Ch. 1031..1035
Chapter 1031
John chuckled. “Master Carter, are you sure about that?”
Odell replied, “Of course.”
“Okay.”
John put the dice inside the cup again and scrambled it inside the cup. “Take a guess.” Odell took a guess. “Three.”
John lifted the cup.
It was four.
Sylvia was speechless.
Odell grinned and turned to her again.
It had happened so many times that she was numb to it at this point. Without a word, she turned to him and offered her lips to him.
Odell smiled and kissed her on the lips, then turned to John again. “Hit me.”
John smiled calmly and repeated the same motion, ending with pressing the cup against the table. “Go ahead.” Odell, “Six.”
John lifted the cup.
Three.
Sylvia was at a loss for words.
Had he not told her something about being good at this?
What was this?
How many times had he got it wrong by now? You would think that at one point he would at least chance into a correct guess, rig ht?
Odell quickly turned to her again with a faint smile hanging on his lips. He had a look within his eyes that seemed like he was sorry for putting her through this.
As if to say that this was not what he wanted.
Sylvia stared at him blankly.
Odell leaned into her and kissed her on the lips, then he brushed the top of her head and vowed, “I'll get the next one.” Sylvia chuckled dryly.
Bang. Again, John had set the cup with the dice on the table. He smiled and invited Odell to guess yet again. “Master Carter, you r time to shine.”
“Two,” Sylvia suddenly said. She was done kissing him in public.
John wore the same caricature of a smile that concealed all traces of emotion. Meanwhile, Sherry was doing her best to hold in her laughter.
It seemed like Sylvia had enough of Odell's losing streak. She was going to take matters into her own hands.
John turned to Odell. “Master Carter?”
Odell smiled and glanced at Sylvia. “Two as well.”
John lifted the cup immediately.
Four. They were wrong yet again.
Sylvia was speechless.
Odell turned to her and smiled reluctantly.
Sylvia went in for the kiss with her eyes closed.
Shortly after, she felt the warmth of his lips.
Only this time, it was different from the previous kisses. It was a deep, passionate, and prolonged kiss. He finally let go when Sylvia began to protest.
She felt her entire body burning up.
She cast a look at John and Sherry.
John was still smiling while Sherry kept her mouth covered with both her hands. Her eyes had transformed into two slits, and she was on the edge of bursting out in laughter.
Flint looked at his
mother with his mouth agape and his eyes turning into two circles as if he was wondering why his father was constantly pecking at his mother's mouth.
Sylvia thought she only had herself to blame for making the wrong guess.
That was when John finally asked, “Master Carter, do you want to continue?”
Odell replied, “Let's take a break.”
John smiled. “Sure.”
The waiter brought drinks, fruits, and snacks to them.
Flint clapped enthusiastically when he saw the food presented.
Sylvia picked up an orange and peeled the skin off its flesh before putting it into the boy's mouth, slice after slice.
Shortly after that, the manager in charge of the venue joined them inside the room.
Upon entering, he greeted John and Odell with a polite smile and informed, “Master Carter, Master Stockton, pardon my intrusion John glanced at Odell and asked, “What kind of event?”
The manager informed dutifully, “There‘s going to be a number guessing game played with dice. The winner is the one who gets the most corre
“What's the prize?”
“There are three prizes, the third place will win a polished ruby and the second place gets a diamond necklace. As for the first pla very own master embroider, Mr. Goldclark.”
As he said this, several staff members appeared from behind with the mentioned prizes in a box.
The ruby and diamond necklace were captivating on their own, but they were nothing compared to the enchanting work of embroidery, detailing the mountainous landscape of Glanchester
Chapter 1032
It was a fantastic work of embroidery that depicted the hilly landscape of Glanchester. It was a work of art which sheer beauty se emed to exceed even that of reality where it weaved the mountainous landscape into an abstract form of art.
It was comparably more valuable than the other two prizes.
Sylvia was immediately enchanted by the wonderful work of art and could not pluck her eyes off of it. “Do you like it?”
Odell‘s voice heavy with bass sounded in her ear.
She promptly answered with a soft nod, “Yeah.”
Who would not fall in love with such exquisite craftsmanship?
That was when the manager of the venue asked again, “Master Carter, Master Stockton, would the two of you be interested in joi ning?”
“I'm fine with anything,” John replied before turning to Odell with a quick smile. “Master Carter, are you interested?” Odell replied, “Sure.” Sylvia looked at him in surprise.
Odell noticed the ways she looked at him and met her gaze. He brought a smile upon his lips and vowed in a low voice, “Wait for the good news.”
Sylvia was speechless.
Was he saying that he was going to win the embroidery for her?
What, with his lackluster skill that had not even got the correct guess even once?
She pursed her lips and swallowed whatever offensive words that were about to emerge from her lips. Since Odell had already given his word to John, she figured she could not spoil his moment in front of John. John turned to the manager. “Alright, count us in.”
The manager announced politely, “Alright, it will begin in just ten minutes. Master Carter, Master Stockton, please head to the event space if you will. Thank you.”
With that, he left with his crew of staff members.
John turned to Odell and smiled. “Come on, let's head over there.
Odell nodded amiably. “Sure.”
He rose and took Flint in one hand while taking Sylvia‘s hand with the other.
John followed after and reached for Sherry‘s hand.
She hesitated for a moment but ended up offering him her hand anyway.
Shortly after, they arrived at a large room only adjacent to their previous room.
There were already some people here, most of them were participants in the game as well.
It was not a very packed venue, with only close to ten men at most. Most of them were accompanied by at least two beautiful ladies in skimpy clothing.
When Sylvia entered, she immediately saw several of these ladies sitting on the laps of their male companions.
She was abashed by this scene and immediately covered Flint's eyes.
Odell frowned as well. John immediately turned to the manager.
The manager was very perceptive and immediately turned to the present group and informed, “These gentlemen are Master Carter and Master Stockton.”
Awave of silence immediately swarmed over the room, and all of the ladies immediately scuttled back to their seats. All of the men rose one after another and went to greet the new guests.
“Master Stockton, Master Carter, your reputation precedes you. I'm Michael from Glanchester's Royal Cavalier's Hotel.” “Master Stockton, Master Carter, good to see you two. The name is Benjamin but you can just call me Ben.”
It was a stark transformation from their previous indecent
behavior. They had put on their masks and suddenly turned into formal businessmen again.
John responded with a faint smile. Then he invited Odell to take a seat at the center of the long table.
Odell sat down with Flint in his arms, and Sylvia took a seat next to him. John sat across from them with his arms around Sherry.
The others followed suit and sat with them at the table afterward.
After a while, the manager showed up again with a dealer following him.
He began to disclose the rules, “Ladies and gentlemen, we'll begin very shortly. Before that, let me explain the rules. It's very sim} ups.”
With that, he looked around the room and asked, “Does anyone have any questions?”
Ayoung man sitting between two women raised a question,” What if two of us end up with a tie at the end of the round?”
The manager smiled and informed, “In that case, there will be a tiebreaker round where the two will compete against each other again.”
With that, he asked the room again, “Does anyone have any other questions? If there are no more questions, we shall begin.” He was looking at John and Odell as he said this.
Odell had Flint in his arms and seemed rather disinterested.
John smiled and nodded to give the signal.
The manager announced in a booming voice, “Please get ready, everyone. We shall now commence the game!” With that, he retreated into the
Chapter 1033
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 written on it.
Sylvia frowned.
She swiped a look across the room. She could tell most of the participants were regulars here and they all guessed different numbers. Why was Odell taking such a risk?
That was when she noticed John holding up a sign that read four as well.
She did not know what to make of this.
The dealer finally lifted the cup to reveal the number on the dice. It was four.
The host announced, “Congratulations , Master Carter, Master Stockton, and these three gentlemen over here.” Sylvia blinked sporadically.
Did Odell get it right at last?
She stared at him.
Odell looked back at her, the shallow corners of his lips curled into a dazzling smile.
It was as if to say that this was all within his realm of expectations.
Sylvia pursed her lips and ignored him.
He just got lucky
The second round followed after.
The dealer placed the cup on the table.
Again, everyone lifted the sign according to their choice.
Again, Odell‘s number was different from most of the others.
John held up the same number as him. It was as if he was just choosing whatever Odell chose. The dealer lifted the cup and presented the number underneath.
Again, Odell was correct.
Sylvia was baffled and looked at Odell in utter disbelief.
He never even got it right once when he played against John, and now he had it right twice in a row? Was he intentionally making the wrong guess back then?
Perhaps the stars just happened to align. His luck would run out soon.
Over the next three rounds, the number of the dice was three, four, and six respectively. The sign Odell held up for each turn was also three, four, and six.
Every round, John would wait for Odell to raise his sign before raising the same number as him. Odell got it right on every single round.
Everyone looked at him with veneration.
Many of them tried to sucker up to him. “Master Carter, youte
amazing at this.”
“Master Carter is a veteran at this game.”
Odell only smirked and darted a glance at Sylvia.
A self-satisfied grin greeted his handsome face.
Sylvia shot a look at him.
It may be nothing but a coincidence in the first few rounds but now that he had five in a row, she had to admit that he had a particular talent at this game!
How did this explain that he never even got it right once when he played against John earlier? He must have done it on purpose, knowing that the punishment
for losing was that he had to kiss her!
Chapter 1034 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 point.
“Hey, isn't Master Carter and Master Stockton both tied up right now?”
“It does seem like it. Most of us got it wrong a few times in the beginning so we lost our chance at getting first place. It's either go ing to be Master Stockton or Master Carter.”
“Both of them are really good. There‘s no telling who's going to win yet.”
“| don't know. It seems to me that it's always Master Carter who makes his guess first and Master Stockton follows after that.” “Why don't we make a bet and see which one of them claims first place?”
They all turned in unison toward Odell and John after that.
Sylvia could not resist the urge to steal a look as well.
The man beside her seemed completely unfazed by the stakes of the game as there was hardly a trace of emotion on his face. John was still smiling. He seemed pretty good at the game as well.
Sylvia could not figure out which one of them was the superior of the two.
That was when Odell suddenly turned to her with an intent look inside his dark eyes. “Which one of us do you think is going to
win?”
Sylvia preferred to stay out of it. “I don‘t want to bet.”
She was only here as an observer.
Odell suddenly grabbed her chin. “No, you have to.”
Sylvia pouted. This man could be quite childish at times.
She stayed silent.
Odell squinted, a hostile look surfaced in his eyes. “Who?”
Sylvia mumbled, “You.”
“What?” He could hardly hear her.
Sylvia glared at him. “You will win.”
Although she had to admit that Odell was getting on her nerves, she would be a fool to place her bet on anyone other than him.
Odell smiled with satisfaction. Not only did he not let go of her, but he even drew in closer until his lips were inches from her ears and whispered to her, “If | get the embroidery for you, you're going home with me after this, alright?”
Sylvia felt her face glowing red.
She sensed the atmosphere in the room shifting slightly. Everyone must be subtly staring at them right now.
She put up a hand and pushed him away. “Go away.”
“Answer me.” He continued to hold on to her face with an unchanging expression, a charming glow illuminated his eyes. Sylvia had had enough. “We'll see what happens after you win.”
Odell smiled. “Alright.”
With that, he let go of her and turned to face the opposite end of the table, where he looked into John’s eyes.
John smiled at him.
The host observed the group before turning to the dealer. “Let's begin.”
All the air was drained out of the room at that moment.
Everyone's collective attention was fixed on the dealer.
The dice rolled around inside the cup before a climactic “bang” shattered the silence. The dealer kept his hand above the cup and prepared to lift it at any given moment.
Immediately afterward, everyone turned to look at Odell and John. John smiled. “Master Carter, why don't | go first this time?” With that, he raised a sign that read four.
Something shifted in Odell's expression, even if subtly. He fell silent for a moment before raising a sign that read six.
Chapter 1035
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 following closed as a runner-up. The second runner— up was another young man participating in the game while the rest of the participants received conciliatory prizes.
The staff members presented the prizes to each of them.
The host personally delivered the embroidery to Odell and congratulated him again, “Master Carter, congratulations.” Odell eyed Sylvia. “Give it to my wife.”
The host quickly swerved in Sylvia's direction and presented the work of embroidery to her.
“Thank you.” Sylvia accepted it with a gracious smile.
It was truly a fine handiwork of a master embroiderer. It looked even more enchanting at a close distance.
Sylvia wagered that she would not be able to parallel such a masterful work even if she had woven away for a lifetime.
Sylvia was not the only one amazed by the work. Even Flint, who was resting snugly in Odell’s arms, seemed to be interested in the embroidery and crawled over to Sylvia with his hands eagerly swatting at the embroidery.
Sylvia let Flint touch it briefly before gently removing his hand from the work.
Such exquisite craft must be preserved properly and carefully.
While she was still enamored by the wonderful artifact, Odell‘s magnetic voice suddenly echoed inside her ears. “Sylvia, come home with me tonight.”
Sylvia could feel her ears burning up along with her cheeks.
She formed her lips into a straight line and tried to ignore him. Odell observed the way she blushed and said, “I'll take that for a yes.”
Sylvia kept her lips zipped.
Odell smiled playfully.
Meanwhile, John was handed the runner-up prize, a wonderful sparkling diamond necklace. The diamond was carved into the shape of a petal. It was remarkable and unique.
He placed it on his palms to feel the weight, then he turned to Sherry.
Sherry was silently staring at the sparkling diamond.
As she gazed into the brilliant gem, even her eyes seemed to sparkle with the same radiance. It seemed like she was captivated by the beauty of the gemstone.
John made a look and asked, “Do you like it?” Sherry blinked.
Of course, she liked it. Even a layman could tell that the diamond was worth a fortune. Who would not be drawn to such a pricele ss treasure?
John noted his silence and remarked, “I'll just throw it away if you don't like it.”
This seemed to draw Sherry‘s attention so she immediately blurted out, “I like it, | do.”
John smirked and tossed the diamond necklace away out of nowhere.
The shining diamond necklace flew into the air in a rainbow arc before falling into the box it was originally placed in. The staff member holding the box was caught by surprise.
John suddenly turned to the staff member and said with a charming smile, “It's yours now.”
The staff member's eyes glowed with excitement and thanked John fervently, “Thank you, Master Stockton!” Then, she promptly left with her unexpected gift.
Sherry was speechless.
Her face was frozen with shock
John stared at her with a wry smile.
She gritted her teeth. “Master Stockton, I've never seen someone as full of himself as you.”
She had never seen anyone as despicable as he was!
John chuckled softly. He was hardly offended by such a rude statement and raised his hand to pat her head before telling her, “I wouldn't want to waste something as precious as that on the likes of you.”
Sherry chuckled dryly. She suddenly clenched her hands into a fist.
She swung hard at his smug face, only to have her momentum completely cut off when he grabbed her fist mid-air.