Chapter 7
Chapter 7 Playing Poker
“What did I do?” she asked. Inside the room, Madison sat calmly on the couch. She was wearing a jacket. There was no hint of impropriety on her.
However, the two men sitting across from her, who were holding poker cards, were dressed in a slightly unconventional manner. Still, they were as properly covered as anyone and were not engaged in any inappropriate activities.
This unexpected scene left everyone stunned. Madison smiled calmly as she surveyed the room with a composed gaze before fixing her eyes on Sally. “So, tell me! What did I do?”
Sally shivered under the intensity of that gaze.
‘When did this unsophisticated girl have such a terrifying look in her eyes?’ Sally thought.
In the past, Madison was afraid of being kicked out from the Hale family and was hesitant to utter more than a few words for fear of making mistakes. Even just a while ago, Madison was nodding docilely downstairs, looking all meek. But now, it was as if she suddenly transformed into a different person!
Furthermore, why did the two hooligans Sally found let Madison sit there without doing anything to her? Why were they even… playing poker with her?
Sally looked at the scene before her with indignation. She still found it hard to believe.
Yet, the reality was right in front of everyone. Behind the partition, Madison appeared not to be engaged in any illicit activities. The sight of the poker cards in Madison’s hand made Sally’s face turn red hot.
As Sally struggled to comprehend the situation, Ramona pushed through the crowd. She scolded, “Oh my! Madison, how could you mess up the dressing room like this and play cards with these unsavory people in the room? Even if you don’t want to attend the birthday party, do you have to bring these people to ruin the occasion?”
Sally immediately followed Ramona’s words and spoke with a sense of grievance, “I’m sorry, Madison. I was just too anxious. After all, you took too long to change, and what everyone saw when they looked in was a mess. Also, from what we heard…” Sally hesitated and continued, “Besides, you still haven’t divorced Leo…”
The mother and daughter duo cast aspersions on her, besmirching her and redirecting everyone’s attention to Madison’s supposed indiscretions.
Even though they did not catch them red-handed, what was the big deal?
Madison took so long to change clothes. She was in a room alone with men. Who knew what might have happened?
Seeing the changing expressions of the crowd, Sally appeared to be in distress and made a show of explaining what happened in her sister’s stead. “Madison, I did not intend for this to happen. You stayed upstairs for too long, and I was worried about you….”
The whispers grew louder, and Sally, feeling desperate, grabbed Leo’s arm. “Leo, it must be because of the ill-fitting dress you prepared. Madison was angry and refused to come downstairs. Hurry up and appease her. It is definitely not what everyone is thinking!”
Leo discreetly pulled his arm away from Sally. His sharp gaze was fixed on Madison. His l*ps were tightly pursed. Though he didn’t say anything, his darkened facial expression revealed his thoughts.
Compared to the confrontational onlookers in the room, Madison appeared much more relaxed.
She shuffled the cards and casually placed them on the table. She leaned back on the couch and smiled at Sally. “Are you suggesting I did something with people in this room?” Madison spoke candidly.
Coupled with her disdainful attitude, it suddenly made people think that it might be just a misunderstanding.
Perhaps she was only just playing cards in the room?
Sally, who was truly anxious this time, tried to explain. “Madison, that’s not what I meant. I just… I was worried about you staying upstairs for too long. I feared that something might happen.”
“Worried about me…” Madison’s voice trailed off, and she nonchalantly nodded. She suddenly adopted a serious tone. “Then let me ask you, why did you use changing clothes as an excuse to lock me in a room with other people? What do you mean by that?”