Free Web NovelChapter 99: Chapter 99: Lost So Badly Your Face Turns Green
Cecelia was driven back to the old estate by the chauffeur.
The car stopped in the parking area. After getting out, she was just about to head back to the Old Master’s place when Second Aunt suddenly appeared nearby and called out to her.
"Cecelia! I was just about to go find you at Grandpa’s. I didn’t expect to see you here. Where have you been? Did you go out? Just getting back? Hurry, hurry, come over here."
She was dressed in casual loungewear, yet she was waving so urgently. Cecelia thought something was wrong and hurried over.
It turned out Second Aunt was calling her over to play mahjong.
"Oh, my luck has been terrible today. I’ve been playing for over two hours and losing for over two hours. It’s like I’m cursed. Mrs. Gordon and Mrs. Clark came all this way just to play with me, so I can’t very well kick them out. Why don’t you take my place for a bit? Help me change my luck."
"Mrs. Clark just went to the restroom, so we’re on a short break. She’s probably back by now. Quick, quick."
’She actually just wanted me to play mahjong? And she didn’t even ask if I knew how to play!’
Cecelia stopped in her tracks. "Second Aunt, but I don’t know how to play mahjong."
"You don’t know how?"
Second Aunt looked her up and down with a disdainful expression.
"You’re so pretty and you don’t seem stupid, how can you not even know how to play mahjong? Never mind holidays, it’s the number one activity whenever we get together for fun. You have to know how. All the girls your age in our circle know how. Damien will be relying on you for social events in the future."
"It’s fine, it’s fine. You have to learn sooner or later anyway. Might as well learn from me. I’ll teach you."
Cecelia wasn’t exactly eager to learn.
She had already been out for over an hour. She couldn’t just leave Candy with the Old Master indefinitely, could she?
"Maybe another day. I’m afraid I won’t be able to learn in just a short time. Besides, I haven’t told Grandpa I’m back."
"What’s there to tell him? You’re a grown woman, you think Grandpa is going to worry you got lost? It’s very simple. I’ll explain it briefly and you’ll get it. There’s no way you won’t learn. Let’s go, let’s go."
Second Aunt was dead set on getting her to go. As she spoke, she half-pulled, half-dragged Cecelia into her courtyard villa.
In the living room, Third Aunt and the other two ladies were sitting at the mahjong table, waiting.
Second Aunt pushed Cecelia down into her seat.
"This is our Damien’s girlfriend. He just brought her back yesterday for everyone to meet. She’s not too familiar with the family yet, so I was worried she’d be bored all by herself and pulled her over."
"Mrs. Gordon, Mrs. Clark, I’ve been playing for ages, and my legs have gone numb from sitting. You don’t mind if she plays for a while, do you?"
Damien Vaughn’s girlfriend? Everyone started sizing Cecelia up.
"Not at all, not at all. She’s so pretty. Oh, what’s your name? Which family’s young lady are you from? A man as exceptional as Damien has no shortage of young women wanting to marry him. I was just thinking of introducing him to someone, but I see he’s already taken."
"You said it yourself, there are countless girls who want to marry him. Damien is handsome and capable, so of course it’s normal for him to have a girlfriend."
As they spoke, they began to shuffle the tiles, all while looking at Cecelia with cheerful smiles.
"Go on, tell us, little beauty. What’s your name? What family are you from? How long have you known Damien? How did you meet? How far along are you two?"
Cecelia was speechless.
’If I really ended up with Damien Vaughn, would I have to deal with people like this every day? I think I’d go crazy.’
She didn’t know how to fend them off, nor did she want to.
Just Second Aunt and Third Aunt alone were more than she could handle.
"I don’t know how to play mahjong. Second Aunt, weren’t you going to teach me the rules?" fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Second Aunt knew Cecelia’s family background wasn’t impressive. To be honest, knowing Damien’s mother, she didn’t think Cecelia had any real chance of marrying into the Vaughn Family.
Her child was already so old, yet Damien was only just now bringing her home. It probably meant she couldn’t get past his mother.
This whole thing was probably just to placate the Old Master. They’d mess around for a bit and that would be the end of it. It was better if Cecelia knew her place and kept her mouth shut.
"Let’s not talk about that now. The game is what’s important. She doesn’t know how to play, so I’ll teach her."
It was supposedly Cecelia playing, but in reality, Second Aunt was playing the entire time.
Cecelia would draw a tile, and she would play whichever one Second Aunt told her to discard.
After a few rounds, Cecelia finally had a rough idea of the rules, but she hadn’t won a single game.
It was just for fun, anyway. Besides, she was playing as a substitute for Second Aunt, so she didn’t care about winning or losing. As long as Second Aunt didn’t tell her to stop, she just kept playing.
This continued until Damien Vaughn came home from work. Finding the house unusually quiet, he asked Ms. King.
"Where is everyone? Are they all upstairs?"
"The Master and Candy went to play in the garden. The Young Madam went out to see a friend. After she came back, the Second Mistress called her over to her place, and she hasn’t returned yet."
’Second Aunt called Cecelia over to her place?’
Damien Vaughn frowned. "How long has she been gone?"
Ms. King glanced at the time. "Over two hours. Dinner is almost ready, Young Master. Should I go and call her back?" ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
’No need.’
’Second Aunt barely says a few words to me all year, yet she’s this friendly to Cecelia who just arrived. She’s definitely up to no good.’
Damien Vaughn decided to go see for himself what she was up to.
He headed for his second uncle’s villa. Before he even entered the living room, he could hear the chattering of a group of women.
Pushing the door open, he saw Cecelia in the center of the living room, sitting with Second Aunt with her back to him, playing mahjong with the others.
’Second Aunt called her over just to play mahjong? Cecelia actually knows how to play mahjong?’
A little curious, Damien Vaughn quietly stood behind Cecelia.
The round ended, and Cecelia lost again.
She had no particular reaction, but Second Aunt’s tone was passive-aggressive.
"My, my, what is wrong with this seat today? The feng shui must be terrible. I thought it was just my luck that was bad, but it seems Damien’s girlfriend is the same."
"Mrs. Gordon, Mrs. Clark, you must have had a good time today, right? Cecelia, settle the accounts with the two ladies. It’s getting late, let’s call it a day. President Gordon and President Clark will be getting off work soon. If you don’t head back, you’ll miss serving your husbands dinner, and we wouldn’t want you to get into a fight over it."
Mrs. Gordon and Mrs. Clark had been winning all afternoon, their pockets full, and they were smiling from ear to ear.
"Of course we did. How could we not have a good time playing with you two sisters? Alright, since it’s getting late, we’ll play again another day. We’ll be on our way."
"Um... My winnings are 240,000, and Mrs. Clark won one more hand than me, so she’s at 360,000. What was your name again? Little beauty, will it be WeChat or Alipay?"
Cecelia thought she had heard wrong.
’What 240,000? What 360,000? Didn’t Second Aunt ask me to play as her substitute? I didn’t even play a single tile on my own the entire time, how am I suddenly supposed to pay out 600,000?’
Cecelia looked at Second Aunt, completely baffled.
Second Aunt leaned back in her chair, a look of someone who couldn’t care less on her face.
"Why are you looking at me? Your Auntie Gordon is talking to you. WeChat or Alipay? They’re in a hurry to get home, so hurry up and transfer the money."
Cecelia couldn’t see the expression on her own face, but she knew it must have been ugly.
’600,000! It’s not just that I don’t have it—even if I did, I wouldn’t be willing to throw it away like this without a word!’
’To put it nicely, this is a recreational card game. To put it bluntly, with stakes this high, isn’t this just gambling?’
’Before we started, Second Aunt didn’t explain anything clearly. Now that there’s a huge debt, she’s drawing a line in the sand. Can a family this wealthy really be so calculating?’
