Chapter 445 Earning Her Place
Across the room, someone scoffed, "Listen to you."
Wyatt shot a careless look at the group. "I don’t care if any of you date or not, but just know–whoever brings a partner here in the future, however you treat my wife today is exactly how I’ll treat yours.”
He bit down on a cigarette, while Yunice leaned casually against his arm, the curve of her smile cool and composed–like a queen holding court.
Maine let out a loud laugh. “Alright, alright, we’ll stop teasing. You make it sound like we’ve been bullying your wife.”
Then she turned to Yunice. “He was the first of us lonely singles to betray the cause. We just wanted to see for ourselves–what kind of charm does it take to make someone like him settle down?”
People at their level rarely went out of their way to pick on others for no reason.
Yunice smiled. “I used to be all for staying single, too. But Wyatt had something special that made me change my mind. That’s why I’m here, meeting all of you.”
Maine froze, genuinely caught off guard.
A few seconds later, the rest of the group caught on to the sarcasm buried in Yunice’s words.
To these “chosen few,” it had always seemed obvious that Yunice came from a lower tier–that someone like her must have used tricks or luck to snag a man like Wyatt.
But from Yunice’s point of view, their relationship was between equals. Why couldn’t it have been Wyatt who won her over?
Was someone like her not worth chasing?
Besides… Yunice knew the truth. Wyatt had used tricks to get her to marry him.
Maine forced a smile, brushing it off and moving the conversation forward.
But Yunice’s quiet pushback did its job: the group backed off from using social rank to suppress her.
She understood perfectly–Wyatt could defend her all he wanted, but that kind of protection would only breed resentment.
Reputation wasn’t given. It had to be earned. Only when she stood firm would people stop looking down on her.
As the awkward silence settled, one of Wyatt’s buddies called out, “What are we all just sitting around for? Come on, help me pick out some drinks.”
He tugged on Wyatt. “C’mon, man. Stop clinging to your wife–it’s embarrassing! You think she’s gonna vanish if you let go for five minutes?”
Maine stood too. “I’ll go with you. It’s been ages since we all hung out. Gotta toast properly tonight for Yunice’s sake!"
Calling Yunice by name, casually and directly, was her way of signaling that Yunice was now one of them–at least on the surface.
Naturally, Wyatt couldn’t hover by Yunice’s side all evening.
A few left to get drinks, while others stayed behind to chat with her.
But because of how sharp Yunice had come across earlier, no one dared tease her again.
Outside the private room, Wyatt and his buddies headed toward the bar.
One of them nudged him. “So, how was that massage oil I gave you last time?”
Wyatt replied, “Mediocre.”
“Mediocre?” The man raised his voice in disbelief, then quickly lowered it. “No way. Your wife didn’t react?”
Wyatt gave him a cold stare. “Was that stuff even legit?”
“Of course it was. Your wife’s the one who’s not letting you sleep with her, right? That stuff guarantees she won’t be able to resist. And if she can resist, then something’s wrong with her.”
Wyatt stopped in his tracks. “Who told you that?”
“Doesn’t matter how I know. Point is–if a couple’s not sleeping together, something’s off. If she won’t sleep with you, she’s just not that into you.”
Wyatt’s face darkened. “What the hell do you know?”
None of them understood Yunice–what she’d been through or what she was still carrying.
She had her own demons when it came to intimacy, especially with the rumors and history involving Paul. Those scars didn’t just vanish.
The fact that she had started to accept him, however slowly, already meant she was letting him in.
Wyatt had promised he wouldn’t rush her. It didn’t matter if she didn’t feel anything now–he would draw her in, one step at a time.
The man said, “I’m just trying to help-”
“I don’t need anyone teaching me how to have sex,” Wyatt snapped. “You trying to run my bedroom now, too?”
With that, he turned and stormed off.
The man let out an awkward sigh.
Just then, Maine appeared, frowning as her gaze moved between Wyatt and the other guy. “Wait… what did you just say? Yunice won’t sleep with him?”
The man raised his hands in a shrug, voice low and dramatic. “They pulled guns on each other over it.”
“They’ve been married for over a year. If it wasn’t for that bottle of oil I gave him, who knows if he’d have gotten anywhere. And now I’m the bad guy? Fine. I’ll just keep my mouth shut next time.”
Maine watched him walk away, thoughtful.
She returned to the private room with the drinks–and froze at the doorway.
Inside, Yunice was laughing and chatting with the others like she’d always belonged there.