Chapter 600: Chapter 600: Outsmarted by Your Own Cleverness
Ann Vaughn was initially a bit embarrassed, but as she continued eating, she got used to it, accepting his offerings without any complaints.
She heard it was flown in cold from abroad, no wonder it’s so delicious...
Just as Ann Vaughn was enjoying her meal comfortably, Evan Sawyer suddenly threw down his cards and said with a mournful expression, "Why the hell didn’t I go to the temple to bless my hands before I came here? If I keep losing, I’m going to go bankrupt!"
"This is called fate, you have to lose to ward off disasters," Julian Ford was losing just as badly, no better than Evan Sawyer, he sighed heavily at Cyrus Hawthorne, "How come you’re so lucky tonight?"
Cyrus Hawthorne raised his brow slightly, a playful smile in his narrow eyes as he glanced at Ann Vaughn, "It seems the goddess of luck has arrived."
The others didn’t notice that look, but Ann Vaughn saw it clearly, and her porcelain-white cheeks began to warm.
What’s with this man?
How can his emotional intelligence be so high when it needs to be???
Hearing this, Evan Sawyer’s eyes moved from one to the other, then he suddenly slapped the table!
"Cian, it’s boring to play by yourself while your wife just watches, let her join in too?" Evan Sawyer said with a savvy smile, suggesting earnestly.
"Me?" Ann Vaughn looked surprised, glanced at Cyrus Hawthorne beside her, and immediately shook her head, "No way, I don’t know how to play this."
That’s exactly why you should play!
Evan Sawyer added this in his mind, but on the surface, he smiled brightly, "Oh, it doesn’t matter if you can’t play, the key is participation. Besides, Cian doesn’t lack money, you should spend more so he has the motivation to earn!"
Ann Vaughn: "..." This logic is quite novel.
"Want to give it a try?" Cyrus Hawthorne turned his head, gazing at Ann Vaughn as he asked.
"What if I lose..." Ann Vaughn wrinkled her small face, hesitating a bit.
Cyrus Hawthorne raised his hand and gently stroked her long hair, his voice deep, "If you lose, then lose, it’s just dispersing wealth."
"..." Ann Vaughn couldn’t quite grasp this carefree attitude toward money.
But seeing him effortlessly control the game earlier indeed made her tempted.
"Hey, hey, hey," Evan Sawyer tapped the table, his teeth aching, "stop flirting right in front of so many endangered species."
Julian Ford coolly added from the side: "Endangered species of singles, right? You, a man in a relationship, aren’t qualified to say that."
If it weren’t for Evan Sawyer constantly bugging him to be a flower boy at his wedding, he would’ve hidden and just returned to the country now??
This outrageous guy!
A new round of card games soon started.
From the moment Ann Vaughn took over Cyrus Hawthorne’s seat, Evan Sawyer and Julian Ford could not stop smiling, as if they were picking up money.
In fact, it was just like picking up money.
Ann Vaughn had already lost three rounds in a row, not only did they recover what they lost to Cyrus, but they also earned quite a bit.
"I just want to make sure." Ann Vaughn’s heart trembled as she whispered to Cyrus Hawthorne beside her, who was focused on feeding her, "Do we really have so much money at home? Won’t I waste it all?"
Though she wasn’t sure how much she exactly lost, seeing Evan Sawyer and Julian Ford’s proud expressions.
She knew it wasn’t a small amount.
Upon hearing this, Cyrus Hawthorne chuckled slightly as he rubbed Ann Vaughn’s peachy cheeks, "Feel free to lose, it won’t matter."
Ann Vaughn felt numb, but her heart was struggling.
Evan Sawyer and Julian Ford just waited for Young Master Vaughn to lose money, after all, this amount was just a drop in the bucket for Cyrus Hawthorne, they won with peace of mind.
But right after the fifth round, Young Master Vaughn stopped losing money suddenly, she actually won a round!
Evan Sawyer and Julian Ford didn’t mind, thinking it’s okay to let her win one round, otherwise it would be too mean.
However, the next moment they learned what being bullied meant!
Ann Vaughn seemed to suddenly become enlightened, previously great cards in her hand were played terribly, but now she could turn the tide, it was simply baffling.
"No way, be honest, is Cyrus coaching you from behind?" Evan Sawyer asked in disbelief.
"Nope." Ann Vaughn looked at the cards in her hand, smiling, "This level of game doesn’t need outside help."
She initially didn’t understand the rules, naturally getting eaten not just by these two card sharks.
But now...
Cyrus Hawthorne casually placed his elbow on the table, supporting his chin with one hand as he succinctly said, "She can count cards."
Count cards?!
Evan Sawyer and Julian Ford exchanged a look, what?!
If they hadn’t witnessed Ann Vaughn’s cluelessness in playing cards earlier, they might have suspected she was the epitome of playing dumb to eat the tiger!
She can count cards!
Were they competing against her just to offer themselves up?!!
For the first time, Evan Sawyer felt what it meant to be too clever for his own good, shedding tears of frustration.
It was too difficult!
"Sister-in-law, if you ever lack work, I’m sure you could carve out a path by playing cards." Julian Ford clicked his tongue, admitting defeat.
Cyrus Hawthorne’s dark eyes briefly narrowed, his gaze coldly sweeping over him, "She doesn’t need that."
"...Today I am the sourest lemon in Maplewood."
What a bunch of characters.
Ann Vaughn chuckled, hard to imagine someone as cold as Cyrus Hawthorne would have two such outgoing friends.
It’s kind of miraculous when you think about it.
The clock hit six, and the waiters arrived right on time to deliver dinner to the private room—exquisite wines, delicious dishes, seasonal fruits, high-end desserts—almost everything one could desire.
In such settings, drinking could hardly be avoided, also it created an opportunity.
But this time, those young men felt smart enough, they went to drink to Ann Vaughn, avoiding Cyrus Hawthorne.
Ann Vaughn is the typical kind who doesn’t actively drink but feels tempted seeing others drink.
But in his interactions with others, Cyrus Hawthorne kept a close watch on her, not letting her touch the rim of a wine glass.
"Miss Vaughn, allow us to toast you." Several young men approached, raising their glasses to Ann Vaughn.
Ann Vaughn’s eyebrows jumped, her heart instantly excited, after all, this wasn’t her drinking initiatively, and she couldn’t refuse when others were offering a toast!
She turned her head looking for a wine glass, but suddenly a distinct hand with defined joints gently pressed down on her shoulder.
Following that, a slightly drunk, low cool voice sounded: "She doesn’t drink."
Several young men immediately felt a chill down their backs, "Oh, in that case, we— we won’t bother you then."
With that, they quickly turned and walked away, afraid of causing displeasure to Cyrus Hawthorne.
"The wine isn’t that high in alcohol, I could just sip a little." Ann Vaughn unwillingly bit her lip, using two fingers to gesture a tiny amount to Cyrus Hawthorne.
"We’re going to the shooting range later, are you sure you’re focused enough after drinking?" Cyrus Hawthorne glanced at her, countering in a calm voice.