What?" she asked him. "You’re dissatisfied with that? Do you want to wager me instead?"
Karl immediately shook his head.
Wager her?
He couldn’t even imagine the thought of it.
His brother would have his life.
He subconsciously swallowed at the mere thought.
But then, another realization suddenly struck him. Even now, his Old Demon Brother wouldn’t spare him. He would have him dead ...
He might not have dared to wager her himself, but she was still on the line because of him.
If his Big Brother finds out about this ...
He wouldn’t send him off for military training this time.
He would simply kill him once and for all. Ending him for good.
The horrifying thought made Karl feel as though the entire world had begun spinning around him. His vision blurred, and just as his legs threatened to give out beneath him, he instinctively grabbed onto Pier to steady himself.
Pier stared at him in concern.
"Brother Karl?"
However, Karl simply pushed him aside before stepping closer to Adelyn.
"Sister-in-law, none of this is important anymore," he said urgently. "I’ll handle Zeke here. You leave with Pier first."
Without even waiting for Adelyn to respond, he turned toward his friend.
"Pier, take Sister-in-law back first."
"But Brother Karl ..." Pier hesitated anxiously. "What if your brothers find out you’re here again? You might not even get to stay in the city anymore. They’ll definitely send you for military training."
Karl closed his eyes —frustration seeping in through his bones.
"Then let them send me," he muttered. "At least I’ll still be alive."
He opened his eyes again before continuing in a much heavier voice. "But if my Big Brother finds out what actually happened here ..." He couldn’t help swallowing again.
"... I’ll definitely be dead. You don’t know how much my brother treasures Sister-in-law."
That ... actually made perfect sense.
Pier didn’t argue anymore.
He had personally witnessed Dylan’s attitude toward Adelyn back at the scam hideout. That single encounter alone was enough for him to believe Karl completely.
He immediately nodded before turning toward Adelyn.
"Goddess ... let’s go. I’ll take you back."
Adelyn was momentarily caught on Karl’s last sentence.
His brother treasured her?
For a brief moment, she couldn’t even react.
This boy was exaggerating again.
The relationship she shared with his brother was still so new. It would take a very long time before it reached the stage where he might actually treasure her.
But ...
Would that stage ever come?
She quietly shook her head inwardly. She had never intended to keep up this lie forever. Soon, she would end it herself.
Adelyn had always been confident in that plan.
Or at least ...
She believed she was.
Yet she had failed to realize that somewhere along the way, she had already begun changing many of her original plans without even noticing.
First, it was Eira.
And now...
Karl.
She found him annoyingly troublesome.
Hopelessly reckless.
Yet somehow, she couldn’t bring herself to watch him being bullied like this.
"Goddess?" Pier called softly again when he noticed she still hadn’t moved.
Adelyn glanced at him before pressing her lips into a thin line.
"Who said I was leaving?"
Her gaze shifted toward Karl. "Didn’t you hear me making that bet just now?"
Karl was completely dumbfounded.
Of course he had heard her. But hadn’t he already said they didn’t need to take it seriously?
"Sister-in-law, you—"
Before he could finish, Zeke’s voice interrupted him.
"It was Karl’s skills we were betting on. Don’t go changing the original terms now."
His brows furrowed deeply.
He wanted to see Karl Warren thoroughly humiliated.
And what humiliation could possibly surpass watching Karl lose his own woman because of his defeat?
Adelyn slowly turned toward him and smiled.
"When did I ever bet on him?" she asked, sounding as though she genuinely couldn’t remember doing such a thing. "What I wagered was always myself."
She tilted her head slightly.
"We clearly said, ’If I lose ...’ His name was never mentioned."
A faint smile lingered on her lips.
"If anyone is trying to go back on their word here, it’s obviously you."
She raised a brow.
"How disappointing."
"Didn’t you say you’re a man —and that a man never goes back on his word?" she continued leisurely. "Don’t tell me you lost your manhood simply by standing there for too long."
"Pfft—"
Karl couldn’t hold back anymore.
A laugh escaped his mouth despite how worried he had been just moments ago. He truly hadn’t expected his sister-in-law to say something like that.
The people surrounding them also burst into laughter.
Even Steve’s teammates couldn’t completely hide the amusement flickering across their faces.
Zeke’s expression darkened instantly. Embarrassment flashed across his face as he glared at Adelyn.
"You—"
However, Adelyn didn’t give him the opportunity to vent.
She simply folded her arms across her chest and asked, "If that’s not the case ... then don’t tell me you’re scared."
She smiled faintly.
"Scared of a woman?"
"Who’s scared of you?" Zeke roared. "If you aren’t even scared for yourself, why should I be? Just remember this —if you lose, you’ll follow me and serve me for the entire night."
Adelyn merely smirked.
"Of course."
She shrugged lightly.
"Unlike you, I don’t need to be a man to keep my promises."
"You—"
"Let’s stop wasting everyone’s time," Adelyn interrupted calmly. "It already feels like this has dragged on for far too long."
As she spoke, she casually lifted her hands and began undoing the buttons on the cuffs of her sleeves.
The simple movement immediately caused the noisy underground arena to fall into an uneasy silence.
Everyone’s eyes instinctively followed her hands.
Even Steve, who had remained indifferent until now, narrowed his eyes ever so slightly as he watched her.
Something ...
Didn’t feel quite right anymore.