Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph
Chapter 124 I Like You, It's None of Your Business

As soon as they spotted the weapon, someone let out a terrified scream, and the crowd scattered like roaches.

Oliver jumped in front of Bella. "Got beef? Bring it to me. Leave her out of this."

Zachary twirled the knife in his hand, not even giving Oliver a glance. Instead, he smirked at Bella with a creepy grin.

"Of course, I won't touch her. She's too precious for that."

His moves were so slick that the knife spun effortlessly. It wasn't until I saw his blue cocktail turn red that I realized he had cut himself.

Zachary swirled the glass and strolled forward, ignoring Oliver's death stare. He grabbed Bella's injured hand and let a drop of her blood fall into the glass too. The blood mixed with the drink, and in the next second, Zachary downed the cocktail, now spiked with both their blood, in one gulp.

He wiped his mouth, flashed a wicked grin, and tossed the empty glass behind him. One of his goons caught it with a smooth arc. Zachary had made his point loud and clear.

For a moment, everyone was stunned into silence. Even Oliver was breathing hard, lost for words.

"Aren't you gonna put the ring on me? Hurry up, stop dragging your feet."

Bella broke the silence, sounding super annoyed.

Oliver snapped out of it, grinning like an idiot, and nervously pulled out the ring, almost dropping it.

With shaky hands, he slipped it onto Bella's finger, knowing she had made her choice. Ignoring the rival nearby, he smiled like a fool and pulled Bella into his arms. Frank shouted, "Hell yeah!"

He started clapping, and a few others joined in, though most were too scared of Zachary to do more than stand there quietly.

Zachary seemed to have expected this and stayed cool, his smile never fading.

He brought his cut finger to his mouth and licked it, his eyes locked on Bella.

Bella stepped out of Oliver's embrace and glanced at Zachary, a flicker of something complicated crossing her face.

Zachary wasn't the typical pretty boy, but he had a rugged charm. From what I knew about Bella, Zachary was her type. If Oliver hadn't swooped in first, Zachary might've had a shot. "If Oliver ever messes with you, come find me."

Zachary's tone was calm but firm, showing he wasn't giving up.

"Can you quit the crap? Can't you read the room?" Oliver shouted, barely holding it together.

Zachary just smirked at him, gave Bella one last look, and then turned to leave.

His buddies seemed pissed and called out, "Zachary,"

"Let's bounce."

Zachary said coldly, and no one dared to say another word.

As he walked away, his smile faded, and he looked kinda bummed. I figured he really did like Bella, but with guys like them, how long could real feelings last?

I watched Zachary and his crew leave. Only when I heard everyone cheering did I turn back to see Oliver making out with Bella like there was no tomorrow.

I got it. His big proposal almost got wrecked. Like Jason always says, the easier something is to get, the less you value it. Zachary's stunt must've made Oliver feel like he barely won, so he was all in with that kiss. The applause kept going, and honestly, it got to me.

Oliver and Bella had been through a lot to get here. I hoped things would be smooth sailing for them from now on.

Everyone in the booth stood up, and Lacey looked towards the stage, clearly moved.

The long kiss finally ended. Being kissed in front of so many people made the usually carefree Bella a bit shy, and she kept her head buried in Oliver's chest.

Seeing there was no more drama, the crowd started to thin out. Oliver and Bella came over, and everyone insisted they drink.

But Oliver was worried about Bella's hand and asked, "Do you want to get it bandaged?"

Bella sat down and shrugged it off, "It's just a scratch."

As the drinks flowed, I noticed Lacey sitting quietly, looking kinda down. I wondered if she was still stressing about work.

I sat down next to her and asked, "What's up? You don't seem too happy."

Lacey smiled at me and said, "Nah, I'm good."

She got up to go to the restroom, but she didn't come back for a while. I started to worry and went to look for her.

As I reached the corner, I heard Lacey's voice and stopped.

"Oh, come on, how could I forget you? No way."

"Dinner? Sure, but there's no way I'm letting you pay. I should be the one treating you. Work's been nuts lately, but as soon as I get some free time, I'll definitely set it up. Mark, you gotta let me do this." Lacey leaned lazily against the wall, holding her phone.

She was grinning ear to ear on the phone, a total 180 from her earlier mood.

I headed back to the booth, and after a bit, Lacey returned.

Her face was a bit damp, and her sleeve looked wet too. I pretended not to notice and handed her a fruit platter.

She smiled and said thanks but didn't touch it. Instead, she clapped her hands twice and said, "That was wild."

Frank laughed and pointed at Oliver. "Oliver kept this under wraps the whole time. Who knew he had a romantic side?"

Having nailed the proposal, Oliver was on cloud nine and grinning like a fool.

"Of course."

"I actually have something to announce too."

Lacey's serious tone made everyone hush up.

She slowly turned her gaze to Jason, who had been chilling quietly in a corner.

I had a hunch about what she was gonna say.

"Jason, I like you!"

Lacey was straight-up, confessing her feelings without a second thought.

The booth exploded with teasing and cheers.

Lacey let out a deep breath, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and smiled with relief.

"Even though I like you, it doesn't mean you have to do anything about it. I just got inspired by what happened earlier and wanted to get it off my chest." Honestly, I admired Lacey's guts and honesty.

"Kiss! Kiss!" Oliver and Frank led the teasing, pounding the table and drawing everyone's attention.

After a long pause, Jason finally looked up and gave a faint smile. "Lacey, don't joke like that."

Lacey looked at him seriously. "I'm not joking."

Jason bit his lip, looking a bit flustered, and gave a bitter smile. "What did I do to deserve this? Actually, I was also inspired and wanted to confess."

He suddenly looked at me, and our eyes locked. In those few seconds, his gaze was so intense it made my heart race.

Suddenly, my hand was held. I turned to see Ethan bringing my hand to his lips and gently kissing it.

I was kinda freaked out by his sudden show of affection, which could easily mess with my emotions.

With a loud thud, I snapped back to reality. Jason had slammed his empty glass on the coffee table.

I remembered that his glass had been full earlier, but in the brief moment I was distracted, he had downed it.

"I have someone I like, someone I've liked for many years, but I missed the right moment. So now I can only regret it at the wrong time."

Lacey smiled nonchalantly at Jason's indirect rejection.

"You like who you like, and I like who I like. Like I said, my feelings for you have nothing to do with you. I'm just happy today, and keeping this bottled up was driving me nuts. Saying it out loud makes me feel better. Jason, don't sweat it. I just needed to say it, not get a result."

Despite her chill words, Lacey's hand shook a bit as she reached for her glass.

Sensing the awkward vibe, Oliver shouted, "Drink up, everyone! It's on me tonight. I'm stoked, so drink as much as you want."

In the end, everyone drank, and we sorted out a few designated drivers when it was time to bounce.

As we left the bar, I took Bella's hand and stared at the diamond ring on her finger.

"Bella, I'm really happy for you," I said.

Bella smiled at me, a rare, flirtatious smile.

She hooked her arm around my shoulder, pulled me aside, and whispered, "Emily, honestly, I don't know if I found the right person. At that moment, I just impulsively said yes. Do you think I was too hasty? Emily, if Oliver ever dares to hurt me, I'll break his leg."

Bella had had a bit to drink and was both happy and conflicted, her expressions all over the place.

I laughed and said, "Bella, for the sake of his leg, Oliver wouldn't dare hurt you."

When we got back to the villa, the living room lights were on.

The TV was off, and Faye was sitting quietly on the couch, looking a bit lost.

"Have you eaten?" Ethan asked casually as he changed his shoes and walked in.

No matter what mistakes she made, he still cared about her.

Faye nodded, looking pitifully at Ethan.

"I've been thinking all day, and I know I was wrong."

But I didn't feel she truly got it.

I gave a magnanimous smile. "It's okay. Since you were forced into it, we don't blame you. Don't overthink it."

Faye looked at me with a hint of surprise, and I kept my smile steady.

Our calm eye contact was actually filled with underlying tension.

After going upstairs, I went to take a shower while Ethan sat on a small sofa, working on his laptop.

I finished my shower and got into bed. After a while, he closed his laptop and went into the bathroom.

The sound of running water came from the bathroom.

After a bit, the water stopped, and the bathroom door opened.

For some reason, I felt a bit nervous and closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep.

The side of the bed sank slightly, and a pair of still-damp arms pulled me into an embrace.