Chapter 44

Joel thought Blake must’ve scolded Yasmin. Otherwise, she wouldn’t appear so frightened.

He clicked his tongue and said to Blake, “Women are made to be taken care of, Blake, not

disciplining. You excel in so many areas, be it looks or capability. Yet you’re too tough when it

comes to women. Yasmin is your wife, not your subordinate. How could you be so harsh with her?”

“She only responds to harsh treatment.” Blake eyed Yasmin when he said this. There was a

different glint in his eyes.

Yasmin nearly choked on her drink.

What were Blake and Joel talking about? They weren’t even on the same track.

Joel was astonished. He hadn’t expected Blake to be so cruel to Yasmin. He shot Yasmin a

sympathetic look and said, “You poor thing, Yasmin.”

Yasmin grumbled quietly, “Poor thing indeed. Anyone who has to put up with Blake’s temperament

is doomed to suffer.”

“Exactly!” Joel agreed. Worried Yasmin would be bored, he invited her to play cards. “Let’s play

some blackjack, Yasmin.”

Yasmin didn’t want to spend another second longer with Blake, so she agreed. “Alright.”

She went over to another table with Joel. Several people were in the midst of playing a game when

they arrived. Card games were common in men’s gatherings.

Joel shooed away two players and sat down at the table with Yasmin.

Erik was present, too. He wordlessly took on the role of dealer and began shuffling the deck.

“Do you know how to play blackjack, Yasmin?” Joel asked Yasmin.

Yasmin nodded. “I would play with my father and family during New Year’s.”

Everyone at the table grew silent upon hearing Yasmin mention her father.

They all knew Stuart was the one who forced Blake to marry Yasmin. They felt upset for Blake,

especially Joel and Erik, who’d been by Blake’s side since they were children.

But Joel then saw how Blake wasn’t actually suffering. Blake often brought Yasmin for her checkups

where Joel witnessed the love marks left on her body. Sometimes, Blake even

requested ointments for her intimate areas.

Joel then understood that Blake wasn’t as miserable as everyone thought he was. He lived at pretty

enjoyable life with Yasmin and even overexerted her sometimes.

So, Joel no longer targeted Yasmin. After all, the one suffering was actually Yasmin.

Joel chuckled and said, “Come on, let’s play!”

He tried his best to liven up the atmosphere.

Everyone began looking at their hand.

Yasmin didn’t know they were betting money. She saw that her hand wasn’t strong and placed it

back on the table. “I’m out.”

“You bust,” Erik said immediately.

“…that was fast.” Yasmin was shocked. She looked at his cards.

Joel said, “Did you do that on purpose? Why didn’t you call it the last round?”

Erik said lightly, “I hadn’t gotten a full hand the last round.”

Yasmin said nothing.

A minute into the second round, Erik called out Yasmin’s hand again. “Bust.”

Joel said exasperatedly, “Won’t you be gentler with Yasmin, Erik? This is her first time meeting us.

You might scare her off hanging out with us next time.”

Erik replied, “If we’re playing blackjack, we should do it properly. There’s no point in purposely

losing.”

There was nothing particular about his words. But Yasmin still recognized a hidden detail.

She asked Joel, “Is this a betting game?”

“Yep.”

“How much per round?”

“Not too much.”

Yasmin was about to heave a sigh of relief when Joel said, “10,000 dollars per round.”

Yasmin was stunned.

Erik smiled faintly and said, “You’ve already lost 300,000 dollars, Yasmin.”