"This will be a breeze…" Benard took out another dart in full confidence.
"Without touching the stem!" added Carla.
For a split second, Benard was dumbfounded. Looking at Rogan with the rose in her lips with just a little stem poking out, he registered the difficulty in hitting the stem without harming the person.
Now he couldn't even hit the stem, but had to drop the petals on the ground?
She just had to make things harder. Benard gritted his teeth.
"Why? Not up for the challenge?" Carla raised her eyebrow, mocking. "It's not too late for you to back down."
Everyone else in the room had stopped whatever they were doing, focusing all their attention on the little competition between the Giblos and the Liergers. Some even brought their drinks, hoping for a good show. How could Benard possibly back down now?
"Of course not, " answered Benard instantly. "Challenge accepted."
"Show them how it's done, Benard!" cheered Bugara.
He had been mocked and humiliated by Rogan, the fire of his rage is still burning hot. Right then and there, Bugara hoped that Benard would restore their integrity.
"So childish." Rogan rolled her eyes at the men, still holding the rose between her teeth.
"Fair warning, Mr. Giblo." Carla raised her glass and gave a stern look towards the men, "If there is even a scratch on Rogan, I shall destroy all of you."
"Heard that?" Zayn raised an eyebrow at Benard.
"Don't worry Mr. Giblo." Benard frowned. Even though he knew it wouldn't be easy, it's too late to quit now.
"Let's begin!" Impatient, Freda took out a dart. She turned to Benard and raised her eyebrow in a mocking manner. "Go ahead. I'll give you a head start."
Feeling his pride and dignity being threatened, Benard declined. "No need for that. Ladies first, " he said, gesturing to Rogan.
"Okay, " Freda did not hesitate. She held the dart and took a few strides back, allowing the distance between her and Rogan to be a good twenty meters. Narrowing her eyes, she aimed the dart towards the rose in Rogan's lips…
Whoosh! The dart flew across the distance and right through the center of the rose. The liquid on the flower splashed all over Rogan.
Rogan closed her eyes reflectively. When she reopened them, a few shredded bits of the rose petals hung on her eyelashes.
"Brilliant!" A few merchants applauded in awe.
Freda's aim was sharp and precise. The dart only pierced through the petals, and the stem did not even move. The dart finally landed on the dartboard, shaking slightly at the impact.
"Your turn." Rogan smiled triumphantly at Benard and walked to the side.
Benard held a dart and headed towards the position where Freda stood. He aimed his dart and drew his hand back, prepare to shoot. Before he could, however, Carla quipped, "Without touching the sepals
either."
Benard widened his eyes, at a loss for words. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Freda had hit the middle section of the flower, leaving only the messy bottom half held together by the sepals. If they weren't allowed to even hit the sepals, it would complicate things further.
"I didn't hit it either just now." shrugged Freda with a smirk.
"You…" Benard gnawed his teeth in frustration. But with all eyes on him, he decided to not pick a petty fight with a woman and let it slide.
"Good luck, Benard!" cheered Bugara in a cold sweat, feeling anxious for Benard.
Zayn on the other hand sipped his drink elegantly without even lifting his gaze.
"You don't seem to have any bit of worry, Mr. Giblo, " teased Carla. "What if you lose? Wouldn't that be embarrassing?"
Zayn swirled the glass in his hands before smiling, "The Giblos never lose, " he declared confidently.
At those words, Benard's dart flew across the room and accurately pierced through the petals, missing the sepals by a few millimeters.
The petals were torn and scattered, landing softly on Rogan, adding hints of color on her black suit.
Yet the scene looked undeniably beautiful…
"Awesome!" The crowd burst into cheers and applause.
Even though Benard did not knock down as many petals as Freda did, he managed to hit the target precisely without scratching anything else. At that, the crowd was impressed.
"Not bad." Carla curled her lips into a smile. "I've underestimated you."
"Hmpf, " huffed Benard and gestured for Freda to take her next shot. He was interested to see what Freda would do next.
The rose was now utterly disheveled, with only tiny bits of petals left. To successfully hit the petals that were left was already a challenge by itself, much less to knock them down.
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