Cherished By Seven Sisters by Melvin Houle

At Nightrose Bar, a few lecherous men were huddled together, talking among themselves. “What a fine specimen! She’s stunning indeed! She’s a downright goddess with her perfect figure and exquisite looks. Those unsophisticated women with thick makeup at the side are simply cheap in comparison.” “She’s a beauty, all right. But then, she’s too aloof. It hasn’t even been twenty minutes, and she has already rebuffed seven men who approached her.” “How ignorant of you. A goddess with such a stellar figure and looks must be here to look for a sugar daddy. How could she possibly take an interest in those losers?” “Are you all that knowledgeable, then, Fatty? But why is it that I remember you were the first to approach her and got rebuffed?” A flash of embarrassment showed on the lecherous man’s face. “Ahem, ahem… I didn’t say I’m not a loser.” “Quick, look! There’s an eighth man approaching her. Wait… Isn’t that the heir of the Trump family?” “Oh, it’s really him. Damn, our goddess is going to be won over soon. He’s dubbed a woman whisperer, and he never fails.” “Why don’t we have a wager? We’ll bet on how long he takes to conquer this top-notch beauty.” As soon as Emrys stepped into the bar, he heard the few men talking up a storm. He strolled over and interjected, “What are you guys betting on? Count me in!” “You?” The few men turned to look at him in concert and sized him up. In the end, they snickered disdainfully. “Don’t butt in when you’re impoverished. Save your money to take a bus home!” It’d be a compliment to even call him a loser, considering his cheap clothes. Instead of blowing up, Emrys whipped out a bill in the denomination of a hundred. “I bet that man won’t succeed.” “A hundred? You’re truly a rich man!” The corners of the few men’s mouths twitched, for someone ignorant of the situation might misunderstand that Emrys had taken out tens of thousands when he acted with such flourish. A gleam of craftiness glinted in Fatty’s eyes. Snagging the bill, he declared, “I’ll take you up on that bet. If Mr. Trump fails, I’ll pay you five hundred.” While a hundred isn’t much, it’s still money. Why should I give up such easy money? Emrys then asked, “What do you think are my chances of success if I were to go and strike up a conversation with that beauty?” “Huh? You?” The instant his question rang out, they all cracked up, doubling over in laughter. “Pfft! Haha… Buddy, are you sure you don’t have a screw loose? You look penniless, yet you want to go over and strike up a conversation? You’re killing me with laughter. Haha!” Emrys solemnly countered, “What if I succeed?” “If you succeed, I’ll prostrate myself before you.” Fatty was a fearless man, so he immediately took the bet. “Okay. Remember what you said.” Smirking, Emrys confidently strutted toward one of the bars. A beauty was sitting before the bar, decked out like a city lady. She was holding a glass of red wine in her hand, elegantly swirling the fine liquor in it. From her side profile, her cheeks were stained faintly red. That aside, her chest was the epitome of tantalizing melons. Right then, a dashing young man was hitting on her. It was none other than the heir of the Trump family, Lance Trump. “Pretty, as soon as I laid eyes on you, I felt that this place isn’t suited for you.” “Why so?” “Because this place is too vulgar. It doesn’t match your regal aura.” “Haha, do you usually use such a pick-up line with girls?” “Not at all. I’m merely searching for a person, someone who is worthy of this Celestial Dream. It looks like I’ve found her now.” Lance opened his palm, revealing an azure crystal pendant. It was the latest limited-edition crystal pendant launched by Swarovski, and only a hundred pieces were sold worldwide. Lance was fortunate enough to have bought one. All girls like beautiful jewelry! Thanks to that crystal pendant, he had successfully coaxed countless young beauties to spend the night with him in the past. Naturally, he was merely toying with them. After bedding them, he would dismiss them with some money. He would never give Celestial Dream to them for real. He had come to Nightrose Bar that day in search of new prey. At his first sight of Cordelia, he was utterly captivated. She was simply too beautiful. Her looks, figure, and aura were far superior to all the women he had bedded in the past. Determined to win her over, he used his usual tactic. Unexpectedly, Cordelia merely glanced at the crystal pendant indifferently before averting her gaze. “Sorry, but I’m not interested in it.” She turned the man down without hesitation. Not only was Lance stunned, but the same could also be said for Fatty and the others, who had their ears perked up as they eavesdropped at the side. There’s actually a woman who doesn’t love jewelry in this world? She’s probably feigning it, huh? Sharing their sentiments, Lance planned to unleash his next round of attack. But at that precise moment, a man came over to Cordelia. “Hey, you’ve got quite the assets there, pretty! They make for a handful! How about accepting a gift from me?” The man was Emrys. He was wearing a frivolous expression on his face, twirling a bracelet made of plastic beads around his finger. At once, Lance was stumped. Where the hell did this bumpkin come from? His speech is vulgar, and his behavior is flippant. Most amusing of all is his bracelet. At a glance, it’s more than obvious it’s an inferior item he bought from a roadside stall! Where did he get the courage to hit on her? A near distance away, Fatty and the others almost stumbled to the ground, so mortified that they wished the ground would open up and swallow them whole. “Sure!” Surprisingly, Cordelia grinned and happily took the plastic bracelet. Cradling it preciously, she beamed from ear to ear. In a flash, exclamations rang out all around them. “Whoa!” “Whoa!” “Whoa!” The eyes of Fatty and the others almost popped out of their sockets. Never in their wildest dreams did they imagine that such would be the outcome. Ah, it turned out that the beauty is fond of this. If I’d known, I could’ve also played a rogue! Sheer dejection swamped Fatty. His friend beside him seemingly remembered something and teased, “Fatty, when are you going to prostrate yourself before him now that he has succeeded?” “Never! Damn you! I’m going to take off before he notices me!” Fatty swiftly got off his bottom and scurried out of the bar like a toddling penguin. It went without saying that Emrys noticed the man’s furtive movement. However, he did not bother saying anything since he was merely joking about the bet. Meanwhile, Lance, who had frozen into a statue, finally gathered his wits about him after some time had passed. He commented incredulously, “Take a good look at it, pretty. That bracelet of his can be bought at a roadside stall.” “Hey, watch it! That still cost more than ten, okay?” Emrys retorted in chagrin. At his words, the corners of Lance’s mouth twitched. Is he for real? Just then, Cordelia chimed in, “A gift isn’t about its value but the giver. As long as the person is sincere, it’s priceless.” Lance grew increasingly upset. Earlier, I sincerely gifted you Celestial Dream, but you didn’t even spare it a second look. This bumpkin razzed you right as he came over, yet you’re lauding his sincerity? I think you’re both kidding me! Realization dawned on him that he had been played a fool by the two of them.