Chapter 213


    In the private room.


    The moment Aidan stepped into the room, the temperature seemed to drop several degrees lower.


    The air was tense and rather ufortable.


    One of the men seated around the poker table muttered, “What’s with President Pearson?”


    Oscar nced at the man knocking back sses of alcohol on the couch. “My guess is he got bitten.”


    What?


    “That wild, huh? I didn’t hear about President Pearson getting close to any woman recently, though,”


    one of the other menmented.


    Oscar smiled knowingly without saying anything.


    Just then, the door opened again, and the perpetrator who did the biting came in.


    He looked toward the door and was taken aback when he saw Leanna walk in. He didn’t think that


    Aidan would’ve been able to bring her here.


    Aren’t they at loggerheads right now?


    After catching Oscar’s eye, Leanna nodded lightly in greeting.


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    Then, she walked over to Aidan and sat down beside him.


    Oscar quirked his eyebrows and looked away.


    “Who’s that? She’s quite pretty. Is she a new model or celebrity that President Pearson’s investing in?”


    someone asked.


    Oscar shuffled the cards and answered off-handedly, “President Pearson’s ex-wife.”


    Everyone was dumbstruck.


    Didn’t Aidan hate his ex-wife? He finally managed to get a divorce, so why were they hanging out


    together again?


    All this while, Aidan sat in his corner without talking.


    Leanna sat there in silence as well.


    In any case, he only said that she needed to apany him to the poker game. He didn’t say she had


    to do anything.


    She nced at the people around Oscar. They were all young and wealthy yboys, and she couldn’t


    help but feel curious as to why Aidan joined them today. Was his appearance here really going to be


    useful in aiding thepany projects that had been affected?


    Just as she began to sense the strangeness of it all, Aidan’s voice called out to her. “Want a drink?”


    She withdrew her gaze and looked at him. Half of his face was in the shadow. She couldn’t tell what he


    was thinking or feeling. All she could see was his taut lower jaw.


    She was startled for a moment, but she quickly came to. “I’m not drinking tonight.”


    Aidan seemed to chuckle in the darkness as he downed his ss with a visible gulp.


    After setting the ss down, he walked over to the poker table.


    As soon as he approached, one of them got up. “Take my seat, President Pearson. I’m about to head


    off anyway.”


    Once Aidan took the seat, Oscar said, “That seat of his has rotten luck. He’s been losing all night. You


    better be careful, President Pearson.”


    “Can it be any worse than yours?”


    Oscar wanted to roll his eyes.


    Did he ingest a stick of dynamite or something?


    Why is he exploding as soon as he speaks?


    Right then, everyone around the poker table came to a mutual understanding.


    Aidan was in a foul mood right now. They had better not cross him.


    True to Oscar’s words, after a few rounds, Aidan suffered heavy losses.


    He flicked the cards and turned to Leanna. “Come here.”


    She walked over to the table, and after hesitating for a moment, she said, “I don’t know how to y.”


    “I don’t have any money either,” she added solemnly after a slight pause.


    She was not going to lose her hard-earned money to these evil capitalists.


    Even Aidan couldn’t say anything to that.


    Oscar chuckled and assured her, “It’s fine. President Pearson likes doing charity. Just recently, he


    started tree-nting projects all over the city under the guise of protecting the environ—”


    He faltered right before getting to thest syble when he felt an icy pair of eyes sweeping across him.


    Leanna sat down in Aidan’s old spot. “I really don’t know how to y.”


    “Aren’t you supposed to be great at everything? I’m surprised there’s something you don’t know,” Aidan


    remarked coolly.


    Oscar cleared his throat to warn him to stop before going too far.


    When Aidan gets out of control, he goes around baring his teeth at everyone in sight.


    And once he finally snaps out of it, it’d be toote for regrets.


    In the past, Leanna would’ve shot back at him right away, but this time, she kept reminding herself that


    she was here to resolve an issue, and not to get into a fight with the b*stard.


    Before she could respond, however, the b*stard finally said something decent. “I’ll teach you.”


    “Fine,” she said in response.


    Perhaps it was thanks to being around a gambling addict shown any interest in poker games. She


    didn’t know what was fun about it.


    Throughout the whole game, she was like a mindless robot that carried out Aidan’s instructions to the


    letter, doing whatever he told her to.


    However, ever since she sat down in the chair, the tides seemed to turn in her favor.


    She won several rounds in a row, and the atmosphere around the table became even more exciting,


    but she was getting drowsy.


    “Use that card.”


    It was unclear whether it was Aidan who failed to point at the right card, or if it was Leanna who


    misunderstood him, but when she took out the card that she thought Aidan meant and attempted to


    ce it down on the table, someone caught her hand midway.


    His palm was warm and dry. The moment it wrapped around her hand, she felt as if she had been


    burnt. Her drowsiness vanished, and she immediately wanted to pull away from him.


    Before she could, however, Aidan had already released her. “Not that one. The one beside it.”


    Leanna withdrew her hand and switched cards.


    When the round ended, she got up. “I want to use the washroom. You should y instead, President


    Pearson.”


    She left swiftly without even waiting for his assent.


    Once she was gone, the others around the table quickly came up with excuses to leave.


    It was not a good day for poker. One false move and they would get themselves killed for stepping on a


    landmine, which was Aidan.


    After watching the others scamper off, Oscar tutted and pushed his cards aside. “Are you here to y


    cards, or are you here to ruin the game?”


    Aidan sat down on the couch and poured himself a ss. “I’m not the one who chased them off.”


    “You might not have said those words, but your actions spoke louder.” Oscar sat down beside him.


    “Who ruffled your feathers today? Didn’t I tell you that you should watch that mouth of yours? The less


    you say, the better.”


    Aidan picked up his ss and swirled it about. His expression was neutral as he said, “She’s heartless,


    not deaf.”


    Oscar was exasperated. “What’s with you? Just not too long ago, you were still doggedly determined.


    Why are you acting like this now? Have you recognized the error in your ways?”


    Aidan downed the ss without responding to him.


    Oscar continued, “Aidan, you need to have patience when you’re trying to win a woman over. Look at


    where you stand with her right now. Not to mention the fact that you did misunderstand her a fair bitst


    time. Being hasty doesn’t get you anywhere.”


    “If I don’t hurry up, you might be attending her wedding in two months.”


    Oscar couldn’t say anything.


    He did hear from Jonathan that Leanna was hanging out with Constetion Tech’s Elijah Parkertely.


    He didn’t think things would escte so quickly.


    Oscar was confused. “Why are you still behaving like this, then?”


    “Did anything I do in the past work?”


    Oscar paused for a bit before he said, “I guess not.”


    If they did, he wouldn’t be sitting here drowning himself in alcohol.


    Aidan’s dark eyes were fixed on the ss in his hand. He smirked and said, “This time, I’ll go with a


    long-term n.”