Chapter 24 So Beautiful

Their skin touching made her heart skip a beat.

Pushing open the flashy golden doors, she saw the room full of men playing cards.

A young man stood up when George walked in. "George, you're here. This must be Mrs. Spencer. She's a real beauty."

Isabella looked around and realized it was a card game gathering.

"Alright, stop teasing," George said.

The men resumed their game, and with George, there were four players.

Isabella was the only woman at the table and felt a bit awkward.

But George casually pulled her into his arms, dealing and playing cards smoothly, making Isabella too nervous to move.

The men chatted about George, not treating her as an outsider.

"George, I've got all the road surveillance from the day of your car accident. Just say the word, and we can take him down."

George played a card casually. "No rush."

"That Joseph is bold, going after you."

"Yeah, we need to retaliate. George was just caught off guard, giving Joseph a chance. I heard he's been cozying up to the Greenleaf Group. Who knows what he's planning."

George's eyes narrowed as he played a card. "What do you think he's up to?"

"Probably trying to form an alliance with the Greenleaf Group," the man hissed, looking at George. "Wait, George, didn't you and Juniper Young have a..."

Before he could finish, the guy next to him stepped on his foot. He glanced at Isabella and chuckled, "Isabella, don't overthink it. Juniper and George were just friends, nothing more."

Even if Isabella was naive, she could tell their past relationship was unusual.

Few would believe George had no women in his past.

Hearing this made her feel strange.

George didn't respond but lost three consecutive rounds, which even Isabella couldn't stand.

"George, your card skills are terrible," Isabella said.

George smiled and pushed the cards toward her. "You play."

He draped his arm over the back of the chair, with three buttons undone, revealing a glimpse of his collarbone and skin.

His demeanor was relaxed, lazy, and full of swagger.

'They're playing for money. George might have the money to lose, but I can't afford it. I still have debts to pay,' Isabella thought.

"No, I can't afford to lose," she said.

The man next to her laughed and egged her on. "Isabella, George's money is your money. A few rounds won't hurt him."

Isabella waved her hand. "You guys play."

George rested his chin on Isabella's shoulder, his breath tickling her neck. "If you lose, it's on me."

"No, actually, I'm not good at cards either," she said.

"It's okay, Isabella. Two heads are better than one. Give it a try."

Isabella didn't refuse again and ended up losing three rounds in a row, losing tens of thousands of dollars, which made her eyes red.

"You guys must be cheating," she said.

The men laughed heartily. George's lips curled up, and he said, "Don't look like a sore loser."

"But it's true. Otherwise, how could I lose every round? My cards were clearly good. They must be colluding," Isabella said indignantly.

George pulled Isabella onto his lap and asked, "Want to win it back?"

Isabella nodded vigorously, then shook her head just as quickly. 'George's card skills aren't great either. If we keep playing, we'd probably lose another hundred thousand dollars,' she thought.

"Forget it, let's admit defeat," Isabella said.

"They're pushing us around, and you want to let it go? Can you really take that?" George teased.

'I can't, but if we keep playing, I'd be the one to choke. This is real money, not an IOU,' she thought.

They dealt the cards again, and this time, luck was on George's side.

He won round after round, easily winning back all the money they had lost and then some, totaling over a hundred thousand dollars.

The men were almost in tears from losing to George. "Isabella, you really don't know George's skills. He was just playing with you."

Isabella was in high spirits, even drinking several glasses of wine. "You guys can't leave yet. Let's play a bit more."

Everyone was happy to oblige, giving George some face.

Later, Isabella played a few rounds, and the men intentionally let her win.

In her excitement, Isabella drank too much and eventually got drunk.

George carried Isabella out of the club, his brow furrowed. 'After what Joseph did to her drink last time, how could she still be so careless? Does she feel safe because I'm here?' George thought, raising an eyebrow.

The driver was already in place, and George got into the back seat with Isabella in his arms.

Isabella lay softly in his embrace, as if soaked in red wine. Her hair brushed against his nose, carrying a fragrant scent, making his throat tighten.

Half-awake, her slender fingers instinctively clutched his shirt, making George's whole body heat up, his heart racing.

"George, don't you like me?" Even though Isabella was drunk, George answered her seriously, "No."

"Then why are you... so cold to me?"

Isabella's little head swayed as she asked, as if she had many grievances to air, "I think you're all show and no substance."

He looked down at her drunken eyes, his long, beautiful fingers lightly pressing against her lips, and said, "Who told you that I'm not capable?"

Isabella didn't respond for a long time. When he looked down, she was already asleep.

At the Spencer Manor, Patricia was waiting for them to come home, glancing at the clock for the fourth time.

John brought her a cup of coffee and said, "Mrs. Patricia Spencer, don't worry. Mr. Spencer probably took Mrs. Isabella Spencer out for some fun."

Taking the coffee, Patricia sipped it. "Ever since George's accident, I've been worried about him for no reason. If something like last time happens again, I might not survive it."

"It won't happen," John said.

"John, Thalia is coming back in a few days. Prepare her room. She's used to being pampered, so make sure everything is ready to avoid any trouble."

Thalia Baker, Damon's third daughter and Patricia's niece, had been living with the Spencer family since she was a child. Everyone in the Spencer family treated her like their own daughter.