Chapter 118: Chapter 118

Eugene paused slightly, then reacted, his hands wrapping around Victoria Sinclair’s waist, pulling her closer.

His lips responded to her kiss tenderly, gradually deepening, as if at that moment, everything around them disappeared, leaving only the two of them.

Vivian Miller’s footsteps suddenly halted, the wine glass in her hand slightly trembling, the wine swaying in the glass, reflecting her suddenly stiff and pale face, a flicker of disbelief and anger in her eyes.

The other people around also noticed the scene, stopping their conversations and turning their gaze toward the divorced couple.

Ethan Vaughn’s face looked extremely unpleasant, finishing his drink in one gulp, and turning his head towards the distance.

Jenny Vaughn snorted coldly, muttering in a low voice, "Really shameless."

Sarah Lowell squinted, the corner of her mouth curling into a meaningful smile, seemingly calculating something.

Victoria Sinclair’s heart was tumultuous; even without looking at the expressions of these people, she knew how shocked and bewildered everyone was.

But that’s exactly the effect she wanted.

To achieve her anticipated effect, she gathered her courage, her hands gently brushing over Eugene’s neck, hooking around it.

She felt Eugene’s body slightly tremble, a strange sense of satisfaction surging in her heart.

After a while, Victoria slowly released Eugene, her cheeks slightly red, shyly lifting her head to look at Eugene, "Thank you for lending me your jacket, though it seems it’s not so cold now."

Eugene looked down at her, his eyes full of tenderness and indulgence.

He gently pinched her cheek, "Are you deliberately trying to provoke her?"

Victoria awkwardly smiled, pursing her lips and nodding.

Eugene reached out, rubbing her hair, "I never expected that you would be , Victoria Sinclair."

Victoria spoke softly, "If you don’t like it, then I..."

"I like it." Eugene interrupted decisively, "You can continue doing it."

Vivian stood aside, watching the two of them being affectionate, her face turning livid.

Trying to suppress the anger in her heart, she forced a smile, stepping forward and handing the wine glass to Eugene, "Eugene, this is your favorite wine, I specially prepared it for you."

"No, thank you," Eugene’s voice was indifferent, not bothering to glance at her, his gaze still focused on Victoria.

Vivian’s fingers clenched slightly, her nails almost digging into her palm.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, turning to Victoria with a slightly provocative tone, "Miss Sinclair, I didn’t expect you to join our gathering, I recall you don’t really like such settings."

Victoria smiled slightly, her tone calm yet with a hint of retaliation, "Miss Miller, thank you for your concern. However, I believe suitability isn’t for you to decide."

Vivian’s smile could no longer be maintained.

She bit her lip, reluctantly nodding, "Of course, I was only worried that Miss Sinclair might not fit in."

Victoria didn’t pay any more attention to Vivian, turning to take Eugene’s arm, speaking softly, "Let’s go inside the cabin, the sea breeze is a bit cold."

Eugene nodded, letting her lead him into the cabin.

Vivian stood still, watching their intimate backs, the anger within her almost bursting out.

She tightly gripped the wine glass, her knuckles turning white, a hint of severity flashing in her eyes.

"Vivian, don’t be angry," Sarah walked up beside her, quietly comforting, "Victoria is just boasting because Eugene still has some past feelings for her; she won’t be complacent for long."

Vivian forced a bitter smile, speaking each word slowly, "Some past feelings? You don’t know how deep Eugene’s feelings for Victoria Sinclair are; you know nothing."

Vivian nearly shouted the last statement, stuffing the wine into Sarah’s hand, splashing it onto her, she hunched timidly, not daring to respond further.

Vivian stormed off towards another part of the cabin.

The yacht slowly sailed towards the island, the sea breeze carried a slight salty scent.

Victoria sat on the sofa, calmly drinking the warm tea Eugene poured, yet not as composed as her appearance suggested.

She knew her earlier actions were undoubtedly a declaration of war against Vivian.

And next, she had to gain the upper hand in this "war"; otherwise, all previous efforts would be in vain.

"Eugene," she softly called.

"Hmm?" Eugene sipped his tea, turned his head to look at her, eyes questioning.

"You know I’m using you, aren’t you angry?" Victoria’s moist eyes looked directly at his, her voice carrying a hint of uncertainty.

Eugene was slightly stunned, followed by a gentle smile, "With the way you use me, it’s worth it no matter how I look at it."

Victoria’s heart warmed, a smile involuntarily curving her lips, "Thank you."

Eugene put down the teacup, unconsciously let out a soft breath, looking down at the teacup, a gloomy feeling intensely suppressed.

After the yacht docked, the people disembarked one after another.

Miles Shaw’s island wasn’t large, but the scenery was beautiful; there was a luxurious villa on the island, surrounded by dense forests and clear seawater.

Victoria and Eugene walked together at the end, Vivian walking ahead, occasionally turning back to glance, jealousy and anger almost radiating from her.

Sarah walked up beside Vivian, whispering, "Vivian, don’t rush; later there will be plenty of opportunities for her to make a fool of herself."

Vivian coldly smiled, "I hope your plan works."

After entering the villa, Miles, as the host, enthusiastically welcomed everyone, "The rooms have been arranged, everyone take a rest first, tonight we’ll camp on the beach to the east, there’s a bonfire party where everyone can relax, then spend the night in tents to witness tomorrow’s most beautiful sunrise."

After entering the room, Victoria looked around, discovering the room was warmly decorated, outside the window was bright blue seawater, the view pleasing.

It’s clear Miles put a lot of thought into it.

Victoria packed her luggage, and went to the bathroom to wash up.

Half an hour later, Victoria stepped out of the room wearing a down jacket, ready to stroll by the seaside.

As she reached the staircase landing, she heard laughter coming from downstairs.

Victoria looked down, seeing Vivian, Sarah, Renee, and Jenny Vaughn sitting on the sofa in the living room, seemingly chatting about something amusing.

Jenny Vaughn looked up and saw Victoria, a hint of mockery flashed in her eyes, deliberately raising her voice, "Some people just don’t know how to be self-aware, even after they’ve divorced, still clinging to their ex-husband, really laughable."

Sarah chimed in, "Yes, some people are just thick-skinned, thinking they can return to the past."

Victoria’s steps paused briefly, a hint of coldness flickering in her eyes.

She walked past them unhurriedly, not taking her eyes off the door, speaking as she walked, "Those who are not self-aware are those who have already been rejected yet still cling tenaciously, and those who have nothing to do with them yet always meddle in others’ lives; those are the truly laughable ones."

With that, she had already reached the door.

The women in the living room were all furious, their faces turning green, clenching their fists ready to retaliate, but all they could see was Victoria’s back, and her arrogance not to stay and fight with them.

Victoria’s cold arrogance made them gnash their teeth in hatred, yet also brought a sense of defeat unable to counter.

The bonfire party took place as scheduled.

Several men set up tents on the beach; everyone sat around the bonfire, the atmosphere lively.

Despite the cold weather, the flames burned fiercely, the temperature rising sharply.

Beside them was a barbecue grill, Charlie Spencer and Miles Shaw were grilling food for everyone.

The banquet table was filled with drinks and food.

Eugene personally grilled some small corn kernels and beef skewers, bringing them to Victoria.

"Thank you," Victoria graciously accepted.

Vivian sat opposite, her gaze occasionally sweeping over the two of them, jealousy and anger nearly overflowing.

Sarah sat beside her, whispering, "Vivian, don’t worry, there’s a good show to see later."

Vivian Miller laughed coldly, "Hope your plan works."

As the campfire party reached its halfway point, Sarah Lowell suddenly stood up and said with a smile, "Everyone’s having so much fun, why don’t we play a game?"

The crowd echoed in agreement, and Sarah continued, "Let’s play a unique game. It’s called ’Make You Embarrassed.’ The rule is whoever draws the short stick must accept the penalty. There are two options: either drink the disgusting concoction or spill a secret about a designated person. The secret must embarrass the person to the extreme and be recognized by everyone to pass."

Jenny Vaughn was puzzled, "What do you mean by spilling a secret about a designated person?"

Sarah explained, "If you draw the short stick and don’t want to drink the concoction, you must spill a secret about a person we designate, like your husband. Your revelation must embarrass your husband excessively to pass, or you still have to drink the concoction."

Jenny excitedly stood up, clapping, "Fun, so fun, I really segment."

Charlie Spencer, also excited, hurriedly brought a glass of watermelon juice and over ten ingredients and rotated them in front of everyone, with each person having to add one ingredient.

Sauces and seasonings like chili, soy sauce, mustard, white vinegar, barbecue sauce, sour plum powder, and bitter herbal tea were added.

Victoria Sinclair added mineral water.

The resulting chaotic mixture was scarier than a sewer drink, making everyone’s skin tingle and no one dared to try.

Victoria frowned slightly, rising a sense of alertness within her.

She knew, Sarah and Vivian definitely wouldn’t miss this opportunity to target her.

Sure enough, as the game began, Sarah drew a short stick right away.

Vivian and the others jeered, "Sarah needs to accept the penalty, spill a secret or drink the concoction?"

Sarah feigned a struggle, awkwardly saying, "Sorry everyone, I choose to spill a secret."

Jenny pointed at Victoria and hastily spoke, "We want to hear Victoria’s secret, so designate her."

The crowd clapped excitedly, looking at Victoria.

Victoria remained calm, as serene as water.

Eugene Vaughn sternly said, "Choose someone else." Follow current novels on NoveI[F]ire.net

Vivian raised her hand, "Majority rules over minority, those who want to hear Victoria’s secret, raise your hand."

In the whole venue, only Eugene didn’t raise his hand.

The others were too curious about what secrets someone as outstanding and aloof as Victoria might have.

Sarah wickedly smiled, clearing her throat and said, "During college, Victoria often stayed overnight at a male professor’s house from our department, who was unmarried and lived alone."

As soon as these words were spoken, several girls gasped, covering their mouths, their discreet glances filled with incredible shock.

Charlie, Miles Shaw, and Tiffany Rhodes looked worriedly at Eugene’s now ashen face.

Ethan Vaughn just laughed, speaking rather nonchalantly, "That secret is indeed embarrassing, it passes, continue drawing."

Victoria from the bottom of her heart hated such childish and boring games, but since she was already participating, she didn’t want to leave defeated.

What Sarah said was true, she often visited the professor’s home overnight for academic research and conducting experiments with him, to the point of forgetting food and sleep.

To her, the professor was both a mentor and a friend, yet in Sarah’s portrayal, they all misunderstood.

The next round, the short stick was drawn by Jenny Vaughn. Not knowing Victoria well, everyone had her spill a secret about her husband, Tiffany Rhodes.

Jenny thought for a moment and said, "When my husband takes off his socks, he habitually puts them to his nose to smell."

Tiffany was inevitably embarrassed.

The scene erupted into laughter.

Only Eugene furrowed his brow tightly, filled with disdain, even thinking about that scene seemed dirty.

In the third round, Vivian drew the stick.

Someone designated her to spill a secret about Eugene, and someone wanted her to spill one about Victoria.

The vote leaned towards Victoria again.

Vivian clasped her hands together, feigning helplessness, "Sorry, Miss Sinclair, it’s the game’s rules, I have no choice."

Victoria chuckled, calmly saying, "I’m curious to hear what embarrassing secrets you know about me."

Vivian’s lips curled into a sly smirk, seemingly about to deliver a lethal blow that would completely crush Victoria, "The night before Miss Sinclair married Eugene, she checked into a hotel with Nathan Austin."

With these words, aside from Eugene, nearly everyone was stunned, looking at Victoria with a mix of contempt and disgust.

It was as if they were watching a woman whose private life was extremely depraved yet appeared pure and sweet on the surface; this contrast was unacceptable to them.

Eugene’s tightly clenched fists trembled, his breathing steady, his controlled cool demeanor became intimidating, ready to explode at any moment.

Victoria remained composed, breaking the tension first, "Indeed that happened, continue."

Her calmness was unsettling, baffling why she could be so tranquil.

Victoria had already noticed the detail on the stick’s head, raising her hand, "This time, let me draw first."

Sarah shook the tube forcefully, extending it in front of Victoria.

Sarah handed it to Eugene, who closed his eyes, taking a deep breath with a cold expression, speaking in a deep voice, "I don’t want to play, it’s meaningless."

Sarah glanced back at Vivian, following her cue.

Vivian was about to speak when Victoria spoke first, "I rarely draw a short stick, and you’re saying you don’t want to play? Are you afraid I’ll spill your secret?"

Eugene looked at Victoria in confusion.

Victoria chuckled, "Can’t handle the game?"

Eugene was deeply drawn to Victoria’s confident eyes.

Such behavior was unusual for her.

In his understanding of Victoria, she was talented and fiercely independent, not the type to seem submissive and unable to fight back as she appeared.

He pondered for a moment, drew a stick, anticipating Victoria’s counterattack.

The crowd, observing this, became most interested in hearing Eugene’s secrets.

It passed unanimously, requesting Victoria to spill Eugene’s secret.

Victoria suddenly became serious, gazing at Eugene beside her, "The secret I’m about to spill will leave you shamed, your dignity damaged. If you care about your dignity and face, I can drink that concoction."

Eugene gave a bitter smile, raised a cup and drank a mouthful of warm water, gently saying, "Don’t drink, you’ll get an upset stomach. No matter what secret you spill about me, I’ll never be angry with you."

With Eugene’s consent, Victoria was no longer worried.

Everyone watched her expectantly.

Victoria cleared her throat, her voice brightened a bit, "I’ve been married to Eugene for two years, yet to this day, I’m still a virgin, verifiable through medical examination."

Upon these words, the scene fell silent instantly.

Eugene’s body stiffened, the cup in his hand fell onto the sandy ground, clear water seeping into the sand.

Faces varied among everyone.

Friends and brothers worried if Eugene had health issues.

Several women couldn’t believe it, stunned yet suspicious, surprised but slightly unsatisfied.

Because just exposed were her inappropriate conduct with the professor and Nathan among others, yet, her single revelation instantly neutralized those gossip.

Victoria remained unaffected, easily resolving rumors targeting her.

However, she dared not meet Eugene’s eyes.

But she could distinctly feel his solemn gaze, like a fire burning into her heart, making her flustered, anxious, and worried.