Chapter 159
Maya's POV:
The heavy oak doors of the library clicked shut, sealing the men inside. That left the women in the living room, where the Christmas tree cast a warm, golden glow.
"Maya, sit here!" Grandmother Sterling patted the chair next to her, her face beaming. "We need a fourth player. Jenna is getting too cocky."
I hesitated, holding my champagne glass. "Grandmother, I really don't know how to play well. I don't want to ruin the fun."
"Nonsense," Margaret Sterling said, shuffling the deck with a cheerful snap. "We’ll go easy on you. It’s just a family tradition."
It was a tradition, alright. A very expensive one.
The atmosphere was rowdy and bright. They weren't trying to intimidate me; they were welcoming me. But as I looked at the chips, my stomach did a flip.
In the first hand, I had a pair of sevens. Jenna, sitting across from me in a glittering red dress, winked at me.
"I bet two hundred," Jenna chirped. "Come on, Maya. Beginner’s luck is a real thing."
I bet cautiously. Jenna raised immediately, giggling as she tossed her chips in.
I folded. Jenna raked in the pot, beaming. "Gotcha! I had absolutely nothing."
She showed me a two and a three. The table erupted in laughter.
"Jenna, stop bullying the new girl!" Margaret scolded, but she was laughing too.
That was twelve hundred dollars gone in seconds. They were having a blast. I was internally screaming.
"Don't worry, dear," Grandmother said, patting my hand. "You just need to find your rhythm."
The second hand was chaotic. I got two pair. I felt a surge of hope. Margaret pushed a stack of five hundred into the center dealing with a smile.
"I'm feeling lucky," Margaret announced.
I called. I went all-in.
Margaret turned over a straight. "Oh, honey! That was just bad timing."
Another five hundred vanished.
By the third round, the room was loud. Jenna was recounting a story about her ex-boyfriend while aggressively raising the blinds. Grandmother was cheering every time she won a hand.
I was sweating. They loved me, they really did. But their love was costing me my entire savings account.
"Are you in, Maya?" Jenna asked, eyes sparkling. "Grandma is trying to bluff, I can feel it."
I looked at my dwindling stack. I wanted to cry, but I forced a smile. I couldn't be the wet blanket.
Then, the library door opened.
Adam walked in. He had ditched his jacket, his sleeves rolled up. He held a glass of water, looking relaxed. He heard the laughter from the hallway.
He stopped behind my chair. He looked at the table, then at my face. He saw my forced smile and the sheer panic in my eyes as I looked at my remaining chips.
He chuckled, a low, vibrating sound.
"Having fun?" he asked, his voice amused.
"Your cousin is robbing me," I whispered.
"I am not!" Jenna protested, grinning. "She’s just... generous."
Adam placed the water glass on the table. He rested his hands on my shoulders, his thumbs rubbing away the tension.
"I think Maya needs a substitute," Adam announced.
"Boo!" Jenna threw a napkin at him. "We were bonding!"
"You were bankrupting her," Adam corrected, his eyes dancing with mirth. "Up you get, Maya."
I stood up, relief washing over me. Adam sat down. He looked at the women—his grandmother, his aunt, his cousin. They all grinned back, ready for a challenge.
"Okay, ladies," Adam said, stacking my meager chips. "Let’s see if you can take money from someone who actually knows how to count."
"Oh, you are going down," Jenna declared.
It wasn't a slaughter; it was a show. Adam played with a relaxed arrogance that drove them crazy.
He spun his signet ring, cracking jokes with Margaret, all while systematically dismantling their strategies. When Jenna tried to bluff him, he just raised an eyebrow and pushed all his chips in.
Jenna folded, groaning. Adam flipped over pocket Aces.
"You are so annoying!" Jenna complained.
"I'm just efficient," Adam replied.
Two hands later, he bluffed Margaret out of a huge pot with a pair of threes.
"He's cheating!" Grandmother declared, laughing as she threw her cards at him. "He learned that from his grandfather."
Then came the final hand.
Jenna went all-in on a Full House, looking triumphant. "Read 'em and weep, cousin."
"All in," Adam said, bored.
He flipped his cards. A Royal Flush.
The table erupted. Jenna screamed and dramatically collapsed onto the sofa. Grandmother clapped her hands, delighted by the sheer spectacle.
"Unbelievable!" Margaret laughed.
Adam raked in the mountain of chips. He sorted them quickly. He pushed the original buy-ins back to his grandmother and Margaret, winking at them. But he kept Jenna’s stack.
He handed me a heavy five-thousand-dollar chip. "For your trouble."
"Did you learn anything?" he asked, pinching my cheek.
"Yes," I said, clutching the chip. "Watching is much cheaper."
Adam smirked. He cashed out, handing the winnings to the maid for my account.
Jenna was still on the sofa, burying her face in Margaret’s shoulder. "Mom, I’m ruined. I’m literally poor now. You have to give me some money."
Margaret pushed Jenna’s hand away, rolling her eyes affectionately. "Stop acting poor. I saw the notification. You received a dividend check for nearly ten million this morning."
"That’s my savings!" Jenna whined, pouting. "That’s for my future. I’m saving it to raise my husband."
Margaret sighed, looking at me with a 'can you believe this' expression. "Do you have any ambition? I’m not saying you need to find a man who can support you, but you should at least find someone who is your equal. Are you planning to ask us for money to feed your husband and children in the future?"
"Well, what if the person I love doesn't make that kind of money?" Jenna retorted, crossing her arms. "Shouldn't I be prepared to take on the responsibility of the family?"
Margaret poked Jenna’s shoulder hard. "How are you going to shoulder that burden? If you were capable like me, and you found a man who couldn't pay the bills, I wouldn't say a word. But you? You just eat, drink, and play. You’ve never earned a dime in your life. Don't count on us to subsidize your house-husband."
"You're so stingy!" Jenna huffed.
"I am stingy," Margaret agreed. "If you choose poorly, you’re the one who suffers."
Jenna grumbled, grabbing a cookie. She clearly wasn't listening.
Across the room, Amy was yawning in the nanny's arms. She looked like a sleepy angel.
"I'll take the little miss to bed," the nanny whispered.
Adam nodded. Once Amy was gone, he stood up and took my hand.
"Let's go upstairs," he said.
We walked up the grand staircase to the guest wing. Adam pulled me into his old bedroom. He closed the door and locked it.
He pressed me against the heavy wood. His hands caught mine, pinning them above my head. The room was dim, warm, and intimate.
My face felt hot. "Adam... I haven't showered."
My voice was soft, trailing off. His eyes darkened, focused entirely on me.
"Together," Adam said.
He scooped me up into his arms, carrying me toward the bathroom.
"Wait," I said, realizing something important. "We didn't bring..."
Adam didn't put me down. He shifted me to one arm, reached into the pocket of his trousers on the chair, and pulled out a small box.
"I grabbed a box on the way out the door," he said.
I buried my face in his neck, my face burning red. He laughed, a low, happy sound, and kicked the bathroom door shut behind us.