Chapter 395
At the Moore residence, the well-dressed Nicole was ying poker with Allie and a group of wealthy
women.
At the same time, the housekeeper apanied Jeffrey and the twins to a nearby park for a stroll.
Allie dared to so brazenly invite others over to the Moore residence for a card game only because Lily
had returned to her family residence.
“I won again!” It seemed like Allie was lucky that day since she had already won a few rounds
consecutively.
Her triumphantughter filled the living room as she showed her cards.
“Mdm. Allie, you''re so lucky today. You''ve won a few rounds already! That''s so impressive,” Nicole
praised.
“That''s it for today. My luck is down in the dumps today; I haven''t won once.” Caroline, who was sitting
next to her, was visibly unhappy.
Caroline''s grumble left Allie smiling from ear to ear. “Nickie is a lucky child. I barely won when I yed
poker with you all in the past. But every time Nickie is here, I''ll definitely win!”
“Well, Allie. Nickie is always here to keep youpany when she''s free. It''s very considerate and
sweet of her to do that. When is she getting engaged to Cayden?” Nancy queried in curiosity as she
shuffled the cards.
Almost everyone in Allie''s group of friends knew about Nicole.
It was not the first time Allie bragged to her friends about how the daughter of the state secretary was
infatuated and persistently pursuing her son. In fact, Allie was more than delighted to have Nicole as
her daughter-inw.
The reason was simple. Not only was Nicole an educated and elegantdy from a prominent family, but
she was also graceful and had good manners. To add on, she also had an outstanding appearance. In
the eyes of those wealthy women, Nicole was clearly Allie''s chosen daughter-inw.
That being said, with how extensive the newspapers, magazines, and web news had developed, those
women were not entirely oblivious to rumors and gossip. They were well aware of Cayden''s scandal
with anotherdy recently.
It was rumored that he had admitted that Avery was the mother of the twins.
However, they believed that someone like Avery, who came from a humble family, would never be able
to marry into a wealthy family.
In other words, women of Avery''s status would only be fit for fun and entertainment purposes and
nothing more than a mistress. The position of the wife of the Moore family''s son, or Cayden, would still
be left for a socialite with a good family background.
Hearing Nancy''s question, Nicole nervously held her breath as she waited for Allie''s response.
She feared that all the money and effort she had spent on Cayden''s mother would go down the drain.
“Soon. Cayden is focused on his career and can''t be bothered about his love life now. But he''s not
getting any younger. He will get married eventually when the right timees. I''ll make sure he starts
nning next year. They''ll get marriedtest by the end of next year...” Allie exined without giving
much thought to it.
Learning that there was still such a long wait, Nicole felt a pang of disappointment surge within her.
Nheless, those emotions soon faded away.
I''m still young, anyway. So what if I have to wait a year more? When the timees, with the pressure
from both the Moore family and the Lambert family, I don''t believe Cayden will still insist on marrying
Avery.
With that thought in mind, Nicole felt much more relieved.
She quickly rposed herself and continued with the poker game. Even though she was wearing a
warm smile on the surface, she was actually overwhelmed by frustration and irritation inside. Had she
not wanted to butter up Allie, she would never have willingly kept those middle-aged womenpany.
Just as Allie and the others were engrossed in their game, Avery and Cayden returned.
When Avery saw Nicole in the living room, she began to feel a little ufortable.
Simrly, when Cayden saw his mother ying poker with her group of friends, his brows instantly
scrunched deeply.
He mumbled a soft greeting at Allie and headed toward his room with his arm wrapped around Avery''s
waist. Throughout it all, he did not interact with Allie''s friends and even ignored Nicole''s existence.
A grim look crept up on Allie''s face, and a hint of disgust shed across her eyes at the sight of the
inly-dressed Avery.
In her eyes, Avery was just like an ugly duckling whenpared to the elegant and presentable Nicole.
There was nothing but disdain in Allie''s gaze.
As for Allie''s group of friends, they were sitting around and watching the Moore family''s drama unfold in
amusement—Cayden ignoring the woman Allie chose for him and instead showering love and tender
care toward the woman Allie firmly objected to.
However, one thing to note was that even though Avery was in in clothing, she was actually quite
pretty. She had exquisite facial features that made her look extra sweet and graceful. Herplexion
was smooth and porcin-like, and her pair of bright eyes seemed to sparkle when she smiled.
At first nce, she was a lot more outstanding than Nicole.
Jealousy crushed Nicole as she noticed how protective Cayden was toward Avery. Nevertheless, she
still tried to put on an amicable look.
After Cayden and Avery headed upstairs, Carolinemented in a shrill voice, “Oh gosh. Women
these days don''t seem to know how to behave themselves anymore. They aren''t even married, yet
she''s already showing up at the man''s house. Allie, are you not doing anything about Cayden? Men
can do anything outside, but you can''t allow such behavior to happen at home. Tsk... If my son did such
things, I''d be sure to break his legs!”
Allie was already burning with displeasure, and those blunt remarks by Caroline only further fueled the
embarrassment and vexation that soon became apparent on her face.
“He''s all grown up; he doesn''t listen to me anymore these days. But my father-inw will still be the one
making decisions for his marriage. I''ll only acknowledge Nickie as my daughter-inw. No one else!”
To Allie, Nicole was her favorite candidate for daughter-inw. It was a pity Cayden had zero interest in
Nicole.
Truth be told, she was furious that Cayden was no longer the obedient son who she used to have
control over. On the one hand, she was annoyed that Nicole did not have the charm to bewitch Cayden
and make him hers. On the other, she hated Avery for using her seductive wiles to seduce Cayden and
even made him go against the entire Moore family for her.
When those wealthy women heard Allie''s answer, they merely smiled and said nothing.
After all, every family had its own fair share of problems. Instead of poking their noses in other people''s
problems, they reckoned it was better to enjoy themselves.
With that, the poker game continued. Unfortunately, Nicole''s attention was now focused somewhere
else.
The sweet smile on her face was a stark contrast to the turmoil of emotions deep within her. Her mind
was upied with two burning questions.
Why did Cayden bring Avery back to his room? Are they making love?
Picturing the steamy scene of Cayden''s muscr body pressing against Avery''s lithe one, Nicole felt
incredibly jealous to the point she was about to go mad!
Meanwhile, in Cayden''s room, Avery spotted a semi-finished oil painting named Diana and Cupid on an
easel.
In the painting, Diana, a stunning goddess in Rodunstian mythology, was dressed in a dazzling red
dress while ying with Cupid, who was carrying a golden bow and arrows on his back. It was such a
heartwarming and beautiful sight that it could leave anyone in amazement at one nce.
Gazing at the painting materials on the side that had dried up, Avery curiously asked, “Cayden, did you
paint this? The oil paintings in your room are all your works?”
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Cayden casually answered, “I paint them during my spare time. They aren''t considered perfect.”
Avery was in utter disbelief.
This man even knows how to paint, huh? His works are all of a high standard. Oh my gosh! Is there
anything he isn''t good at?