Naturally, Gideon ignored them but Nell was unwilling to attract attention and blow their cover, so she made small talk with them.
Meanwhile, Nancy whispered, “She’s here.”
Nell shuddered and looked toward the doorway. An elegantly-dressed woman entered the hall with a man beside her.
She wore a large wool coat and clutched a fashionable, limited edition handbag. Her hair was neatly done and she gave off the impression that she came from a refined, upper-class background.
Yet, she looked uneasy as she walked and listened to the man.
Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, looked at the man beside her, and said something to him angrily.
As she was too far away from them, Nell could not hear a word that they were saying.
She merely knew that they seemed unhappy and did not exchange pleasantries.
She whispered to Gideon, “Shall we head over now?”
Gideon’s expression darkened. “Hold on, let’s see first.”
Nell nodded.
The couple over there argued for a few minutes before the man stormed away, leaving Jean standing still on the spot alone. They split up in an unpleasant manner.
Nell chuckled. “That doesn’t seem to be a normal relationship to me. Have you seen that before?”
Gideon shook his head.
Nell pondered for a moment and ordered Matthew.
“Matthew, follow that man and find out about his background.”
Matthew nodded in acknowledgment and went out.
The three of them continued standing there. After waiting for a while, they observed that Jean had calmed herself down and started to head inside the hall.
They followed her immediately. Soon, they noticed that she had found the man who had chatted with Gideon earlier. She then got out a pouch filled with cash from her handbag and handed it to him.
Gideon’s expression tightened.
Jean was dealing with that man in secret.
“Here’s one hundred thousand. It isn’t much, but I’m only able to secure this amount right now. You promised me earlier that I won’t suffer any losses, but look at me now! I don’t care, you must let me win all of them back! If I don’t, I won’t let you off the hook!”
The man counted the cash in his hands and grinned. “Why so angry, Ms. Leith? This is stone-betting we’re talking about and it’s all dependent on luck. Plus, since when have I recommended a raw stone that doesn’t yield a piece of jade? However, you were too greedy and wanted to place a large bet. What was I supposed to do?”
Jean was miffed when he mentioned this.
“Didn’t you pester me last time? You said that that batch had been inspected by experts and they were filled with treasures. You even said that if I spent a certain amount, you’d let me become a shareholder here. I trusted what you said, so how can you put the blame on me now?”
The man laughed. “Fine, I won’t harp on that any longer. It’s the past anyway. But, Ms. Leith, one hundred thousand isn’t enough to buy any goodies at this stone-betting event. Do you want to add more money?”
Jean retorted impatiently, “It’s not like you don’t know I have no money!”
He tutted and shook his head.
“You gotta be kidding me! You’re the daughter of the Leith family. Besides, your brother and sister-in-law are dead, and I’m sure you’ll get at least half of the family’s inheritance, won’t you? I don’t believe you if you say that you don’t have any money.”
His remark enraged Jean.
She glared at him furiously and clenched her teeth. “I’m warning you, this is a private matter. Don’t bring my brother and sister-in-law into this!”
The man shook his head.
Nell nodded in surprise.
“Oh, I see.”
At the same time, Matthew had already instructed someone to investigate the man’s background and had sent the info to Gideon’s phone.
Gideon glanced at his phone and laughed sarcastically.
“Since when did you have a classmate from Malaysia, Auntie?”
Everybody was caught off guard.
Jean froze and stood still, not knowing what to do.
Gideon threw a glance at that man, then fixed his gaze on Jean.
“A gemstone merchant from Malaysia, owns three gem mines in Country T and mines for a living. A few years ago, he organized this stone-betting event in the capital and made a fortune as a result.
“You knew him last year, Auntie. You spent a huge sum of money when you first came here and got noticed by him, so he teamed up with his friends to set you up and trick you. He invested two hundred million and promised to make you a shareholder so you’ll get dividends.
“You were tempted by his offer, so you believed him. However, you gradually became addicted to stone-betting, and not only did you lose two hundred million, but you also saddled yourself with debt.
“Are you trying to chase your losses with the money you’ve brought along today? Thinking of winning big with a small-scale investment? Eh?”
Jean did not expect him to be so quick. She had just entered the hall and he had discovered everything.
She was embarrassed when she got exposed in public.
Still, she forced out a serious expression and told Gideon, “Deon, what are you talking about? When… When did I lose so much money? I’m bored, so this activity has become my hobby to kill some time. It isn’t as serious as you say.”
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Spoiled by the President