Chapter 1

I barely finished speaking when Edward Fowler, who had seemed indifferent all along, finally looked up. His face turned cold as he said, "Winnie gave you a gift out of kindness. What exactly did you mean by that?"

I shrugged. "Whatever she means, that's exactly what I mean. Since your tutor went all out for you, yet you still landed her in the hospital, you should at least tip her a little."

The room fell silent at once. Winnie immediately teared up.

Edward's expression darkened. The chair creaked noisily as he shot up. "What do you take Winnie for, Sarah? Is this how the Hudson family raised their daughter? With no restraint and nothing but a filthy mouth?"

I leaned back into my seat, smiling wryly. "She's the one who brought it up first. If anyone's going to be accused of filthy talk, it shouldn't be me."

The atmosphere gradually grew tense.

Edward glared at me. Just as he was about to speak, Winnie started sniffling.

"Don't fight with Sarah, pup. Do it for me. It was all my fault. I'm so used to joking around with you guys that I forgot Sarah is here tonight." She then raised her hand and slapped herself.

Despite it being a light slap, Edward's expression fell almost instantly. "Who allowed you to hit yourself?"

With tears in her eyes, Winnie gave him a careless kick. "How dare you snap at me, pup? Do you want to lose those legs of yours?"

Edward tilted her chin up and inspected her face. Once he made sure her cheek was alright, he turned to look at me. "My buddies are celebrating my marriage tonight. You should head home early if you can't take a joke."

Everyone looked at me. Some were even expressing their clear disgust toward me.

However, I pretended not to see them. I merely asked Winnie out of curiosity, "Is it just a joke? So you weren't actually torn up by him?"

"You're still not done with this yet, Sarah?" Edward questioned, slamming a hand down the table.

His friends started pulling him back, while Winnie gave him another kick. "I just told you to be gentle with Sarah. Why aren't you listening to me?"

Chaos ensued in the private room.

I scoffed before standing up. "I'm done watching your little display of buddy love. Thanks for the dinner, but you can keep this gift for yourself. After all, you've already used it. You'd be more experienced."

I then took my handbag and strode out of the private room, ignoring Edward's furious shouts behind me.