Chapter 148
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After Daron and the others left, Joyce finally let a smile tug at her lips. She glanced over at Marina, who was picking up her cards, putting on a look of concern.
“Now that Daron’s gone, you don’t have anyone to help you with your cards anymore, Ms. Finley. You’d better be careful. Don’t bust your hand, okay?” Joyce teased.
Marina gave Joyce a gentle smile, her voice soft.
“Thanks for your concern, Ms. Milner. I’ll try to play a little slower,” Marina replied.
Joyce just gave a faint smile and kept picking up her cards.
Marina looked away, and once she had all her cards, she quickly sorted them, laid the flat, pushed table, stacked them up neatly, and then set them upright again.
of the
Her moves were smooth and effortless, totally different from the clumsy act she’d put on earlier in from
Daron.
Joyce was taken aback for a second, watching her.
Marina had already drawn a card and discarded it without hesitation. Seeing Joyce still staring at her in confusion, she smiled and said, “Ms. Milner, it’s your turn.”
Joyce’s expression shifted slightly before she finally drew her card.
After tossing out her card, Joyce snickered, “Ms. Finley, you sure don’t look like a newbie. Were you just putting on a show for Daron earlier?”
Marina just smiled and said softly, “Didn’t you remind me this morning, Ms. Milner, that Daron loves to spoil women? I was just taking your advice.
“Besides, I’m really not as good at this as Daron is.”
Joyce’s brows knitted, a flash of irritation in her eyes. Her chest heaved. Marina’s words had obviously ticked her off.
But she had to stay composed and couldn’t just blow up.
From then on, Marina stopped playing greedy. If her cards weren’t looking good, she’d just go for a quick win or bail out early, always making sure she stayed ahead of the game.
But when her hand was solid, she’d play more aggressively and go for a bigger win.
Joyce kept trying to trip her up, but it was no use. She just couldn’t catch Marina slipping. Worse yet, Joyce’s luck was terrible; she kept drawing junk cards and always lagged behind. Instead, she ended up tossing out the exact card Marina needed.
As she handed over her chips, Joyce couldn’t help but grumble, “Seriously, Chloe, can’t you see she’s going for? Why do you keep throwing out useless cards?” Joyce complained.
Chloe just shrugged it off and kept playing, unfazed.
After Chloe scored a win, she set cards down and said softly, “I kept discarding my cards because I was trying to go for a win myself. Sorry, Joyce. I got a winning hand too.”
Joyce was instantly deflated, looking utterly at a loss.
By the end of the round, Joyce was down to her last 20 chips.
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Chapter 148
All three of them beat Joyce.
After tallying up her chips, Marina said quietly, “I won exactly 200 chips.”
Kara said, “I only won 120 chips.”
Chloe added, “I won 160 chips.”
Joyce couldn’t even fake a smile anymore.
Kara pulled up her bank account number and set her phone on the table. She leaned over to Marina and said, “Marina, you’re amazing! 200 chips, that’s 3 million dollars! Good thing it wasn’t me losing, or I’d be in agony.”
Joyce pressed her lips into a thin line.
Marina pulled up her own bank account number and set her phone on the table, looking like she’d just
“I had no idea the card I discarded was such a big deal. Next time, I’m not playing for stakes that high. 1. would have my hide,” Marina said, still sounding a bit rattled.
sister
Joyce finally found an opening to mock Marina, her tone light and teasing.
“Oh, please, it’s just the cost of a few designer bags. Next time we play, we’ll make sure to invite you,” Joyce said with a playful smirk.
Marina just played it cool, ignoring Joyce’s jab, and shook her head, unfazed.
“No, really, I just got lucky today. We’re not exactly rolling in cash these days. No way I could gamble like that all the time,” Marina said.
It was like Joyce had thrown a punch at thin air. She had nothing to hit back with and was left speechless.
Scowling, she sent the money to all three, her stomach twisted with annoyance.
Too bad, there was no one here she could take it out on.
After walking Daron and the others to the next room, Mallory came back and glanced around. She figured without Daron there to help her out, Marina would be totally lost at the table.
But to her surprise, Marina wasn’t just playing, and she was playing like a pro.
When she drew and discarded cards, her moves were so smooth and confident, it was obvious she was a seasoned player.
Seeing how sour Joyce looked, Mallory didn’t dare sit next to her and watch the game. Plus, Chloe wasn’t exactly giving her a warm welcome either. Not wanting to stick around and get the cold shoulder, Mallory decided to find someone else to hang out with and left the room.
When Marina saw the money hit her account, she flashed Joyce a bright, beaming smile.
“Thanks, Ms. Milner,” Marina said.
Joyce watched her smile, her chest rising and falling with barely contained irritation before she finally managed a strained
smile.
“No problem. Just think of it as charity,” Joyce said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
Chloe glanced over at Marina, curious to see how she’d react, but Marina’s smile didn’t waver.
“Ms. Milner, you really are a walking ATM. I bet tons of people would line up to play cards with someone so eager to hand
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Chapter 148
out cash,” Marina said, her voice sugary sweet.
Joyce’s smile froze and faltered.
Kara grinned and looped her arm through Marina’s. “My brother and the others are still at it. Let’s go check out their game.
Marina had no interest in sparring with Joyce any longer, so she nodded.
“Sure,” Marina replied.
Chloe saw how rattled Joyce was after Marina’s jab, so she leaned in and asked quietly, “Should we go check out their game?”
Joyce drew a deep breath, steadying herself. “Let’s go.”
Chloe nodded and walked with her toward Daron’s private room.
As soon as they walked in, they overheard Kara talking to Finn, her voice loud enough for everyone to li
“Ms. Milner lost to all three of us! She’s down 480 chips. That’s 8 million dollars! Can you believe it?” Kara crowed.
Joyce could only stare, stunned into silence.
Seeing Joyce’s face turn sour, Chloe gave a little cough, trying to nudge Kara to ease up.
Kara had already spotted them out of the corner of her eye, but she didn’t even pause and just kept rubbing it in.
“Ms. Milner really knows how to make an entrance. She lost a ton, but instead of getting upset, she just laughed it off and said she was basically giving us a handout,” Kara teased.
Joyce had always acted classy and upbeat in front of everyone, keeping up her polished image.
But earlier, she’d been so flustered by Marina that she blurted out something without thinking.
And now Kara, the resident tattletale, just had to broadcast it to the whole room.
Joyce quickly stepped forward, plastering on a smile. “Kara, I was just messing around with you guys. You really don’t have to announce every little thing!”
Kara gave her a wide–eyed, innocent look as she replied.
“I didn’t spill anything. My brother’s family, not a stranger. Besides, aren’t you super close with everyone here? It was just some friendly banter. No big deal if everyone hears, right?” Kara said with a cheeky grin.
Joyce could only force a smile and mumble, “Yeah.”
Joyce shot a nervous glance at Daron, worried he might start getting the wrong idea from Kara’s big mouth.
At the same time, she made a mental note to watch her mouth around Kara from now on.
‘Bet
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
