It was a game of "King's Command," and my husband’s best female friend drew the penalty card. “Reveal a secret about the King,” the card read. Liam was the King. Her eyes flickered to me, and she gave a sly little wink. "Every time Liam sleeps with you, sis," she announced to the room, "he has to get my permission first." The air in the room turned to ice. She licked her lips, a smug smile playing on them. "Oh, don't be so awkward, everyone! It’s Liam's birthday! I thought we were all adults who could take a joke." 1 "Alright, alright," someone muttered, trying to break the tension. "Let's just say she failed the challenge." Melanie, Liam's friend, picked up her glass. But before she could take a sip, a large hand covered the rim. Liam. He looked around at the silent, stone-faced crowd. "Why isn't it a secret?" he declared, his voice booming. "Melanie passed. The game continues." Melanie’s smile widened. She set her glass down, her gaze sliding over to me, deliberately provocative. "See? Liam always has my back. You guys are no fun at all." A few people forced a laugh. Others, the more sober ones, shot nervous glances my way, trying to smooth things over. "Melanie and Liam have known each other since they were kids," one of them stammered. "It's normal for them to be close. We… we get it…" Their laughter was hollow. "Okay, next round, next round!" I drew a card. My smile was serene, almost detached. "Alright. Then for the next penalty, let's have the last two people who drew cards… do it. Right here, in front of everyone. Oh," I added, my voice dripping with honey, "and no need to get permission." Silence. Absolute, deafening silence. Liam's face turned into a thundercloud. "Ava, are you insane?!" No one spoke. Melanie’s eyes welled up with tears. "Sis, you're obviously targeting me. We all agreed it was 'no holds barred' for the birthday. I just played my card. What did I do to you?" I picked up the bottle of expensive liquor from the table. The golden liquid sloshed into a glass. "I hear you two have been close since you were kids," I said, my voice dangerously soft. "So close he needs your permission to sleep with his own wife. I was starting to think your relationship was a lot more… physical." "So let's see it. For entertainment." No one moved. I raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter? Unwilling?" I pushed the full glass in front of Melanie. She shrank back, clutching Liam's arm, her lip trembling in a perfect picture of wounded innocence. I smiled. "Fine. You can take the penalty drink instead. Choose. Either you drain this entire bottle, or…" I paused, letting the words hang in the air. "…I smash it over your pretty little heads." 2 The room was frozen. I looked around at the faces, their forced smiles now plastered on like grotesque masks. "Why did everyone stop laughing?" I asked sweetly. "I thought it was a birthday. No holds barred, right?" "Ava—!" Liam's voice was a roar. His face was livid. "Sit down. This isn't a joke anymore. We're playing a game, and you're turning it into some kind of—" He cut himself off. I arched a brow. "Some kind of what? Realizing how trashy your little games are? Don't be a sore loser. Either you do it, or you drink. Your choice." People started getting up, trying to pull me away, to diffuse the situation. Melanie shot to her feet, her face beet red. "You have no right to humiliate me like this! We're all adults here! What's it to you if we play a few risqué games? No one even invited you!" Her eyes filled with tears again. Liam immediately jumped up, placing himself between her and me. "Ava, have you lost your mind?!" His friends swarmed around me, a chorus of appeasement. "Come on, Ava, Melanie didn't mean anything by it. She's just a kid." "Yeah, we don't even think of her as a girl. She's just one of the guys. Liam definitely doesn't see her that way." "Two guys can't… you know… do it." Crash. In the scuffle, someone bumped the table. The open bottle of Louis XIII toppled over, spilling its expensive contents all over the floor. I laughed, a cold, sharp sound. I picked up a greasy plate and a bowl from the table and, with two swift movements, hurled them at the adulterous pair. "Since none of you seem to have a problem with this," I announced, my voice ringing with clarity, "when you get home, I'll have a little chat with your wives. Maybe they should start getting permission from other men before they sleep with you, too." Liam's face contorted with rage. He screamed my name, then scrambled for napkins to wipe the food off Melanie's face. I grabbed my purse. I walked out, and just before the door closed, I did them the courtesy of locking it from the outside. Then I called the police. "Hello? I'd like to report a possible orgy and prostitution ring." 3 I never knew Liam's world was this sordid. If Melanie hadn't insisted on throwing this disastrous birthday party, I would have continued to believe his friends were just your typical drinking buddies. I had no idea what kind of "flesh" they were actually interested in. The word "permission" echoed in my head, making me dizzy with rage. But divorcing him wasn't an option. Our families were business partners. Our marriage was the glue holding several multi-million dollar projects together. It was disgusting, but I had a responsibility to more than just my own feelings. I took a deep breath just as a text from my mother-in-law came through. 【How is the birthday celebration going, you two? Sweet, I hope!】 【Your father wanted to have you over for dinner, but I told him young people need their own space. Didn't want to bother you.】 【How about coming over to the main house for a visit tomorrow, after you've had your fun?】 I stared at the screen, unsure how to reply. Then my phone rang. It was Liam, his voice raw with fury. "Ava, what the hell is wrong with you? Do you know it's illegal to file a false police report?!" I hung up on him and replied to his mother. 【Liam isn't having a very good time. He went out with some friends to play games.】 【I heard from some people that there was some trouble with a woman, and the police got involved. I can't reach him now.】 【Mom, what should I do? I'm so worried…】 4 I tried calling Liam back. As expected, his line was busy. I wondered if I’d still have to go to the main house tomorrow. He came home in the early hours of the morning. The smell of alcohol was mostly gone, replaced by an air of indescribable frustration and anger. He paced the living room for a few minutes before finally stopping in front of me. "It was just a joke from a young girl. Did you really have to make such a scene?" "A young girl?" I asked, my voice innocent. "I thought you didn't see her as a woman." He was speechless. Finally, he ground out, "You hit her, and then you had her hauled off to the police station. She was just trying to do something nice for my birthday, and you humiliated her, over and over." "Ava, just because your family has money doesn't give you the right to bully a normal girl." I almost laughed at his twisted logic. "A normal girl? Her family's company is on the verge of bankruptcy. Is that my fault, too?" "That's not the point!" he snapped. "The point is you hurt her, and you scared her! Can't you understand that?!" I just stared at him, my expression unreadable. He slowly lost his steam, his gaze shifting away uncomfortably. "It was just a game…" he mumbled. "Our whole group swore we'd never get married. I was the first one to break the pact. Melanie… she was heartbroken. She cried so much." "Besides, she would have given permission anyway. It doesn't actually affect you, Ava. There's no reason for you to be upset." The only sound in the dark room was the ticking of the clock. After a long silence, I nodded. "You're right. That makes sense." A flicker of relief crossed his face. I continued, "So from now on, before we do anything, I'll need to get permission from my own male best friends. And my female ones, too." He froze. "That's different. This is about us. What does it have to do with them?" I just looked at him. He fell silent, his expression slowly souring. "Ava… you're really something else." 5 The aroma of food woke me. I opened my bedroom door to find the dining table laden with an exquisite dim sum breakfast. I recognized the style immediately—it was from Yu's, my mother-in-law's private teahouse. The family housekeeper bowed respectfully. "Madam, the young master ordered this for you." The shrimp dumplings on my side of the table were translucent, topped with delicate crab roe. The congee in the bone china bowl was fragrant and savory. There were lava buns and coconut chicken soup. All the things I’d ever shown a slight preference for in front of his mother. The guest room door opened. Liam stumbled out, looking dazed. When he saw me, his eyes slowly cleared. After a quick trip to the bathroom, he came and sat opposite me. "Morning, honey. I had this made especially for you. Your favorites, right? Last night… you know I was drunk. I said and did a lot of stupid things. I didn't mean any of it. You're… you're not still angry, are you?" He was practically groveling. I stirred my congee, the spoon clinking against the bowl. His smile faltered. The housekeeper discreetly placed a bowl in front of him. "Young master, your mother is expecting you both." Liam let out a breath. "Look, I was out of line. I'll talk to Melanie. I'll make sure she never pulls a stunt like that again, okay?" He placed a shumai on my plate. "I'm apologizing. Come on, honey, at least acknowledge my effort." I put down my chopsticks. "Are we still going to the main house or not?" 6 The mess last night had ended at the police station. I had no doubt it was my mother-in-law who had pulled strings to get Liam out. True or not, the last thing she would tolerate was a scandal that could tarnish the family name. As for our marriage, I suspected her attitude was simple: if we could be happy, great. If not, keep it quiet. Don't make a scene. That was how most people in our circle operated. When we arrived at the main house, she greeted me with a brilliant smile, as if nothing had happened. "Ava, darling! Your father and I have been waiting for you." Then she turned and slapped her son. "You brat! I told you to bring Ava home yesterday, and you insisted on going out with your friends. What's so important that you had to upset your wife? You'd better not make Ava unhappy, or you'll have me to deal with!" With those words, she effectively shut down any complaint I might have made. She pulled me to the sofa, all warmth and affection, and opened a wooden box. "Look, Ava. I saw this at an auction the other day and thought of you." Inside was a stunning lavender jade bracelet. It was clearly worth a fortune. Before I could respond, there was a commotion at the door. Melanie bounced in, holding a Maltese puppy. "Liam! I saw your car! Why didn't you tell me you were coming back to the main house? That's not cool, leaving your friends in the dark. I wasn't even mad at you for what happened, you know." She feigned a pout, set the dog down, and made a playful grab for his crotch. The puppy, freed, darted around the room before suddenly making a beeline for the coffee table where the gift box sat. Crash. A teacup shattered, the pieces hitting the dog on the head. The puppy yelped. Melanie’s face changed in an instant. She rushed over, scooping up the dog, tears welling in her eyes. "Sis, how can you be so cruel to a helpless animal?! This is Liam's family home, not yours! Even if you hate me, you don't have to take it out on—" She didn't get to finish her performance. "I'm the one who threw the cup," my mother-in-law stated, her voice like steel. Melanie froze, a half-formed tear clinging to her eyelash. "Auntie…?" Her voice rose. "Who let this dog in here? Have I not made it clear that I am allergic to dog hair?!" 7 The ground floor fell silent. The servants exchanged nervous glances. I calmly picked up a new teacup and began to rinse it with hot water. "It's just a mutt. No need to get so worked up over an uninvited guest, Mom." Melanie's face flushed with anger. "Who are you calling a mutt?!" I ignored her, continuing to prepare the tea. Liam finally snapped out of his trance and hurried over. "Come on, the bracelet wasn't broken. Melanie didn't mean for this to happen." The dog's name was "Lulu." Which sounded exactly like "Lew," Liam's nickname. Realizing her slip, Melanie quickly corrected herself, tugging on his sleeve. "Auntie, Liam gave Lulu to me when he got engaged. He said he was afraid I'd miss him and cry, so Lulu was supposed to be a substitute…" The fragrance of the tea filled the air. I closed my eyes. Perhaps I was a fool for ever having faith in Liam. I slipped the lavender jade bracelet onto my wrist. It was cool against my skin. I smiled softly. "Mom, let's just say Liam and I are even now." Liam's gaze fell on my wrist. His expression froze, and he stared at me in disbelief.
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