The dealer approached the table where he picked up the cup containing the dice and proceeded to shake it, all done in a swift, professional presentation. Bang. The cup clapped against the table. The host announced with a vibrant smile, "Everyone, please take your guess.” Everyone exchanged blank looks for a few seconds before picking up the signs laid in front of them on the table. There was a varying number of guesses. Sylvia glanced around the room before turning to Odell. Odell was staring back at her. He suddenly asked her, “What do you think?” Sylvia answered blankly, “I don't know." She had very little experience. Odell said, “Just make a guess.” To this, Sylvia answered, "I don't want to.” She never signed up for this so she did not want to guess. What if she got blamed for getting it wrong? Odell peered into her eyes and flashed a faint smile before holding up a certain sign on the table. The sign he held up had the number four writ
Odell raised a hand and patted Sylvia’s head. She glared at him. She would have slapped his hand away right then and there if it did not mean that it would cause him to lose face in front of a group of strangers! Oblivious to the heightening tension, the dealer rolled the dice inside the cup again. Just like previously, he set the cup back on the table. The host urged, "Everyone, please make your guess.” Many of them turned to Odell. It seemed like they were going to follow whatever his guess was. Odell paused for a moment before raising a sign that read one. The dealer lifted the cup and revealed the dice underneath. It was one. Three more rounds passed by in the same fashion. Odell guessed right on all three subsequent rounds. Everyone else who chose to copy whatever his choice was was equally rewarded for it. The host announced with a bright smile, “This is the last round. Everyone, please get ready.” Someone suddenly raised a very valid po
The other people occupying the table were dumbfounded by this turn of events. Why did they raise different signs this time? After some brief hesitation, they finally raised their signs. Some of them followed Odell while others followed John. The host announced, “Let’s reveal the answer.” The dealer lifted the cup. The dice hidden underneath were immediately brought into view. Six bright red dots on top of the dice’s gleaming white surface. Everyone was astounded by the grand reveal. They turned to Odell in unison. The host declared with pleasure, "Congratulations, Master Carter! You completely aced the game with a dazzling ten-out-of-ten accuracy and with that, you’re the undisputed winner!” John congratulated Odell with a bright smile, “Congratulations, Master Carter, congratulations." Odell said, “Only because you let me win.” With that, the game was concluded, and the runner-ups were decided consecutively as well. Odell placed first with John follo
John was incredibly strong, strong enough to instantly nullify the weight Sherry threw into her punch. Sherry could not draw her fist away either. All she could do was glare venomously at him. John rose from his seat and smiled candidly at her. "Come on, let’s take Master Carter and Mrs. Carter to lunch." … The restaurant was located at the rear of the castle, in the middle of a garden. The restaurant was surrounded by all sorts of fauna. It was a dreamlike spectacle with the sweet fragrance of flowers filling the air. John had booked a private room on the second floor. The walls were made with reinforced glass and offered a wonderful view over the garden. Shortly after Sylvia, Odell, Flint, John, and Sherry arrived at the restaurant, the staff members in the venue brought Isabel and Liam to join them. Isabel had a ton of fun playing in the children’s section. Even though her clothes were mostly intact and relatively clean, she was drenched in sweat, and str
John still had Flint in his arms when he asked, "Master Carter, are you two leaving already?” Odell nodded regretfully. “Yes, sorry for troubling you over the last two days." John smiled and said, “No trouble at all. I hope you two come to visit now and then in the future." With that, he handed Flint to Sylvia. That was when Madam Stockton, Julie, and Queenie emerged from the house. They must have received word from John that Odell and Sylvia were heading back to Westchester. There was a look of urgency on Madam Stockton’s face as she trotted toward them. She stepped right to Odell and Sylvia and when she noticed Flint in Sylvia's arms, a tender expression came upon her. She asked with concern in her voice, “Master Carter, Mrs. Carter, are you two heading back already?” Odell answered, “Yes, there are a lot of things we need to attend to back home so we figured we’d stop troubling you guys over here.” Madam Stockton looked endearingly at Flint who was asleep in
The light in Sherry’s eyes dimmed. Was John trying to chase her out? This seemed to strike a nerve inside Madam Stockton as she expressed her pent-up frustration, “You might not, but I want grandchildren already! All my closest friends already have grandchildren, and I’m the only one left that doesn’t have a shot at getting to hold my grandchildren anytime soon!” John frowned with a rigid expression on his face. Madam Stockton seemed to recognize this and immediately suppressed her anger and asked with a long sigh, "John, weren’t you fond of Master Carter’s children as well? He’s around the same age as you but has three children already. When are you going to get married? Your brother is gone… Are you going to let me go to my grave without getting a chance to see my heir?” Her eyes reddened with emotion as she said this. Julie took her by her arm. "Mom, don't be angry. John is just busy with his career and has no time to get married for now. But that doesn’t mean that he
Odell sat next to her and peered at her from the corner of his eyes. Isabel had woken up some time ago. She was seated in the further back row with Liam. Liam was reading a book. Isabel leaned against his shoulder and stared at Odell and Sylvia in front. Her eyes widened like a giant ball. After staring for some time, she inched toward Liam and whispered, “Do you think Mommy and baddie Daddy are going to get along from now on?” Liam darted a glance at the two sitting in front. He observed the tender, amiable expression on their faces and seemed convinced himself as well. He uttered a short “hmm” in reply to Isabel. Isabel snickered joyously. “That’s great. We’ll never be separated from Mommy and Daddy from now on.” Liam clicked his tongue. …Half an hour later, the car stopped outside the house. Sebastian and Aunt Tonya had been waiting for them outside the house. The car had just screeched to a stop when Sylvia saw them approaching the car. Isabel was
After dinner. Odell had some work to deal with and went to his study. Isabel made Liam go to the children’s room with her to play. Meanwhile, Sylvia stayed with Flint and chatted with Aunt Tonya for a while. Aunt Tonya was getting old and tended to tire easily, so she was getting sleepy toward the end of their chat. Sylvia told her to get some rest before taking Flint upstairs. When she passed by the children's room, she noticed the door was ajar. She saw Isabel and Liam sitting cross-legged on the floor, each of them had a controller in their hand which they were furiously mashing away at. Isabel was the more excited of the two and was shouting madly, “He was the one who killed me. Kick his butt!” Sylvia made a look and hurried past the room, making sure to cover Flint’s ears. It was 9 p.m. Flint was in good spirits, and he was not sleepy either. After a while, she decided to head to the study. The door was half-open just like the children’s room,