Chapter 167

Joshua never expected that his own younger brother would use his own words against him. He was already in a bad mood, and now he felt even more irritated. With a sullen face, he asked, “You just helped Sienna share her drinks. Shouldn’t you help me out too!”

“Do it yourself,” Jamar smiled and replied, “We’re still in a temporary state of cutting ties, so you’ll have to handle it.”

Joshua really wanted to drag this so-called younger brother outside and beat him up. Looking at the ten drinks on the table, he really didn’t want to drink them. But he also knew he couldn’t avoid it.

Seeing his reaction, Maddox said, “Are you really going to drink all ten yourself? Won’t you let your sister share some!”

Originally, he suggested betting on drinks to trap Reece and Sienna. Those two had gone too far with Phoebe before. Especially Sienna. She had taken everything from Phoebe and still pretended to be innocent.

Maddox had accidentally noticed that when Sienna looked at Phoebe, her eyes carried deep resentment and hatred. This made him wary, and he planned to find a chance to warn Phoebe off-camera. Sienna also looked at him like a hungry jackal eyeing meat, which utterly disgusted him. So, Maddox wanted to set her up, or at least let everyone see her true colors.

He didn’t expect that Reece would be so cunning, managing to escape the trap. Meanwhile, Sienna, trying to maintain her “sweet little sister” persona, had fallen into the trap but hadn’t taken a single sip yet. If she got away with it, Maddox’s plan would be wasted. He couldn’t let that happen. Even if she didn’t drink in the end, at least he wanted to plant a thorn in Joshua’s heart.

Sienna didn’t expect Maddox to target her. She thought he was ungentlemanly. Even Joshua hadn’t said anything yet. Now she was in a dilemma. She couldn’t help but curse Joshua in her heart. He was so confident about betting on drinks, and he dragged her into it.

Jamar looked at Sienna and noticed the rejection and resentment in her eyes, making his heart grow colder. Joshua always protected her, yet she wasn’t even willing to drink a few cups for him. And now, she was even blaming him. Besides, if Sienna didn’t want to drink, she should have been as direct as Reece from the start. Or, like him, found an excuse to refuse participation.

Sienna wanted to keep up her “sweet little sister” act, yet when faced with difficulty, she refused to share the burden. All that so-called care and consideration she usually showed them seemed nothing more than empty words.

At that moment, Jamar felt incredibly conflicted and hurt. He saw her sister’s true colors, who they had spoiled for many years. He turned to Joshua and said, “Joshua, how about letting Sienna share a few drinks with you?”

He wasn’t actually trying to force Sienna to drink. He just wanted to see how she would react. And let Joshua see for himself just how “considerate” Sienna truly was. Sienna looked up at Jamar in disbelief. She never expected that not only would Jamar refuse to help her, but he would also side with Maddox to trap her.

Joshua glanced at Jamar and saw him subtly nodding. He had no idea what Jamar was up to, but he still turned to Sienna and asked, “Sienna, will you drink two cups?”

Sienna was completely cornered. She absolutely did not want to drink. Earlier, she had seen how miserable Joshua and Jamar looked when drinking this. Joshua had even nearly gagged and had to down half a bottle of water afterward. This meant that it tasted terrible.

She quickly thought of a way and said, “Joshua, of course, I’m willing to drink with you. But my period just started…. How about I drink three?” She was certain that, given how much Joshua cherished her, he would never let her drink while on her period. Sure enough, Joshua suddenly said, “It’s fine. It’s just ten drinks. I’ll bundle it.” Without hesitation, he picked up a glass and downed it in one gulp.

He was trampled by the people he despised the most. His sister teamed up with others to trap him. His younger brother refused to help. Even his beloved adopted brother was against him. At this moment, he felt deeply hurt, miserable, and frustrated. He grabbed another glass and drank, drowning his sorrows in alcohol.

Sienna pretended to reach for a glass of wine. “Joshua, I’ll help you drink two glasses,”

Joshua wasn’t that gullible. He could tell that Sienna didn’t actually want to drink. She picked up the glass but didn’t drink immediately, instead waiting for his response. Joshua snatched the glass from her hands. “No need. I lost, and I take the punishment.”

As much as he hated to admit it, he had been humiliated and trampled by Quintus today. He didn’t even have to check. He knew the online narrative would shift, and he would be ridiculed. A bet was a bet. That was nothing he could do. Arguing or making excuses would only be more embarrassing. It was better to just face it head-on.

He downed nine consecutive glasses, his face turning red, but he didn’t get drunk. Maddox, despite wanting to trap a few people into drinking, had specifically instructed the staff to use low-alcohol liquor. So even after ten shots, it wasn’t actually as intoxicating as drinking the same amount of beer.

Joshua picked up the last glass, just about to drink it, when Phoebe spoke up. “Joshua, shouldn’t you drink this last one with Quintus?” Joshua had wronged Quintus and slandered him. He should apologize. He shouldn’t bully someone just because they had a lower status or no background. That was not how this worked. Phoebe protected her people. No one could bully them anymore.

Joslina’s eyes turned red, a mix of shame and anger. With resentment in his voice, he said, “Fine. Of course, I’ll drink with Quintus.” He stood up, walked to Quintus, hesitated for a moment, and finally said, “I’m sorry. I misunderstood you before.”

The words were difficult to say. Joshua thought Phoebe was unbelievable. She forced her own brother to lower his head and apologize to an outsider. However, she had put it that way. If he didn’t apologize, it would only make him look small-minded and petty. Joshua didn’t care much about making money as a singer, but as a top idol, he valued his reputation.

Quintus could tell that Joshua was only apologizing because Phoebe had pressured him into it. His eyes reddened, not because of Joshua’s apology, but because of Phoebe. She had protected him to this extent. It was impossible not to be moved.

Quintus had no intention of saying “that’s fine” or offering any words of forgiveness. After all, if Phoebe hadn’t stepped in, Joshua would have crushed him, forcing him out of the music industry.

Plorlar understood exactly what Quintus was thinking. She felt the same way. Not every apology deserved forgiveness. Otherwise, they would have…

Chapter 16

…stepped into a complicated situation. Phoebe stepped forward, addressed Quintus seriously, and said, “Mr. Jones, it’s good that you realize your mistake. I hope that in the future, you’ll be more careful with your words and actions. Instead of using your wine, you sought to cause great harm to others and deprive the music industry of a shining star?”

Joshua stared at Phoebe deeply. “Thank you for your guidance, Ms. Jenkins.” Then he downed the last glass in one gulp. Without waiting for Quintus to respond, he turned and went back to his seat. Sebe was once again speaking up for Cumnoc. He didn’t want to accept his apology, and Phoebe simply stood in front of him, making sure he didn’t have to.

At that moment, Joshua felt a bitterness spreading through his chest, heavier than the alcohol. With Joshua’s drinking and apology done, Phoebe and Maddox mutually let him off the hook. Urs poured a drink and specifically toasted Phoebe. Meeting an agent like her was the greatest boon of his life.

Maddox got up and left for a moment, then returned carrying a tray. On it were various cocktail ingredients. Seeing this, Jamar and the others immediately became wary. Maddox noticed their defensive expressions and couldn’t help but laugh. He moved three cocktails, following the same ingredients he had used before.

Then Maddox picked up a glass, looked at Jamar, and said, “Sorry, I lied to you earlier. I never ordered drinks under your table number. The drinks you had were actually made by me.” He added, “It was just a prank. I didn’t expect you actually to drink all of them. So now, I’ll drink three myself!”