Chapter 119 Playing Cards
Matilda paused, her mind racing to analyze the situation.
These two other women were clearly from the elite social circle. If Amelia was inviting her to play bridge with them, didn't that basically acknowledge her as the Gonzaga family's daughter-in-law?
It couldn't be that simple. There had to be a catch.
"Mom, I'm not very good at bridge."
Amelia's expression darkened instantly. "We're short a player. Just sit down and stop making this difficult."
Left with no choice, Matilda took her seat. The game started quickly, and they chatted while playing.
One of the wealthy ladies loved to show off, and her words always carried double meanings. "Mrs. Gonzaga, your daughter-in-law is so sweet—actually willing to play bridge with us old ladies. My daughter-in-law isn't nearly this obedient. She's flying all over the world—Europe today, Canada tomorrow, endless conferences. Always so busy."
"You know, you really don't need a daughter-in-law with such a high-powered education. Someone with less impressive credentials actually has time to keep her mother-in-law company, don't you think?"
Matilda knew this woman was mocking her for having a low degree and an easy job—definitely not one of society's elite. But she pretended not to catch the jab.
Kids from elite families grew up with every advantage—private tutors, study abroad programs, money thrown at every opportunity. Even if they bombed their exams, they could still go overseas and polish their credentials. She really couldn't compete with that.
Amelia's expression cooled, though she'd invited these two women specifically to put Matilda in her place. So she played along. "Oh, we certainly can't compare to your family. Low education is what it is, but at least she has stable employment."
The other wealthy lady asked, "Matty works at a hospital, right?"
"Yes, at Harmony Health Center."
"Harmony Health Center?" She frowned. "Their medical standards aren't great though, are they? Can't compare to Serenity Health Center or Hope Springs Hospital. If you have connections, you should really transfer somewhere better. A good hospital will teach you so much more, help you advance faster. Even a private hospital would work—just have Charles arrange something."
Matilda smiled. "I have a low degree and mediocre skills. Doesn't really matter where I go."
Amelia shot Matilda another withering look. "She's trying to encourage you to be more ambitious. Don't be ungrateful."
"Well, thank you for your concern."
The lady continued, "But Matty, you're not getting any younger, right? Are you and Wentworth the same age? If so, you should really start thinking about having children. Look at my daughter-in-law—she's not even twenty-seven and she's already had six kids. Three boys, three girls. Isn't that wonderful?" Her voice dripped with bragging pride.
Matilda replied, "Wentworth and I aren't ready for kids yet. We want to enjoy ourselves a bit longer."
"Oh, you silly girl. In a family like the Gonzagas, children aren't a burden, and they won't stop you from having fun. The sooner you have kids, the sooner you can claim your share of the inheritance. The more you have, the more you get. If you don't believe me, just ask your mother-in-law."
Amelia's tone turned ice-cold. "Their business has nothing to do with me."
The last thing she wanted was for Matilda to get pregnant. Once that happened, things would get impossibly messy.
This round, Matilda lost because she was rusty—it had been too long since she'd played. When you lose, you hand over the chips on the table. Since Matilda had been called over on the spot, she had no idea how much each chip was worth. She'd assumed this kind of casual home game was just for fun, not real money.
Then the winning lady said, "Twenty thousand dollars on the first hand—not bad luck at all! I can buy myself a new bag with this."
Matilda belatedly asked, "One chip is twenty thousand?"
"Yeah, didn't you know?" the other lady asked. Seeing Matilda's expression, she added, "Have you never played for stakes this high before? It must seem like a fortune to someone from your kind of background. But don't worry—Mrs. Gonzaga will cover your losses."
"I won't be covering anything," Amelia said flatly. "If you lose, you transfer the money to these ladies yourself. Take responsibility for your own decisions."
Suddenly it clicked. Amelia hadn't invited her to play for entertainment—she'd deliberately set her up to lose money, to make her understand the gap between herself and the truly wealthy.
Matilda smiled. "If I can afford to play, I can afford to lose."
It was just bridge, after all. She hadn't played in years, but when she was a kid with nothing to do, she used to watch neighbors play cards under the big tree downstairs. They never invited her to join, but they'd explained plenty of strategies and techniques. She just needed another round or two to turn things around.
By the third game, Matilda had reversed her fortunes. She won a hand and collected their chips. "Oh my, how clumsy of me—I won again." Another pile of chips came her way.
After two hours, both ladies looked green around the gills, and Amelia's expression wasn't much better.
The two women made excuses about needing to leave. Matilda quickly stopped one of them. "Since you have somewhere to be, go ahead—but shouldn't you transfer the money to my account first?" She pulled up her bank details on her phone. "Here's the number. I'll round it down for you—just transfer two hundred thousand."
She turned to the other woman. "You owe eight hundred thousand. Go ahead and send that over too."
Swallowing their anger, both ladies transferred the money to Matilda.
Matilda pocketed the cash in high spirits, then turned to Amelia. "Mom, thank you so much. If you hadn't invited me to play, I never would've made this much money. This is several years' salary for me."
Amelia's expression soured. She'd meant to humiliate Matilda, to show her that the elite social circle wasn't easy to navigate. Who knew she'd be such a shark at bridge? What a miscalculation. She'd have to avoid these kinds of low-stakes games with her in the future.
"Matty, Wentworth has a cousin coming back to the country tomorrow. She'll be staying with us for a while. I'm giving you advance notice so you can prepare."
First thing the next morning, Amelia informed Matilda.
Matilda smiled easily. "Of course she's welcome."
"Then I'll have to trouble you to cook for one extra person."
"No problem at all."
She was already making breakfast anyway. Amelia ate Matilda's breakfast at a leisurely pace. Honestly, the taste was pretty good—very homestyle, not loaded with seasonings like the family chef's cooking. But she still found something to criticize.
"Too simple. Not appropriate for entertaining guests. How about this—tomorrow after the cousin arrives in Phoenix City, we'll all go out to a restaurant instead."