Chapter 229 The Gambler's Mindset
After speaking with Nora, Baldwin headed outside. Approached Frederick's car and knocked on the window.
Fredrick rolled down the window and eyed the front door of the villa, frowning slightly when he didn't see Nora emerging. Why hadn't Nora come out yet?
"Baldwin, is there something you need?" Fredrick asked.
Baldwin glanced at him, "Nora is having dinner at my place. She said you don't need to wait around. You can head back now. I'll make sure she gets home later."
But Frederick couldn't just leave, it would go against his duty. As Mr. Gordon's man, his job was to safely escort Nora to and from work. It would make no sense for him to leave before his charge did. "Please tell Nora I'll wait right here for her," he insisted.
Baldwin's lips curled with a hint of cold amusement, "Suit yourself. But be ready, it’s going to be a long wait. How about I transfer you some money so you can grab a bite to avoid starving?"
"No need," Frederick decisively declined.
Just then, his stomach betrayed him with an audible rumble.
With a soft snort, Baldwin remarked, "Well, then, enjoy your wait," turning on his heel and heading back into the house.
Frederick patted his belly, swallowing hard. Determined to earn the substantial year-end bonus his boss had promised, resolved to stand his post, not giving the enemy a chance to take advantage.
Upon entering the villa, Baldwin's face warmed with a gentle smile. "Nora, your driver is very dedicated," he remarked. "I invited him in to dine with us, but he insisted it wasn't proper."
Hearing this, Nora felt a twinge of guilt. "Maybe I should go and tell him to grab something to eat?"
"No need," Mary interjected as she set the last dish on the table. "I'll take something out to him so he can appease his hunger."
Nora nodded in agreement. "That would be kind of you, Mary."
"It's no trouble at all," Mary replied with a smile before heading to the kitchen to fetch a takeout box.
As the rest sat down to eat, Hollis had a pleasant conversation with Nora, inquiring about her favorite foods and her family. Nora responded to each question.
Baldwin attentively noted her responses as he served her food.
Meanwhile, Mary packed some food and brought it out to Frederick. "The young master felt sorry for you and asked me to bring you something to eat."
"No need," Frederick declined.
"Just eat. There's no poison in it," Mary said, placing the takeout box inside his car and giving Frederick a cool glance before turning to walk away.
Watching her walk back into the villa, Frederick furrowed his brow. The woman seemed familiar to him. Where had he seen her before?
Meanwhile, back at the mansion. After enjoying dinner with the three children, Jacob excitedly gave his two younger brothers math problems to solve.
He realized they were exceptionally smart. They quickly grasped the concepts of some problems that even outstanding high school students found challenging.
His affection for them grew.
Samantha, on the other hand, disliked doing math and instead roamed through the garden's pavilions and towers, accompanied by a servant, thoroughly enjoying herself.
Aaron, observing the gathering of young and old with a smirk, thought how perfect it would be if the children's mother were also here.
He glanced at the time, his eyes narrowing slightly. It was almost eight o'clock. Surely Nora should have been home by now?
If she had arrived and found the children gone, she would have called him without doubt. Yet she hadn't.
Pondering this, he dialed Frederick's number. "Frederick, where is Nora?"
"Mr. Gordon, she is still at the Baldwin residence."
‘Still there?’ Aaron's brow creased. "Hasn't she finished her therapy?"
"No, the treatment has finished, but Baldwin asked her to stay for dinner," the voice on the other end of the line informed Aaron.
Hearing this, Aaron's entire demeanor darkened drastically.
'Nora is still there for dinner?' he thought to himself. 'Even if it's dinner, shouldn't it be over by now? How long can one meal possibly take? Is it a feast or something?'
After hanging up, Aaron called Nora with a stern face. At that moment, Nora was in the middle of a card game with Hollis and a few others.
Honestly, she wasn't initially interested in this form of entertainment. But since Hollis suggested it, it was hard for her to refuse without losing face, so she was drawn into the fray.
As the game went on, the competition was beginning to get out of hand. Because she kept winning!
She wasn't a gambler by any stretch and didn't care much for money, but the thrill of winning money was exhilarating! It made her forget all about the time.
Suddenly, she felt like she could understand the mindset of a gambler. It was thrilling, and the money came fast!
It wasn't until her phone rang, and she saw it was Aaron calling, that she snapped back to reality as if someone had pulled her back.
"Sorry, I have to take this call," she said with an apologetic smile to Hollis and the others before answering the phone. "Hello?"
"Are you still at Baldwin's place?" Aaron's deep voice came through, clearly displeased.
Nora sensed his mood and felt inexplicably guilty. "Yeah."
"What are you doing?"
Nearby, Baldwin's eyes flickered as he picked up a teapot to pour water for Nora. Then his hand trembled, and he accidentally spilled water on her.
"I'm so sorry, Nora. Did it scald you?" Baldwin rushed to grab a napkin to wipe at the water stains.
Nora was caught off guard as she was considering how to explain the situation to Aaron, so she wasn't ready for the spill. But the water wasn't hot, and she wasn't scalded.
She stood up quickly and said, "I'm fine. I'll be back soon, and we'll talk then."
The line went silent for a moment before Aaron hung up. Even though Aaron hadn't said much, Nora knew he was angry.
"Baldwin, how could you be so careless? Did you soak Nora's clothes?" Hollis asked with a flicker in his eyes, feigning annoyance.
Baldwin looked apologetic. "Sorry, Nora, do you want to change into some clean clothes?"
"No, no, that's not necessary," Nora brushed off the water stains, "It's getting late. I should be going." She had to leave, or she was she afraid that Aaron might get even angrier!
Hollis turned to Baldwin, "Baldwin, can you transfer the money because Mary and I lost today to Nora?"
"Sure." Baldwin nodded, understanding her request, and transferred the funds to Nora.
Nora quickly said, "No need, we were just playing for fun, it wasn't serious." They had played cards with a pretty hefty stake, and she had won at least a hundred grand. Of course, she wouldn't take the money with her.
"Nora, do you look down on us, thinking we can't afford to lose?" Hollis said with a displeased look, "What you win is yours, just take it already."
"Yeah, it's no fun if we play pretend. Take it already," Baldwin added with a smile.
Hesitating for a moment, Nora finally nodded and accepted the money, "Okay then, I didn't expect to win so much money the first time I played cards. I feel a bit embarrassed."
Baldwin laughed, "Beginner's luck is usually strong, but next time you won't be so lucky."
Nora smiled and casually said, "Next time, I'll be ready to lose to you guys."
"Good, we'll play again next time." Baldwin and Hollis exchanged glances, communicating without words.
Had Nora truly been lucky?
It was clear they had intentionally thrown the game, humoring Nora to make her happy and deepen their bond with her.
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