Chapter 4

I slept in until noon on the day of the gathering. I checked my phone only to find that there were more than 99 unread notifications, with everyone in the group chat arguing over seating for that night.

I noticed someone even deliberately shared a photo of a wide two-seater. "I prepared this one for Zachary! I don't think a regular chair can hold his weight!"

"You're so thoughtful! You deserve an award for that!"

Gianna chimed in. "He's not going to show up, so stop wasting your efforts."

Cameron instantly followed up. "What if he actually shows up tonight? You guys should stop making fun of him if he does."

Those in the group chat laughed harder the more Cameron tried to get them to stop.

Then, someone jumped at the chance to suck up to him. "You're just too kind-hearted, Cameron!"

"It's no wonder Gianna is always texting Cameron!"

Gianna responded with an embarrassed emoji.

Cameron immediately tagged Natalia in the group chat. "Do you want me to give you a ride later tonight, Natalia?"

Natalia didn't respond to him.

I had second-hand embarrassment for Gianna just watching this play out. Cameron obviously wanted Natalia, but when Natalia paid him no mind, he moved on to flirting with Gianna. They were basically each other's backup plan, and somehow they both thought they were playing it smart.

I said nothing as I got out of bed and went to clean myself up.

Keith came barging into my house at 2:00 pm, carrying a heap of clothes. "I'm going to give you a full revenge glow-up, Zachary!"

I cocked my brow at him and asked, "What do you mean by 'revenge glow-up'?"

"You show up looking better than ever, while your ex gets destroyed the second she sees you."

Keith ended up picking a simple black shirt for me.

It was a minimal cut—sleeves cuffed at the elbows and a crisp shoulder line—and with slim-fit pants, it gave me a really lean, long-legged silhouette.

Keith was rendered speechless for a solid 30 seconds by the time I stepped out in the outfit. He clutched his chest and exclaimed, "It's so over!"

"What's the matter?"

"If I were a chick, I'd definitely try to seduce you tonight!"

"Scram!"

"I'm being serious here!" Keith exclaimed before he paced around me twice, getting more hyped by the second. "Isn't Cameron supposed to be the group chat's heartthrob and scion? He might look decent on his own, but standing next to you, he'll look like your personal assistant!"

It was around 5:00 pm when someone suddenly posted a video of the scene at the gathering in the group chat. There was a white cake right in the middle of the private room, with a few words written in red icing. "Welcome, Zachary—Our 220lb Buddy!"

In the video, the entire room echoed with harsh, mean-spirited laughter.

It was then that some guy with a buzz cut yelled into the camera. "If you don't show up soon, we're doing the couple tasks in your place, Zachary!"

Gianna, who was sitting on the couch, scoffed. "He wouldn't dare show up. He wouldn't even hop on a video call back then, so he couldn't possibly show up here in person."

Cameron was sitting beside her.

Gianna reached out to fix the collar for Cameron, who didn't even pull away.

Just then, Natalia passed by the doorway.

Cameron immediately got to his feet. "You're finally here, Natalia!"

He immediately moved toward Natalia, totally unbothered by Gianna's hand still resting on his arm.

Gianna's smile froze for a quick second before she played it cool again. "I doubt Zachary is going to show up, so you have nothing to worry about, Natalia."

Natalia glanced at Gianna and said, "You seem to know him pretty well."

Gianna was caught off guard by Natalia's words.

Cameron quickly stepped in to defuse the moment. "You should come in first, Natalia. Everyone's already waiting inside."

That was where the video ended.

Keith grabbed his car keys in a fit of rage. "Come on, Zachary! I haven't torn into anyone in a while. Let's see if I've still got it!"

Just as I crossed the doorway, a notification flashed on my screen for a friend request—from Natalia Dafforn. She messaged me the moment I accepted the request. "I'm so sorry. This all started because I agreed to play that stupid game. I'll sort this out."

She sent another message a few seconds later. "Do you want me to pick you up?"

I stared at her apology message and found myself liking her a little more. "It's alright. I'm already on my way. I'll also go along with the tasks tonight."

I noticed that she had been typing for quite some time, but after a while, all she sent was a simple message. "You shouldn't push yourself if you don't want to."

We pulled up outside the restaurant half an hour later.

Keith planned to head up with me, but a call from his father ruined that. He placed his hands on my shoulders before leaving and said, "You can call me right away if anyone tries to give you any trouble. I'll blast them on the uni confession page overnight. I've even thought of the headline—'Peak Modern Idiocy.'"

I chuckled as I nodded.

I walked through the lobby and noticed the receptionist sneaking looks at me, and by the time I stepped inside the elevator, she was already leaning in to whisper to her colleague.

I had to walk quite a while since the private room was tucked away at the back of the third floor. I could actually hear the laughter inside through the thick door.

"It's already 6:00 pm. Zachary is actually a no-show."

"Gianna's definitely taking home that 4,500 dollars."

"I called it—with that kind of weight, walking to this place would end in an ambulance ride."

"Natalia isn't here either. Do you think she got scared off?"

Gianna spoke next, sounding completely unconcerned. "I warned him not to come. I mean, people like him can pretend all they want online, but showing up in real life is basically public humiliation."

Cameron laughed and chimed in. "You should go easy on him. He's probably just desperate for people to like him."

In that instant, another wave of laughter broke out inside the room.

Standing right outside the door, I slowly reached for the handle when I suddenly heard a calm female voice behind me. "Z-Zachary?"

I turned around, and under the dim hallway lights, I noticed a woman in a long black dress with her hair up. She had striking features, but her entire demeanor was cold. She looked completely taken aback when she caught sight of me.

I smiled faintly and asked, "You're Natalia, right?"

In the meantime, someone in the private room had already kicked off a countdown. "It's the final ten seconds! If Zachary doesn't show up, we're closing the bet! Ten! Nine! Eight!"

Natalia didn't take her eyes off me.

I turned back around, reached for the door handle, and gently pushed it open just one second before the countdown ended.