Chapter 234

“Even poker requires a brain. And you… do you even have one?”

“Of course you do. Just not much of one.”
After the taunts, Theodore picked up the hoe and put it back where he found it.
“What’s going on? I take a quick nap, and you all start bullying my guest?” Anna Flores emerged from the house, yawning. Seeing Zebulon’s state, she sauntered
over.
“Your guest? We’ve shown him plenty of respect. Mr. Stapleton himself personally played several hands with him,” Simon said, seemingly joking, but secretly signaling to Anna with his eyes.
Anna laughed. “That’s what I call bullying. Who in their right mind would dare play cards with Mr. Stapleton? That’s just asking for punishment!”
“He insisted on playing!” Michael chimed in.
“Oh, well then, you can’t blame anyone but his own clueless brain!”
Anna’s comment made everyone laugh. She walked over and pulled Zebulon to his feet. “It’s chilly out here. Why aren’t you wearing any clothes?” she said, trying to help him get dressed.
“He lost another round! He still hasn’t taken off his underwear!” a bystander shouted, and others chimed in, insisting that if you play the game, you have to accept the consequences.
“He still has to take something off?” Anna smirked. “You guys really want to see that?”
“Yeah, we do!” someone yelled, and the crowd laughed again.
“I want to go home,” Zebulon whispered to Anna, his face flushed with shame.
Anna glanced at his pathetic state with a flash of disgust but said, “You can leave whenever you want. These guys aren’t thugs; they won’t force you to stay. But you’d better think carefully. Is the Stone Group really willing to give up on the Zenith Group project?”
“This has nothing to do with the project.”
“Are you an idiot? Don’t you know that the only way you get that project is by making Theodore happy? Why do you think everyone here i playing with him, flattering him, trying to please him? It’s all to keep him flappy! If he’s in a good mood, he might just sprinkle some business their way, and everyone gets rich!”
Anna paused, wondering how she could have ever been attracted to him. He was
nothing but an empty shell, a pretty face with no backbone.
“If you can’t swallow your pride and play the game, you shouldn’t have come here in the first place. Now that things have gone this far, you want to just walk away? You’re making me look bad! Besides, if you piss off Theodore, you can forget about getting the project. Your family’s company might not even survive!”
Without giving Zebulon a chance to respond, Anna pushed him back toward the group. “He’s no supermodel. Let him take it off. But are you sure you want to see
it?”
Michael, remembering their old school days, felt a twinge of pity. “We’re not actually interested in seeing it, but he did lose the bet.”
“I’ll have him dance for you instead!” Anna declared boldly.
Zebulon was horrified and tried to refuse, but Anna pinched him hard.
“Hold on, we’re going to get him into costume!”
With that, she pushed him back into the house.
Penelope sat on the windowsill, watching everything unfold below. She had already sighed several times.
Pn
When you’re the vendor, keeping the client happy is part of the job. Buying drinks and laughing at their jokes is basic. Playing games with them requires a bit more strategy-you have to entertain them without gating taken for a ride. She had closed countless deals and had never ended up in a situation as pathetic as Zebulon’s tonight.
He was… beyond words.
While Penelope was still lost in thought, Zebulon was pushed back outside. Whether The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the
it was Anna’s idea of a favor or just her twisted sense of humor, he was at least
wearing one more item of clothing: an apron.
A grown man, wearing nothing but underwear and a frilly apron.
Penelope covered her face. This was even more cringe-worthy than just the underwear.