Andrew, Michael, Raymond, and a young man were playing cards together in the chess room located behind the grand hall. Michael’s eyes lit up immediately as he waved at William when he saw the pair walking into the room.
“William, come take my place. I need to go to the bathroom.”
William knew that he was going to find Abbie, hence he grinned and sat down to replace Michael. Andrew and Raymond were bitter when they saw that William was joining the game, “Let’s make things clear first. The winner doesn’t get anything, only the loser has to pay up.”
“Why?” William picked up the cards and asked nonchalantly.
“Because you play dirty,” Raymond accused William matter-of-factly as Raymond knew that he did not stand a chance against him.
William laughed and pulled Valeria onto his lap. “You’re living in the past. How could I possibly cheat?”
“How else could you win every game without losing even once?” Raymond questioned him.
“One should never underestimate how the brain works. You’ll definitely win If you’re like me.”
“Oh, give me a break. Stop making excuses for your filthy tricks,” Raymond was not convinced.
“Alright, I’ll lay my hands off the cards tonight. You gentlemen shuffle and give out the cards, and I’ll merely guide Valeria to play the game. Is there any objection?”
“That’s good to hear.”
Then, Raymond began to shuffle the cards while Valeria was still sitting on William’s lap as he taught her how to play the game. At this moment, Natasya came in out of the blue and said flirtingly, “Raymond!”
“Hey, Natasya. Have a seat!” Raymond was comfortable with Natasya and greeted her with a smile. After Natasya extended her greetings towards Andrew and the other man, she looked at Valeria and William finally and nodded politely with a smile. Valeria, on the other hand, ignored her greetings completely as she was busy with the game.
William did not pay any attention to Natasya too, as he was occupied with Valeria’s hand of cards. As she was ignored, Natasya bit her lip awkwardly and sat down beside Raymond.
Valeria held the cards clumsily as she was foreign to the game, so William tried to help her out, but was warned by Raymond and Andrew, “You can’t touch the cards. It’s against the rules.”
William chuckled in frustration and said, “You guys shuffled the cards and Valeria took them herself. How could I possibly cheat? Have you guys watched too many movies and are becoming delusional?”
“You guys sure are petty. Can’t bear to lose a game?” Valeria raised her eyebrows at Raymond and Andrew as she continued, “Dear, they are scaredy-cats. Let’s not play with them anymore.”
“Nonsense!” The two men were embarrassed and snapped, “Let’s begin!”
William grinned as he guided Valeria throughout the game and expectedly, she was the winner of the first round. Raymond frowned, “How could she win against us? It’s impossible!”
“You’re right. William, have you been messing with us?” Andrew asked.
“What on earth could I possibly do?” William spread his hands and asked.
“Look at yourselves. Stop playing if you can’t afford to lose,” Valeria mocked.
“William, I still don’t buy that you are innocent. How is it possible for you to be the winner all the time?” Raymond muttered.
Natasya chimed in and said, “William did not cheat. He calculated and estimated both of your cards precisely.”
“Hah, it’s not like he can see our cards.” Raymond snorted.
“It’s not that. I have seen people like William before, he never lost a game. When I asked how did he do it, he said that calculations were his secret. Winning would not be a problem when one figures out the cards in their opponent’s hands.”
“Even so, one still has to have a good deal of cards,” Raymond muttered.
“Valeria probably won because she has a good hand and was assisted by William,” Natasya said quickly while peeking at William occasionally.
William had a faint smile as he caressed Valeria’s smooth hair with his hand while gazing at her gently and intently.
Natasya had always thought of William as a laid-back and clumsy person who had no interest in anything. Thus, she was taken aback by William’s affection towards Valeria.
Natasya’s heart surged with jealousy and disappointment, and at the same time, Valeria sensed Natasya’s gaze on her husband, so she looked up guardedly. Natasya was caught red-handed by Valeria, and it was too late for her to shift her gaze away.
Natasya was embarrassed as she was caught staring at a married man by his wife and shifted her gaze away frantically.
Valeria did not expect Natasya to set her eyes on William this shamelessly and publicly. She sneered and said, “Can’t I have a good hand while my husband is smart? Take a look at yourself. Does it make you feel better to push the blame when you yourself have no luck and no skills at all?”
Natasya composed herself and had to force a smile as she heard Valeria address William as her husband.
Valeria felt extremely uncomfortable with Natasya’s actions. How the hell could that b*tch stare at her husband while she was right beside him? Wouldn’t Natasya cross the line if Valeria wasn’t there? As she thought about this, Valeria got off William’s lap and said, “I don’t feel like playing anymore. Let’s go!”
Then, she pulled William with her and left the room. William, on the other hand, was confused as he did not notice the way Natasya had looked at him, “What’s wrong?”
“Natasya was looking at you the entire time. What a shameless woman!” Valeria snapped angrily.
William smiled helplessly, “Is that why you’re angry?”
“Of course. Wait, are you pleased that another woman is stealing glances at you?”
“Honey, could you please be reasonable? This isn’t my fault, is it?”
“Why did she speak up for you then? She has been following you everywhere you go. I’m so pissed!”
“Alright, calm down. I didn’t do anything to give her the wrong idea.” William laughed and pinched Valeria’s nose gently, “It looks like someone is jealous!”
Valeria glared at William as he smiled cheekily, “My love for you is eternal. I wouldn’t have set her up if I was interested in her even by a bit, right?”
Valeria was satisfied with his answer, “That’s more like it. Stay away from her in the future!”
Valeria felt a little flustered after throwing a tantrum as she was usually not narrow-minded. However, it might be that Valeria sensed a hint of threat from Natasya which made her this upset.
Natasya was different from Talitha as the latter was not as vicious as the former. Valeria had always felt that Natasya was as merciless and shameless as Paisley.
After William was dragged out of the room by Valeria, Natasya did not stay long either. Soon, she stood up and left after exchanging small talk with Raymond and Andrew.
Natasya felt embarrassed and upset as she was caught glancing at William by Valeria and she had a hard time shrugging off Valeria’s disgusted expression from her mind.
Then, Natasya wanted some peace, so she went to the garden sulkily after deliberately avoiding the crowd. She paced along the gravel road in the garden and intended to have a breath of fresh air at the gazebo.
As she walked towards the gazebo, she suddenly heard whispers and moans coming from inside. She focused her gaze to see who it was and was shocked when she caught sight of a familiar figure.
Wasn’t the man whose back was facing her Michael Davis? Who was he with?