Chapter 832: The Single Club
Chapter 832: The Single Club
Meanwhile...
The guests at Lola’s and Atlas’s gender reveal weren’t just friends and family; the guards also had a special space to enjoy the night. Since the incident at the holy grounds, the Order had gotten close to those who worked for Zoren and Penny.
At the large table, Angel, Mark, Pika, Florida, Ransom, Tyga, Kean, Baby, Chuck, and many others—the guards Henrik, Marceline, and Draken brought—happily snacked. The main event had yet to happen; how could it, when everyone was so busy betting and watching the prize pool increase?
"If I win this... I’m going to retire," Angel gasped as he stared at the whopping ten-million prize pool over something so petty.
"They’re at it again." Mark shook his head as he stared at his phone. "I never knew the leaders of the secret society were so childish."
Florida turned to Pika. "How did you set up this website so quickly?"
"Not me," Pika laughed. "Sir Yugi already had that set up because of how frequent the betting is. We just thought of soft-launching it tonight."
"Don’t forget to place your bets," Tyga remarked, having already wagered half his salary. "Or should I put in more? If our side wins, I’ll get more."
"Who did you bet on?"
As they busily weighed their options, seeing this opportunity as their quick retirement fund, Mark felt his phone buzz.
Checking his phone, he nodded and snapped his eyes up. "My fiancée’s here. I’ll just go pick her up before she kills me."
"Fiancée?" Florida repeated as all the men looked up at him.
At the same time, Izu returned and joined them.
"Where are you going?" Izu asked, seeing Mark about to leave.
"His fiancée is here," Angel answered bitterly, scoffing. "This guy, after all, managed to get a lady."
Mark just smirked at him. "I’m not getting any younger. I also want a family to go home to."
"Really?" Pika blurted out in pure curiosity. "I thought you were still young. Like around thirty."
"I am thirty."
Pika blinked, while Baby, who had been quietly listening to them, also blinked. Then, at the same time, Pika and Baby spoke.
"That’s old," said Baby, while Pika answered, "You’re young."
"Huh?" Everyone looked confused, darting their eyes between Baby and Pika.
Even Pika looked at Baby in surprise. "Baby, what do you mean he’s old? He is young."
"He’s older than me," Baby answered flatly, only to furrow his brows when he saw everyone’s faces twitch. "Why?"
Florida cleared his throat and leaned forward. "Baby, how old are you?"
Even though they had worked together for years, none of them knew each other’s ages. It didn’t matter to them. What mattered was which circle they belonged to.
"Twenty-eight."
The moment Baby answered, everyone almost choked on their food and drinks. Then they gasped, their mouths wide open, eyes fixed on him.
"What?!" they gasped together. "You’re kidding."
Baby blinked innocently, tilting his head to the side. "Is it because of my body?"
"No way!" Chuck harrumphed, slamming his hands on the table and pointing at Baby accusingly. "There’s no way you’re that young! I’m older than you?! Is that what you’re saying?!"
"Why? How old are you?" Baby asked, and the answer came quickly.
"Thirty-three!"
Everyone exchanged looks, and before they knew it, they were already blurting out their ages and birth years. As they heard each other’s answers, they quickly realized that Baby was the youngest among them.
"Holy—" Angel gasped, bobbing his head up and down.
Even Mark, who was supposed to leave to see his fiancée, was stuck in his spot. As for Baby, he sighed because he wasn’t surprised. He had known all along that he was very young, but because of his physique, people assumed he was older.
Just then, Haji jumped in and sat down beside Chuck.
"What’s going on here?" he asked, popping a snack into his mouth. "You guys look like you’re having the time of your lives."
Haji flinched when Chuck whipped his head toward him.
"Do you know how old Baby is?"
Haji paused as he reached for a glass and answered before taking a sip. "No. Why?"
"He’s twenty-eight."
The second those words reached Haji’s ears, he choked—literally. Chuck smirked a bit because he had purposely revealed it while Haji was drinking.
"What?!" When Haji recovered, he looked at Baby in disbelief. "You’re kidding."
But Baby only frowned.
Just when everyone’s attention was on Baby, Pika suddenly murmured, "Wow, you guys are so young."
Though his voice was quiet, they all heard him. A moment later, all eyes landed on him, making Pika flinch in surprise. Now that they thought about it, Pika hadn’t told them his age.
All of them ranged from thirty to thirty-five. The oldest was thirty-five.
"You—you!" Chuck stuttered, studying the youthful-looking Pika. "What the hell does that mean?"
"How old are you?" Haji added.
Pika scratched the back of his head as he smiled awkwardly. "I just turned thirty-nine this year."
Silence instantly fell over their table.
All of them stared at Pika, who looked like a teen. Pika was small, his body was petite, and he just looked youthful. Even his personality suggested he was young.
Their mouths opened and closed in shock, but no words came out. All they could do was dart their eyes between Baby, whom they thought was older than them, and Pika, whom they had assumed was the youngest.
As it turned out, Baby was the youngest, and Pika was the oldest.
"This world... is ending, isn’t it?" Izu blurted out in dread.
Mark, who was shocked by this, flinched as he was reminded of his girl. "Right. I’ll come back."
He hurried off, making everyone just watch him. With how surprised they were, they didn’t even have the chance to feel bitter that one of them was happily in a relationship. But then...
"I’ll also pick up my girlfriend," Baby announced meekly. "I haven’t seen her in a while."
With that, Baby walked away while holding his phone.
For a second, everyone just fell silent as they watched him.
"Did he just say..." Haji blinked as he stared at Baby’s figure. "...he has a girlfriend?"
"When?" Izu blurted out. "Since when?"
"How the hell did he get the time?" Chuck added, slamming his fist against the table. "There’s no way—she’s probably ugly!"
Ugly or not, all of them were just bitter single men. Still, their curiosity piqued.
Curious, they hastily rushed after Baby and Mark. In their heads, they didn’t have any expectations of Baby’s girlfriend. They just wanted to see what kind of woman would date that big guy.
Much to everyone’s dismay, Baby’s standards were... outrageous.
"That’s..." Haji opened and closed his mouth, while Izu narrowed his eyes.
"Isn’t that..." Izu trailed off as he tried to recall the woman who jumped in to hug Baby. "...the madam’s best friend?"
Haji clapped as he gasped. "Aileen?! What the—when?!"
"That—that bastard!" Chuck and Angel seethed as they ground their teeth, watching a beautiful woman happily hug Baby and hold his hand. Then Chuck shifted his gaze to where Mark was, only to see that the woman with him was just as gorgeous.
"These jerks...!" he huffed. "When did they get the time? No, what kind of potion did those two spike those ladies’ drinks with?"
Chuck’s face darkened. "I need it."
Angel bitterly watched Baby, and his face twisted even more when his eyes landed on Mark and his fiancée, Lily.
But just as Angel was about to move away, he stopped when he felt a presence at his side. Turning, his face twitched when he saw Patricia Miller—one of Penny’s assistants—looking at him sharply.
Fuck, he thought.
"Angel, what are you doing here?" Patricia asked. "Don’t tell me you’re stalking me?"
But in the blink of an eye, he dashed away, leaving Patricia, Chuck, and the other men behind. Patricia clicked her tongue and eyed the men, only to snort at them and walk away.
"Poor you lot," she laughed evilly. "Don’t even think you’ll ever get out of the single club ever—bwahahaha!"
The men’s faces soured as they looked at her retreating figure. Patricia laughed at them, even though she had been single forever herself.
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