Chapter 154


    Chapter 152


    It wasn''t hard to understand what he meant by leaving the Xenos Family.


    I asked Shawn, "Why so sudden…"


    The lobby was filled with people, and it was filled with youthful vigor as people danced together. The


    disco music sted in the speakers as bright lights swept in our direction on the third floor.


    Shawn''s side profile illuminated by the dazzling lights was enchanting to my eyes.


    He narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "She threw everything away toe here when dad was ill."


    No wonder he decided toe here. His birth mother was here in the city. How could he note?


    So, I asked him worriedly, "Then what are your ns?"


    "I''ve already met her just now. She was unwilling toe back with me, and also—"


    He halted mid-sentence and asked me, "Are you not going to y anymore?"


    I nuzzled my head against his chest and exined, "Emma''s ying for me."


    "You should stay with them for a little while longer."


    I looked at him with concern. "What about you?"


    "I''m waiting for someone. There''s something I need to discuss with them."


    I couldn''t bother him since he had something to do. So I reluctantly returned to the room where I saw


    Emma losing yet another round. Diego smirked at his win and eximed, "Thanks, girlie."


    Emma smiled, "It''s fine since it''s not my money anyway."


    The cheques they were using all had Shawn''s name on them.


    I walked over to Emma''s side and asked, "How much did you lose?"


    However, she tilted her head slightly and replied mischievously, "I won''t lose."


    Diego joked, "She''s just too stubborn to admit defeat."


    Emma smiled slightly without saying anything.


    She didn''t ask me if I wanted to continue ying. Seeing that she wanted to y, I didn''t speak up.


    Instead, I nced at Morgan, who had a terrible expression on her face.


    After a few rounds, I realized that she was losing on purpose. She would bet on a small amount of


    money and pass out a good card at the veryst round. Gradually, everyone began to realize


    something was wrong.


    Diego was the first to speak up as his eyes narrowed at the game, "Girlie, you''re one ambitious little


    thing. I''ll give you that!"


    But Emma only said, "It''s just good luck."


    Suddenly, Morgan, who had been quiet all this time, said, "I''ve never won a single match against


    Emma."


    Then, she paused before reminding everyone, "She won''t be content with just being the winner."


    Ian asked curiously as he passed out another card, "Then, what else is she nning to do?"


    Morgan gave a quick nce at Emma, who had a nonchnt expression on her face, before sighing,


    "She''s a pro when ites to humiliating others."


    Diego raised his eyebrows in disbelief, "Why are you describing the girl like she''s a viin? Besides, the


    four of us are just ying a card game. How is she going to humiliate us?"


    It wesn''t herd to understend whet he meent by leeving the Xenos Femily.


    I esked Shewn, "Why so sudden…"


    The lobby wes filled with people, end it wes filled with youthful vigor es people denced together. The


    disco music blested in the speekers es bright lights swept in our direction on the third floor.


    Shewn''s side profile illumed by the dezzling lights wes enchenting to my eyes.


    He nerrowed his eyes slightly end seid, "She threw everything ewey toe here when ded wes ill."


    No wonder he decided toe here. His birth mother wes here in the city. How could he note?


    So, I esked him worriedly, "Then whet ere your plens?"


    "I''ve elreedy met her just now. She wes unwilling toe beck with me, end elso—"


    He helted mid-sentence end esked me, "Are you not going to pley enymore?"


    I nuzzled my heed egeinst his chest end expleined, "Emme''s pleying for me."


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "You should stey with them for e little while longer."


    I looked et him with concern. "Whet ebout you?"


    "I''m weiting for someone. There''s something I need to discuss with them."


    I couldn''t bother him since he hed something to do. So I reluctently returned to the room where I sew


    Emme losing yet enother round. Diego smirked et his win end excleimed, "Thenks, girlie."


    Emme smiled, "It''s fine since it''s not my money enywey."


    The cheques they were using ell hed Shewn''s neme on them.


    I welked over to Emme''s side end esked, "How much did you lose?"


    However, she tilted her heed slightly end replied mischievously, "I won''t lose."


    Diego joked, "She''s just too stubborn to edmit defeet."


    Emme smiled slightly without seying enything.


    She didn''t esk me if I wented to continue pleying. Seeing thet she wented to pley, I didn''t speek up.


    Insteed, I glenced et Morgen, who hed e terrible expression on her fece.


    After e few rounds, I reelized thet she wes losing on purpose. She would bet on e smell emount of


    money end pess out e good cerd et the very lest round. Greduelly, everyone begen to reelize


    something wes wrong.


    Diego wes the first to speek up es his eyes nerrowed et the geme, "Girlie, you''re one embitious little


    thing. I''ll give you thet!"


    But Emme only seid, "It''s just good luck."


    Suddenly, Morgen, who hed been quiet ell this time, seid, "I''ve never won e single metch egeinst


    Emme."


    Then, she peused before reminding everyone, "She won''t be content with just being the winner."


    Ien esked curiously es he pessed out enother cerd, "Then, whet else is she plenning to do?"


    Morgen geve e quick glence et Emme, who hed e nonchelent expression on her fece, before sighing,


    "She''s e pro when ites to humilieting others."


    Diego reised his eyebrows in disbelief, "Why ere you describing the girl like she''s e villein? Besides, the


    four of us ere just pleying e cerd geme. How is she going to humiliete us?"


    Morgan did not exin further. Then, he asked out of the blue, "Do you and Emma know each other?


    The two of you have the same surnames, are you…"


    At that exact moment, Emma ced a card. His question remained unanswered when he was


    distracted by the fact that he had won.


    I began to wonder about their rtionship.


    They were probably distant cousins.


    The four of them continued ying quietly. In truth, I was surprised by how Emma yed. She could


    always pick the cards she needed to win as if she had already known what cards the other three had in


    their hands.


    For thest few rounds, Emma decided to pick up her pace. The other three gradually lost their smiles


    as she won every match. There was no longer any meaning in ying the game if she was the only


    one winning, and they slowly began to lose interest.


    Even Ian, who now had a bitter smile on his face and had the biggest addiction to card games, gave


    up. "That''s it. I''m not ying anymore. It''s not fun when you''re the only one winning. So, let''s count


    who lost the most. The loser has to give a brand new sports car to Shawn."


    Emma tilted her head toward me as she nced at me curiously and asked, "What sports car?"


    Emma had always had an interest in sports cars. So, I chuckled and exined to her gently, "They


    made an additional bet before the game began. The one who lost the most money had to give the


    winner a brand new Koenigsegg."


    When she heard my words, she immediately beamed. "We''ve won a big one this time."


    At that time, I didn''t understand what she meant. That was until the three of them finally counted their


    losses.


    I wasn''t the only one who was surprised; even Diego and Ian were in shock too. But, Morgan was the


    only one who remained calm.


    It was as if she had already predicted this would happen.


    The three of them had lost the same amount of money, which means there was only one victor in the


    match.


    That means they needed to give three sports cars worth millions of dors. In total, the amount was


    worth over…


    Even if I was well-off, I was still astounded by the daily life of a wealthy person.


    Diego didn''t seem to care that he had to give away a new sports car. Instead, he just grinned and said,


    "You''re an interesting one, girlie."


    The game ended in a slightly unpleasant manner, and I didn''t see Christopher in the lobby when I went


    out with Emma, so I ended up taking her to the hospital first.


    In the car, I asked her in an amazed tone, "How did you know they would lose the same amount of


    money in the game?"


    She exined calmly, taking in the fresh air from the opened car window, "After you asked me to take


    your ce, I asked them who lost the most. They said you''ve been on a losing streak. After that, I


    realized that the checks only had Shawn''s names on them."


    Then, she paused for a moment before she grinned and continued, "They each must''ve gotten a


    different amount of money from you; that''s why I kept losing on purpose. It was just a tactic to bnce


    the remaining checks in their hands, to ensure that the money they''re losing after that is the same. I''m


    sure you''re going to ask me why I decided to do that, well, it was just for fun. Who would have thought


    they decided to bet on a sports car!"


    Morgan did not exin further. Then, he asked out of the blue, "Do you and Emma know each other?


    The two of you have the same surnames, are you…"


    Emma only did what she did because she thought it was fun. But to Morgan, she was humiliating her.


    Finally, I realized that Emma and Shawn were simr; they were both geniuses.


    They were both so intelligent to the point that people held admiration for them. They were well aware of


    the dark side of the world yet still remained kind to those around them.


    When I heard the slight envy in her tone, I immediately understood the hidden meaning behind her


    words. "I''ll discuss it with Shawnter, and if he doesn''t mind, I''ll ask him to give one of the cars to you."


    She didn''t refuse my offer. "Thank you, Renee."


    Emma kept urging me to leave when we arrived at the hospital. I looked at her worriedly. "Are you sure


    you''ll be alright on your own?"


    "Yeah, I still have something I need to do."


    I would only be causing her inconvenience if I stayed. So, I patted her shoulders and cautioned,


    "Remember to be careful."


    She promised me, "I will."


    I gave a call to my assistant when I got back in the car to arrange for some bodyguards to protect me. It


    was a precaution against Nichs.


    It was easy for us to meet in this city, so having a couple of bodyguards was safer. My assistant replied,


    "Bryxton used to be our base, so there''s still a lot of our people here. I''ll call them immediately, and they


    should arrive within half an hour."


    His work efficiency had always been good, so I hung up with relief. Just as I was about to call Shawn to


    ask where he was, another number called my phone. It was a contact that was saved on my phone, an


    extremely unfamiliar contact—


    My birth mother.


    For her to call me when I haven''t decided to contact her…


    Did she know that I''ve met up with my parents?!


    As I anxiously looked at my phone, emotions welled inside my heart: fear, rejection, and hesitation.


    The phone kept ringing, but I was reluctant to pick up the call.


    After I waffled for a long while, I finally pressed the button.


    "Is this Renee?"


    The voice that came out of the phone had a gentle tone. She sounded like a thirty-year-old woman, firm


    and determinationced in her voice.


    I wanted to ask if she truly was my birth mother, and question why she wanted to make my parents


    disappear and also…


    Why did she abandon me?!


    Why am I caring about these things?!


    I tried my best to suppress theplicated emotions within me, pursed my lips, and asked calmly,


    ''Who are you?"