The Year She Stopped Being Crazy for Him novel Chapter 272

Hassan took Natalie's hand and led her toward Cecily, casting a cool glance at Caspian. "I was there that day too."

"You were there?" Cecily asked.

"We all had dinner together," he replied calmly. "I asked Jude to take her home."

Cecily looked at him critically. "Why not just have the driver take her?"

"Natalie was supposed to catch a movie with a friend, and it was about to start. There was no time to wait for the driver," Hassan explained seamlessly. "I had an urgent matter to attend to, so I asked Jude to do me a favor."

It was a bulletproof excuse; no one could find a single flaw in it.

Cecily let the matter drop without another word.

She then turned the conversation to corporate matters with Augustus, specifically bringing up the Carlson Group's major hydro-infrastructure project. They were currently prepping for the bidding conference.

Natalie sat quietly on the sidelines, listening without ever chiming in.

After dinner, Hassan kept Augustus company with a game of chess, while Natalie was dragged off by Aunt Rhea to play cards.

A few rounds in, Natalie was on a relentless winning streak.

She had a photographic memory and a sharp head for numbers, making her an effortless card counter.

In the past, the only reason she ever lost to these women was out of pure courtesy to save their pride.

But now? She was getting a divorce soon anyway, and she would never have to see these people again. There was no need to spare anyone's feelings. Her goal was to empty their designer purses, utilizing every trick in the book to completely clean them out.

As the night dragged on, the other three players were sporting sour expressions, completely losing their appetite for the drinks served beside them.

Sitting directly across from her, Rhea offered a stiff smile. "Were you hiding your skills from us before, Natalie? I never realized you were such a shark."

Natalie's beautiful eyes curved into a sweet, innocent crescent as she beamed. "Oh, it's just my first time having such amazing luck! Thank you all so much for indulging me."

She had been feeding them that exact same line since she won her very first hand.

During the initial rounds, the ladies genuinely believed she was just riding a wave of beginner's luck.

But now, after winning hand after hand all night long, her "luck" was starting to feel highly suspicious.

No one had enough luck to play an entire evening without losing a single round.

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