A Night's Mistake: The Besotted CEO's Obsession

Chapter 26

Florence had her heart set on having Liam as her grandson–in–law, so she couldn’t afford to fall out with the Sullivan family. Not opting for a direct confrontation, she quickly plastered on a smile and made amends. “Dear, I’m an old woman and sometimes my words come out wrong, Please don’t hold it against me

“Well, this old woman is using her seniority to force me to bend, It’s just being two–faced, isn’t it? Everyone knows how to play that game: Cynthia. smiled and said generously. “It’s no problem, Florence. As our elder, even if your guidance is unreasonable, we, the younger ones, will take it to heart” Cynthia deliberately emphasized the words “unreasonable” before she continued. “Everyone has their own tastes. What you discard as worthless might be treasured by someone else and vice versa.”

Florence’s face darkened at the reply.

Jasmine nearly flipped a thumbs up, and the other two old ladies barely contained their laughter. They all got it. Florence implied that, despite Florence’s cherishing. Yolanda failed to win Liam’s heart.

Florence’s face turned sour, but she couldn’t just storm off. “You young lady, why so vindictive! We elders only want what’s best for you all. Just a couple of over–spoken words, and you take them to heart.”

What a logic of a thug! When one tries to reason with her, she plays dirty. But when the one plays dirty back, suddenly she wants to talk reason. Cynthia kept up her smile, batting her innocent eyes, and said. “Did I say anything wrong! Why are you so angry, Florence?

Florence was at her wit’s end, facing such an embarrassing situation. When she thought about it, Cynthia hadn’t actually said anything directly; it was Florence who had read between the lines.

“What a sharp tongue.” Fuming, she stood up, and after bidding farewell to the other ladies, she took her granddaughter and left.

Cynthia barely held back her laughter, maintaining a poised exterior. Worried that Jasmine might be angry, she glanced at the latter cautiously, only to catch Jasmine’s cunning smile and a discreet thumbs–up

Cynthia couldn’t help thinking, Jasmine really doesn’t have the air of a grand dame at all; she’s so carefree. Her best friend from childhood was driven away by my behavior, and yet she acts as if nothing happened.

“Do you play poker, girl?” Jasmine suddenly leaned in and asked.

Cynthia shook her head in a daze. She knew poker–she had seen her maste

masters play often, but she had never touched a card.

Jasmine said warmly, “No worries, I’ll teach you. I invited Florence over for a game of poker today, but since she’s gone, you’ll fill in.”

“Well, you young people might not know how to play, but you learn fast,” agreed the other old ladies, all eager for the poker game, not wanting to miss out. Just like that, Cynthia was guided to the card table

For the first few hands, they played with open cards, just to show Cynthia the basics.

The fundamentals of the game were straightforward enough to understand, but mastering the strategy and bluffing would take time. The old ladies grew impatient quickly, and once they felt

Cynthia had a grasp on the game’s core mechanics, they started the real game.

“Let’s start with a blind of 3 thousand dollars, declared Jasmine, setting the first bec

The other elderly ladies around the table wore expressions of concern. Though their families were wealthy, the thought of losing millions- potentially tens of millions–if luck wasn’t on their side, was not a pleasant one

“Just a 3–thousand–dollar buy–in for today’s game, it’s not every day we get to gather like this,” Jasmine urged relentlessly, not picking up on Cynthia’s anxious glances

Eventually, the other two ladies agreed, and Cynthia, feeling helpless, found herself stuck. With a silent recollection of her bank balance, she realized that she might just be wagering her entire fortune at the poker table today.

At the table, the three ladies, old with some difficulty in walking, played cards with startling speed, showing no mercy to the novice Cynthia. Once she pondered for more than two minutes, the elders would start to rush her. Forced to make quick decisions, Cynthia had no choice but to play a card, any card, in haste.

A few hands went by, and before she could grasp what was happening, someone else had already won

It was becoming evident that luck wasn’t on hier side; round after round, she was the one losing chips. Gradually, her token stack dwindled away to

Cynthia a face held the only frown at the table, while the three ladies sported grins, especially Jastnine. Instead of being upset at her granddaughter- in–law’s losses, a sly smile tucked away in her wrinkled face suggested her strategy had indeed paid off.

Cynthia comidered calling a lult to the game, but seeing the elderly ladies enthusiasm made her hesitant. If she had been playing with people her own age, Cynthia could have easily excused herself, but against these kind ladies, she swallowed her frustration-

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An hour later, when the last of her chips had been handed out, Cynthia was utterly broke–all her 650 thousand dollars were gone. While theres a supposed “beginner’s protection” in card games, for Cynthia it seemed a myth, as she hadn’t won a single hand.

Jasmine, perhaps we could stop for today?” Cynthia managed to suggest, her face filled with misery.

“Gilda and Rosalie are just getting started. We can’t just stop halfway through, Jasmine countered.

*But I’m out of money,” Cynthia said, looking despondently at the sizable stack of chips before Jasmine. “How about

Before she could finish her plea, Jasmine interrupted. Clutching her chips protectively, she declared, These are my spoils of war, I’m not giving them up. No money! Ask your husband for it. He makes so much in a day; he can surely afford to spoil his wife.” ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Facing Jasmine’s defensive posture, Cynthia had no choice but to relent. She remembered the black card that Liam had given her the day before. Although she had no need to shop for a ring anymore, Cynthia was reluctant to use the card, fearing it would complicate things if they ever parted ways. Yet, now confronted with debts to these senior players, Cynthia felt unmatched helplessness.

Desperate and against the scrutiny of the three old ladies, Cynthia leaned into her last resort and handed the black card to Darian, asking him to withdraw money in exchange for more chips.

Upon seeing the card, Jasmine finally nodded with satisfaction. This poker game had certainly been draining. She had long plotted to have Cynthia spend Liam’s money, and now her strategy had come to fruition.

She had planned to deplete all of Cynthia’s funds first and then have her turn to Liam to settle the debt, thus cementing the couple’s relationship. Jasmine had underestimated Cynthia’s financial resilience, it took nearly two hours to break her.

Soon after, Darian brought over the chips–2 million dollars worth in total

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