A senior executive suddenly grabbed her arm. "Little girl, pour me a drink."
Celia froze, then said firmly, "Let go."
Her voice carried clearly across the room. Nathaniel Fu lifted his gaze, his deep, narrow eyes cutting through the haze of smoke until they landed on Celia.
Shaun Wen and Zane Song also turned to look, their attention caught by the sight of Celia being pulled around by the executive.
The man not only refused to release her but even grew more intrigued. "Where did you come from, girl? Acting so arrogant—won't even pour me a drink."
Celia's clear, bright eyes flicked toward the man seated at the head of the table. Meeting Nathaniel's gaze, she whispered word by word, "Let go. I belong to Mr. Fu."
Her declaration hung in the air. The executive immediately looked toward Nathaniel and sneered. "Mr. Fu, listen to this joke! Some random girl off the street dares to claim she belongs to you."
Zane Song leaned back lazily, throwing her a mocking glance. "She's not my second brother's woman."
The other CEOs burst out laughing, their voices full of ridicule.
"Young girls these days are unbelievable. They'll claim the richest man in the room."
"That's right. If you're going to cling to someone, you might as well cling to the wealthiest. President Fu has more money than anyone—I bet plenty of women dream of him."
Celia's cheeks flushed, but she ignored their taunts. Locking eyes with Nathaniel, she said with quiet resolve, "I am President Fu's woman."
Nathaniel didn't respond. He only smoked faster, the glowing ash dropping onto his trousers, and he didn't even brush it away.
Sensing the tension, Shaun Wen smirked. "Since this girl insists she's with President Fu, why don't we give her a chance—let her play a few hands with him?"
No one dared go against Shaun's words. The executive shoved Celia into a chair across from Nathaniel. "Little girl, you're lucky tonight. You actually get to play cards with Boss Fu."
Zane Song raised an eyebrow. "Sure, but we're playing for money. Win or lose, it's on you. Celia, do you even have the cash to play?"
Celia shook her head. "No."
"Then why are you still sitting here?"
She smiled sweetly, winking at Nathaniel across the table. "Because Boss Fu is here. He won't let me lose… right?"
Nathaniel exhaled a stream of smoke, the corner of his lips curving in an unreadable smile.
"Then let's begin."
The dealer shuffled and dealt. Celia's luck was surprisingly good—she drew the landlord's hand, meaning Nathaniel, Zane, and the others were teamed against her.
Zane chuckled darkly as he placed his bet. "Celia, my second brother's on our team. Tonight, I'll make sure you lose everything."
"…," Celia muttered under her breath.
In truth, her hand wasn't bad. When the game neared its end, she held four aces and a four.
Slapping her cards down, she announced, "Four aces!"
Zane had been waiting. He immediately countered with four twos.
Celia was crushed.
"Hahaha! Little girl, you're finished."
"Unless you've got something higher hidden away."
Celia glanced down at the lonely four in her hand and went speechless. Unless she could magically conjure a three, she was doomed.
But who would hand her one?
"By my calculation, little girl, you've just lost tens of millions," someone jeered.
"If you want to seduce our President Fu, that's the price you'll have to pay."
Her mind went blank.
Tens of millions?!
Do rich people always gamble with such insane stakes?
She had come tonight to coax Nathaniel, not to lose a fortune she didn't even have.
Biting her lip, Celia reached beneath the table and secretly kicked the man sitting across from her.