The ladies were tired of the card game but were forced to play along after hearing John’s response. While his turn happened to come before Sophia, John intentionally went easy on the rest as if he wanted to just show his hand all at once. At times, he even asked Sophia which card she was looking for as he was willing to give up what he had, even though it might come in handy. Although Sophia humored him at first, she was soon rendered speechless when she realized John was serious.
Meanwhile, Ian was only seen with a glacial look on his face ever since John sat down. Seemingly noticing that, Sophia found her awkward situation becoming even worse than a few moments back when she was alone with Ian.
After the first round, Sophia was slowly finding herself at the end of her rope. This is not a game but his one-man show! At the thought of that, she dropped her cards on the table and said, “I think I need to stop. I can’t take it anymore; I’m too tired to continue.”
At the same time, Matilda could also no longer stand John’s cocky attitude as she said, “That’s enough for me too. This is getting boring.”
In the meantime, Ian stood up and walked toward the window, opening it before taking a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. Upon seeing that, John immediately seized Sophia’s hand and said, “Let’s get some air outside.” Sophia instantly caught on to John’s intention, knowing that he wasn’t trying to embarrass Ian but instead wanted her to stay away from the smoke. While Sophia had never really felt disgusted with the unpleasant smell, she decided to go along with John for the sake of her unborn child. “Alright.”
Soon, Matilda followed the two of them and left, leaving Ian alone in the room. Nevertheless, the latter didn’t bother to turn around, only standing by the window as if nothing ever happened.
As John and Sophia made their way to the exit downstairs, they passed by the crowded main hall, where Matilda stayed behind and texted someone. On the other hand, John held Sophia’s hand and asked, “Since when is Ian back?”
Slightly frightened by the question, Sophia answered, “O-Oh, it was this afternoon.” It was only then that John’s mind was put to ease as he now knew that Ian had just been back not long ago.
At the same time, Matilda was texting Richard when the latter was asking her out for a dinner date. Before Matilda could respond further, Richard told him that he would like to have her company as he was a little bored. His answer seemed to hit Matilda in her soft spot, instantly rendering her tongue-tied just before she was going to turn him down. Soon, the man directly gave her a call, asking what she was doing and whether she was busy. Since it was about time for dinner, Matilda stammered, “U-Um. I-I’m actually with some friends now.”
Richard paused briefly before he candidly asked, “Oh, is William there too?”
Since she just stood Richard up for William, she was nervous to hear the man’s question. Therefore, she anxiously explained, “N-No! No! He is not. I’m now with my son and my daughter-in-law, along with some of our friends.”
Seemingly contemplating, Richard inquired, “I see. Where are you guys now? Am I welcome to join?”
Richard’s question put Matilda in a difficult position, where she didn’t know how to turn him down. While she paused for a few moments in silence, Richard stubbornly waited until she responded. In the end, Matilda reluctantly gave in and told him the address of her current location.
Upon hanging up the call, Matilda quickly made her way to the exit and waved at John and Sophia, who were taking a walk not far away. When both of them got closer, she said without waiting for them to ask, “It’s Richard. He is coming.”
Sophia paused, feeling surprised to hear Matilda’s words. “What’s he going to do coming here? Didn’t you tell him that you’re with us? Didn’t you let him know that we’re busy?”
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