“Whoever answers me,” Amelia said coolly.
Maxwell’s jaw tightened. “Hmph! You better be careful. This place can get rough at night.” His tone was sarcastic, his eyes dark and sharp as he glared at her.
“Thanks for the concern,” Amelia said coolly. “You should worry about yourself.”
“You don’t know what’s good for you!” he snapped before storming off.
He gritted his teeth as he walked away. He would teach Amelia a lesson later.
Because of her, his whole family was in chaos.
Josie scoffed. “The Nygard brothers are disgusting. They treated that bitch like some angel and then did everything they could to crush their own blood. Total freaks.”
Upstairs, in one of the VIP rooms, Anderson lifted his glass. He casually glanced down at the crowd below.
His eyes caught Amelia, and a spark lit up in them. “Jeremy,” he said with a grin, “your dream girl just walked in.”
It was one of their friends’ birthdays, so the guys had gathered at the bar for drinks.
Jeremy, sitting nearby, frowned. “What nonsense are you talking about?”
“I’m not kidding.” Anderson chuckled. “Your personal doctor is downstairs in the booth. Wow, she’s got one amazing figure. You sure hit the jackpot.”
Jeremy froze, his wine glass pausing midair.
He followed Anderson’s gaze and saw a familiar back. Amelia.
She was wearing a tight black dress with a backless design that showed off her perfect figure.
Under the bar’s dim, shifting lights, she looked like a blooming black rose-dangerous and stunning all at once.
“What’s wrong? Can’t take your eyes off her?” Anderson teased, elbowing Jeremy playfully.
“Shut up,” Jeremy cut him off sharply.
No wonder she’d texted him earlier saying she had plans tonight. She told him it was a friend’s birthday.
Who would’ve guessed they’d bump into each other here?
Fate really did have a sense of humor.
When Jeremy noticed a few drunk guys circling near Amelia and her friend, his eyes turned cold as ice.
One of their friends, Ithan Strain, strolled over, calling out, “What are you guys looking at? Weren’t we supposed to play cards?”
Anderson shot him a look. “What’s the rush? Are you that eager to lose?”
“Haha! We will see about that.” Ithan scoffed, glancing toward the lower floor. The moment he spotted Amelia, his smirk widened. “Whoa. Now that’s a knockout.”
Anderson chuckled. “Do you know who that is in the black dress? That’s Jeremy’s girl. And trust me, she’s no pushover.”
Jeremy’s glare shot straight at him like a blade. “You talk too much.”
Ithan frowned slightly. “How amazing can she be? Sounds like bragging. Why don’t we let her join the game and see for ourselves?”
He didn’t care if they couldn’t beat Jeremy, but maybe taking down his woman would be sweet payback.
A wonderful chance to settle old scores.
While Ithan was still talking, Amelia and Josie were invited upstairs.
“Hey, Amelia! We meet again!”
Anderson greeted her warmly, as if they’d been friends for years.
Amelia smiled politely and nodded.
What a coincidence-they were all here tonight.
Jeremy stood up and said quietly, “Don’t mind them. Sit with me.”
“See? That’s Jeremy for you-always protective,” Anderson joked.
“Alright,” Ithan said, grinning, “everyone’s here. Can we finally start?” He was unusually confident tonight.
Anderson looked at Amelia and invited her enthusiastically.
“Amelia, want to join us?”
Before she could answer, Josie tugged her excitedly. “Come on, Amelia! Let’s play!”
Jeremy frowned slightly. He was ready to stop her, but Ithan jumped in first. “What’s wrong, Mr. Curran? Worried she would lose the game?”
Amelia smiled calmly. “Sure. But I’m not very good at cards.”
“No problem. If you lose, I’ll cover it.” Jeremy’s deep voice brushed her ear.
Ithan grinned like a wolf spotting dinner.
The group moved to the bar’s game room, only to find another familiar face there.
By pure coincidence, Maxwell was already inside.
Maxwell loved card games. He played often with his usual crew of drinking buddies. Tonight, he was clearly ready for another round.
When Amelia walked in, Maxwell let out a cold laugh. “Amelia, this isn’t your kind of place. Do you even know how to play cards?”
His tone dripped with mockery.
Amelia raised her eyes and gave him a cold smile. “Why don’t you try me?”
Her words hit a nerve. Maxwell jumped to his feet. “Fine! Let’s play!”
Jeremy frowned and was about to stop her, but Amelia placed a hand over his. “Relax,” she said calmly.
Tonight, she would make Maxwell cry his way home.
Everyone else thought she was a rookie. Let them find out the hard way.
Ithan tried to act humble. “I don’t play much; I’m not really good at it.”
Anderson rolled his eyes. “Ithan, are you serious? Do you have a heart? You play five nights a week.”
“I’m just trying to make the pretty lady feel better,” Ithan shot back. “Besides, with Jeremy around, we don’t stand a chance anyway.”
Truth was, he wanted to play with the pretty girl, not get crushed again by Jeremy.
Every time Jeremy joined the game, he wiped the floor with them.
But tonight, Jeremy wasn’t playing-so maybe they could have some fun and win a few hands from a rookie like Amelia.
Soon, everyone sat around the table.
These were all rich kids who knew each other well, so sitting together to gamble felt natural.
“Let’s start,” Amelia said, her voice calm and steady.
Jeremy had been worried at first, but seeing how composed she was made him relax.
He trusted Amelia completely.
Who knew? Maybe she’d be the one doing the crushing tonight.
He couldn’t wait to find out.
These arrogant guys were long overdue for a good lesson.
Anderson caught Jeremy’s gaze and quickly said, “Hey, Jeremy, no cheating this time!”
Jeremy mocked in disdain, “Don’t worry. Your lousy card skills aren’t worth my effort.”
Then he turned to Amelia and comforted her. “Don’t stress. Just enjoy yourself. If you lose, I’ll cover it.”
Amelia’s lips curved slightly. “Alright, I’ll try not to lose too badly.”
Maxwell gave a cold snort. Tonight, he was going to show Amelia just how good he was.
He wanted her crushed, begging for mercy.
Anderson looked around the table. “So, what are we playing? Poker or something else?”
Maxwell grinned. “Why don’t we make it exciting-Texas Hold’em. What do you say?”
Then he glanced at Amelia with a smug smile.
She probably didn’t even know what that was.
Amelia’s eyes flickered with something dark, and a small smile tugged at her lips. “Sure. Let’s play Texas Hold ‘Em.”
Her easy agreement made Maxwell hesitate for a second. She sounded far too confident.
But then he reminded himself. Texas Hold’em? No way she actually knew how to play that. This game was all about nerves and strategy. Something I’m sure she didn’t have.
The others were quick to nod. They played often and felt confident.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.