CHAPTER 118
To her surprise, the cheering she had expected never came. Instead, the room fell into an eerie silence.
It was incredibly quiet.
Arianna couldn't help but feel puzzled. What had happened?
She cautiously opened one eye and was astonished by what she saw. Her other eye flew open in disbelief.
Xander's fifth ball...hadn't gone in!
Just like her last ball, it had stopped mere centimeters from the pocket.
No wonder everyone was stunned and silent.
Arianna thought to herself that perhaps, just maybe, fate was smiling on her and Charlie.
Time and tide waited for no man. Arianna immediately grasped her cue again and declared,
"My turn!"
She stepped forward and pocketed Xander's ball with ease.
With five balls pocketed, she emerged the victor!
Arianna suppressed her excitement and softly said to Xander, "Thanks for letting me win, Mr. King."
Xander stood there, making no secret of the cold expression on his face. His eyes were filled with intense hostility, like a huge gust of cold wind aimed directly at her.
Arianna understood his expression all too well—it was a sign that he was about to get furious! He must have wanted to set her straight after losing face to an unknown woman in front of everyone!
Her heart sank involuntarily, and she realized she shouldn’t stay there a second longer. She gulped, maintained her composure, and immediately said, “I should leave now that I’ve won, Mr. King.”
She started walking as soon as she said that.
Barely one step later, Xander’s cold voice rang out, “Stop!”
Arianna’s heart skipped a beat, and beads of cold sweat began forming all over her body.
She didn’t want to stop, but it would definitely arouse suspicion if she kept walking…
In the end, she did her best to restrain the urge to charge through the door. She stayed right where she stood, but her back stiffened beyond her control.
She waited for a few seconds but did not hear Xander’s voice. However, she could feel his cold, sullen gaze falling on her, piercing through her like a sharp blade.
His gaze nearly shattered Arianna’s composure. She forced a stiff smile and spoke weakly to break the silence. “Is something the matter, Mr. King?”
Xander’s dark eyes narrowed slightly. He stared at Arianna’s masked face for a few seconds before moving his thin lips and uttering,
“Take the chips you won.”
‘Chips?’
Arianna’s mind went blank, and she couldn’t react for a moment.
Xander seemed to be in an extremely petulant mood and had little patience. Seeing her frozen there, he mocked fiercely,
“What’s wrong? Do you want me to deliver them to you personally?”
She couldn't dare to trouble him with something like that!
Arianna had a sudden realization and came back to her senses abruptly. She took a couple of steps forward and reached out to take the 25 chips she won.
“Thank you, Mr. King!” After expressing her appreciation in a very ‘grateful’ tone, she walked out of the room right away.
Waiting at the door was Meredith, who immediately went up to greet Arianna as soon as she came out.
Meredith checked Arianna carefully all over and uncovered the mask to have a look. It was only after she made sure that Arianna was safe and sound that her anxious heart finally calmed down.
She couldn't help saying, “I’m glad you’re fine, Ari. I heard that crash in the room earlier and thought that something happened to you! You don’t know how scared I was!”
Arianna didn't say anything after Wendy finished speaking. As a result, Meredith looked up in confusion and realized that Arianna had a startled expression. Meredith's calm heart became anxious again and she asked,
“What happened to you, Ari? Did they do something to you?”
Did they spike her drink? Or give her some drugs?
As she spoke, she raised her hand and waved it in front of Arianna’s eyes, trying to snap her out of it.
Arianna’s long curly eyelashes trembled and she finally came to her senses. She opened her mouth to try and say something but felt that it was too improbable, so she decided not to say what she wanted to.
She smiled at Meredith, “I’m fine. Let’s go.”
“Are you really fine?” Meredith had a skeptical look. Arianna’s actions earlier had clearly shown that she had something to say.
“Yeah!”
Arianna was not willing to talk too much about it and immediately raised the chips in her hand.
“I’m just thinking about how much money I can exchange for the twenty-five chips I won.”
Meredith's attention was drawn toward the chips.
To her surprise, Arianna not only managed to escape the hands of those men, but also won money from them. She really lived up to being Arianna Jackson!
“You’re amazing, Ari!” Meredith was full of genuine admiration for her. “Come on, I’ll bring you to the cashier booth.”
At the booth, Arianna handed the 25 chips to the staff, who said with a smile, “Please write down your bank account number, and we’ll transfer the money right away.”
Arianna wrote down her bank account.
A few minutes later, Arianna’s cell phone received a notification. She reached for it and clicked on the new text message.
[You have received 500,000 in your bank account.]
With the check from Felix already in her possession, Arianna now had half a million dollars in her account. This windfall from the 25 chips she won was exactly what she needed to reach her goal of one million dollars.
She couldn't believe her luck. The pieces were falling into place, bringing her closer to securing the full amount. It seemed like fate was finally smiling on her.
Arianna's eyes widened in profound surprise, and it took her a moment to gather herself.
