At this moment, even Travis, the man who claimed her as his plus-one, was staring at her with anticipation.
There was not a hint of concern in his eyes, only greed and desire.
It was as if she was merely an object for display, a creature without dignity, being appraised and toyed with by these wealthy and powerful individuals who looked down on her.
Her heart ached with struggle, fully aware of the difficult situation she was in.
If she complied with their demands, they might, in a moment of whim, let her off the hook.
But if she dared to resist, with the power and means these people possessed, they would not easily let her leave this room, and the fate that awaited her could be even worse.
After much internal deliberation, Luana finally, reluctantly, unclenched her tightly clenched fists.
A glimmer of determination and desolation shone in her eyes.
Her life was already a living death. Perhaps she should have died long ago and need not care about this last shred of dignity.
As she slowly raised her hand to unzip her dress, Gehrmann suddenly spoke up.
His voice was firm and strong, breaking the suffocating silence, "It's my poor card playing that has implicated Luana. I'll take off one more cloth on her behalf for this round."
Without hesitation, Gehrmann directly took off his remaining white shirt, revealing his well-toned and muscular abs.
His action stunned everyone present, especially Naomi.
Seeing Gehrmann go to such lengths to protect Luana, even at the expense of his own dignity, Naomi's jealousy and resentment towards Luana deepened.
She clenched her teeth fiercely, her eyes wide with hostility as she glared at Luana, as if she wanted to devour her whole.
Luana, like a frightened fawn, quickly averted her gaze from Naomi's malicious stare.
Then, she turned her head and looked at Gehrmann with gratitude, her voice trembling as she said, "Thank you."
Gehrmann merely waved his hand, his face still wearing that indifferent expression, as if all of this was nothing to him.
Just as everyone thought the turmoil of this round had subsided and the matter could be closed, Cline, who had been leaning against the sofa quietly, seemingly indifferent to everything, suddenly spoke coldly, "When playing games, you must follow the rules."
His voice was not loud, but in the quiet room, it was strikingly clear, heard by everyone.
It was evident that he was expressing dissatisfaction with Gehrmann's action.
Gehrmann, hearing Cline's words, couldn't help but frown as he looked at Cline.
He was puzzled. Cline's behavior tonight was indeed strange.
He knew Luana was just a young girl wearing only that dress—if she took it off, she would be left naked, subjected to such humiliation.
Cline was known for his indifference to women. Usually, in such situations, he would show a disdainful attitude.
But today, why was he insisting on forcing this girl to undress?
Though filled with doubts, Gehrmann, having already stepped in to help Luana, was determined to see it through.
He took a deep breath and said, "I've taken off two clothes as punishment. Let's not subject her to the same ordeal again. Let's change the method of punishment."
Travis also sensed the subtle shift in the situation.
His eyes spun craftily as he quickly handed over a bottle of wine, smiling as he said, "How about this, let Luana pour a glass of wine for Mr. Moriarty as a small punishment?"
In truth, Travis was conflicted.
On one hand, he had that vulgar desire to see Luana strip in public.
In his eyes, Luana was nothing more than a tool to please others and satisfy his own desires.
On the other hand, he thought, Luana was his date, and he had even claimed her as his woman in front of everyone.
If he really let her undress and be admired by everyone, what would others think about him?
How could he hold his head up in front of these people in the future?
Gehrmann's response was also swift as he played along with Travis, saying, "Yes, let her pour you a glass of wine as punishment. What do you think, Cline?"
With that, Gehrmann signaled to Luana with his eyes to pour wine for Cline.
Luana raised her eyes and looked at Cline across from her.
His expression was inscrutable. He neither agreed nor disagreed, and his enigmatic demeanor left Luana uncertain of his thoughts.
However, she mustered her courage, extended her trembling hand, picked up the expensive red wine from the table, and approached Cline.
Her heart was pounding so fast it felt like it would jump out of her throat. She bent over, holding the bottle in both hands, and began to pour the wine into his glass.