"Is it really that delicious?" Watching her cheeks puffing up and her face full of happiness, Cyrus Hawthorne’s thin lips curved slightly. The little one was too easily satisfied. Just watching her eat could increase one’s appetite. "Not delicious, it’s just that my mouth feels too lonely and wants some company too..." Ann Vaughn stubbornly denied, while eating the last bite of cake. Just then, a somewhat amused voice suddenly joined the conversation: "President Hawthorne, long time no see." A blonde man walked over casually, perhaps never having seen a woman by Cyrus Hawthorne’s side, his gaze lingered on Ann Vaughn for a few seconds. Before he could take a good look, a cold and piercing gaze came over, forcing the blonde man to look away from Ann Vaughn’s face and smile back, "I heard that President Hawthorne was at the shooting range yesterday and got a little flirted with by The Black Rose. How come there’s a different lady by your side today?" Ann Vaughn blinked her eyes, almost choked by the man’s choice of words. "You seem to have a lot of free time?" Cyrus Hawthorne pushed a glass towards Ann Vaughn, responding indifferently. "Indeed, I have some time on my hands. I’ve organized a gambling session upstairs just for you, President Hawthorne. I wonder if you’d be interested?" Despite being rejected, the blonde man wasn’t angry. Instead, his smile deepened. "President Hawthorne would surely be interested. Today everyone’s stakes are quite exceptional, like... the land south of Grendall." The Hawthorne Corp. places great importance on that piece of land, as it concerns whether they can smoothly launch their base station construction plan for the second half of the year. But the Grendall Government has been reluctant to give in, so the Hawthorne Corp. is still secretly negotiating with them. Cyrus Hawthorne’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his thin lips curved into a faint smile. After clearing the area, only those around the gambling table by the window remained. The windows here were completely transparent, offering a panoramic view of the sea, and if lucky, one might even witness the spectacular sight of a whale breaching. But the atmosphere at the gambling table was far from as gentle as the outside scenery, with traps and danger lurking everywhere. Initially, the bets placed were quite normal, just money or shares in jewelry and such. But as the game went on, the stakes turned into people— "Haha, winning such a beautiful companion from Godfather Carson wasn’t easy." Eames, sitting on the right, won a round and eagerly took over Carson’s, the blonde man’s, companion. He wasn’t even discreet, kissing the sexy lady several times. The lady didn’t want to be Eames’ companion, but knowing she couldn’t return to Carson’s side, she had to endure it. The scene made Ann Vaughn uncomfortable. She hadn’t even furrowed her brows when she heard Cyrus Hawthorne warning softly. "If anyone doesn’t want to restrain themselves and sets a bad example for my little friend, I won’t mind feeding him to the sharks." As soon as these words were out, Eames’ wandering hand immediately froze, hesitated for a moment, then refrained from further touching the lady overtly. A flash of surprise crossed Carson’s eyes as he said with a smile, "I thought President Hawthorne didn’t like women, which is why he didn’t use a companion as a bet. Turns out, it’s because he can’t bear to wager the lady beside him." They originally intended to use the previous game to snatch this beauty from Cyrus Hawthorne, thinking that since she was just a companion, she wouldn’t hold much weight. But who knew, the companion’s place in Cyrus Hawthorne’s heart was important enough for him not to consider using her as a stake at all. He even wouldn’t allow them to act inappropriately in front of her, lest they lead her astray. Eames was secretly frustrated. The woman Cyrus brought wasn’t a companion, she was more like a daughter! "This game is no fun if played ," Austin, seated on the left, said with a wicked smile. "From start to finish, it’s just us playing. How boring. Let’s try a different game, shall we?" "How?" The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒·𝗇𝗲𝘁 Austin continued, "Let these companions play for us. The rules remain the same, deciding the winner in one round. As for the bet... let’s not make things difficult for these beauties. Whoever loses accompanies the winner for a week, how about it?" "Alright, that sounds like a good game." Carson was the first to agree, his gaze meaningfully glancing at Ann Vaughn. Their companions might not be experts in gambling, but at least they were better than a delicate flower like Ann Vaughn. The only question was whether Cyrus Hawthorne would agree... Eames shrugged, "I have no objections, it’s up to President Hawthorne." "What does President Hawthorne think?" Cyrus Hawthorne looked down at Ann Vaughn, nestled in his arms, his cold and handsome face covered with a faint smile, "Do you want to play?" "If someone insists on handing their face over for us to slap, we shouldn’t waste their good intentions, right?" Ann Vaughn lazily straightened up with a light laugh. Carson and the others didn’t understand S Country’s language, but from the expressions of Cyrus Hawthorne and Ann Vaughn, they got the gist. "Has President Hawthorne’s companion played this kind of game before? Do you need us to explain the rules for you?" Austin asked, seemingly kind-heartedly. Ann Vaughn shook her head slightly, "Never played, no need." Austin’s eyes instantly showed a trace of ridicule as he patted the companion beside him, "Darling, if you win this round, whatever you want, I’ll buy it for you." "Really? Then I’ll play boldly." The companion giggled. The game soon began, with the dealer dealing the cards in an orderly manner. Austin’s companion kept glancing at Ann Vaughn, feeling relieved when she saw her furrowed brow, seemingly confused by the cards in her hand. Someone who doesn’t know how to play cards; even if she played randomly, she would still win against her. "President Hawthorne’s companion doesn’t seem to know how to play cards. Do you want to go help?" Carson noticed as well and asked deliberately. "No need to trouble yourself." Cyrus Hawthorne’s calm gaze was fixed on Ann Vaughn, and he responded to Carson with a faint refusal. Carson didn’t mind, his emerald-green eyes flickered with a faintly sinister light. One really looked forward to seeing what Cyrus Hawthorne’s woman could do... Who would have expected that the game would end right then. Carson and Austin both had smiles on their faces as they stepped forward to ask, "So, who won?" There was no need to ask to know, it must be either Amelie or Tina, it couldn’t possibly be... "It’s this young lady." Austin’s companion, Amelie, reluctantly pointed at Ann Vaughn, looking pale. Seeing the little one mischievously blink her eyes, the smile in Cyrus Hawthorne’s eyes deepened. Austin almost shouted these words, frowning as he questioned Amelie, "You can’t even win against someone who doesn’t know how to play cards, are you kidding me?!" Upon hearing this, Carson’s companion, Tina, replied in a low voice, "She doesn’t look like someone who has played this kind of card game before. We could have won, but who knew she could count cards..."