Everyone in Domburgh knew how to play poker. Matilda drew the dealer’s spot and became the house.
When she played, she didn’t bother with neat piles or strategy–she just tossed her cards out in a messy stack.
She won the first round anyway, and the others craned their necks to see. “How the hell did you win with that mess? What are those cards?”
Matilda frowned and slowly spread them out, lining them up in order.
The table finally got it. “Oh, it’s a straight up to the jack.”
Matilda shot Allen a look of disbelief. She couldn’t figure out how he’d managed to lose to these clueless kids.
Allen knew exactly what that look meant. He gave a bitter smile and rubbed his nose.
Round after round, Matilda kept winning. Before long, she didn’t even bother looking at her cards and just played blind.
A rich kid with a cigarette dangling from his lips slapped his cards on the table. “Pair of eights.”
Without lifting her eyes, Matilda said, “Call.”
“No way. You didn’t even look. What are you calling with? You really got a pair of eights?” the man asked.
Matilda calmly reached over and flipped the third card from the left and the fourth card from the right— dead on, a pair of eights.
The corners of everyone’s mouths twitched.
Meanwhile, Allen was happily serving fruit and making coffee for her like a loyal assistant.
When Matilda needed to use the bathroom, she had Allen fill in.
The second the door closed, the players‘ faces all dropped.
“Come on, Allen. If we pissed you off, just beat us up or something. Why’d you bring in some poker shark to clean us out?” one of them said.
“I swear I didn’t let her win,” another one groaned. “She’s just unbeatable.”
“She’s scary smart. She can read every card we’ve got. Allen, watch out–she might end up running circles around you,” another warned.
“I think Allen would love that,” one of them said with a knowing smirk.
Allen didn’t bother with their jabs. In a good mood, he pulled out his phone and transferred 3 million dollars to each of them. “Double the stakes. Send all the money to her account. Got it?”
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:
“Holy shit! That’s a house in Maple Heights!” one of them gasped.
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“Never thought our straight–laced Dr. Saunders would throw away so much money just to make a pretty girl smile,” another teased.
Allen let them talk. In truth, that money belonged to Matilda anyway. Brandon had spent 10 million dollars just last night trying to bury her trending post.
Her account being banned for twenty days wasn’t entirely bad either–it only made Brandon look more like a bully throwing his weight around. And now she still ended up with 10 million dollars. It was not exactly a loss.
When Matilda came back, everyone fell silent.
Allen frowned, looking pitiful. “I lost two rounds for you.”
Matilda patted his shoulder. “It’s fine. I’ll win it back.”
A rich kid twirling Ferrari keys sneered, “Losing to a woman–if word gets out, how am I supposed to show my face? You guys still got the guts to play?”
The other two barked, “Who are you looking down on? Of course, we’ll keep playing!”
Matilda almost felt bad–it was like bullying them. So she tried to warn them kindly, “If you lose too much, your parents might cut off your cards.”
“That’d just mean we weren’t good enough. We deserve it. The question is, do you dare keep playing?” one
shot back.
Matilda instinctively glanced at Allen. He leaned in and whispered so only she could hear, “Don’t worry. They’re all spoiled rich kids Jude has treated before. Money is the last thing they’re short on.”
Matilda smiled. She needed money more than anything right now.
*****
Hot summer nights in early July made people irritable. Brandon stood on the balcony in loungewear, cigarette ash scattered at his feet.
Greg hadn’t found any hidden assets under Matilda’s name. The clothes she wore might’ve been gifts from
Tessa.
And while Tessa’s status wasn’t high, she was still a Harrington daughter. It wasn’t impossible she’d slipped Matilda some help behind Zack’s back.
But that messed with Brandon’s plan–he wanted Matilda desperate enough to crawl back and beg him.
Shelby came out of the shower in a thin camisole dress, skin soft and smooth, smelling faintly sweet.
“Brandon!” She stepped toward him but slipped on a toy Lola had left behind. She tumbled forward.
Brandon caught her around the waist, eyes flashing with concern. “Careful”
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Chapter 21
Shelby nodded shyly.
:
Brandon let go, but Shelby cried out and staggered again.
His hand went back to her waist. The feel of her soft curves made his head spin for a second.
“Brandon, I think I twisted my ankle,” Shelby said pitifully.
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Brandon looked down and saw that her ankle was red. Bending, he scooped her up and carried her to the bed.
Shelby clung to his neck and refused to let go. “Brandon, I’m scared. I can’t sleep alone. I’ll have nightmares.”
As he bent over her, Brandon’s eyes dropped to the line of her collarbone, her plunging neckline, and then the soft outline beneath her thin nightgown.
She wasn’t wearing a bra. The sight stirred something he couldn’t ignore.
For a moment, he remembered the night of the Serenity Group dinner, when he’d helped her change clothes.
Back then, he’d only felt anger and guilt–he hadn’t realized Shelby was no longer the little girl who used to trail behind him. She was a woman now. And he could no longer treat her as a child.
His gaze darkened as he slowly lowered his head.
Shelby shut her eyes, waiting for the kiss. But it never came.
Instead, Brandon’s low voice broke the moment. “Don’t dress like this at home again.”
Then he let her go and walked out.
Shelby sat up, not angry at all. She could feel it–Brandon was attracted to her. That was a good sign. If he saw her as a woman, it was only a matter of time before he was hers completely.
*****
Meanwhile, at the card club, Matilda didn’t bother counting how much she’d won. She just kept accepting payments–when one app maxed out, she switched to another, then to bank cards.
Staff brought in some fresh clementines, each box packed with ice.
Matilda wasn’t interested and didn’t touch them.
Allen figured her hands were busy, so he peeled one himself. He held out a juicy slice to her lips.
The other players froze mid–game, leaning back in their chairs with grins, waiting to see a show.
Matilda thought that Allen had been sitting by her all night, pouring water, dealing cards, running around for hours. If she let him be laughed at because of her, that wouldn’t be fair.
But Allen hesitated, worried he was putting her in an awkward spot. Regretful, he started to pull his hand
back.
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Chapter 21
That was when Matilda leaned forward and bit down.
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She moved too fast, her red lips closing not just on the sweet clementine, but also on Allen’s clean, cool fingertip.
