His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 126: Lucky Streak

They started dealing the cards.

Iris was nervous, her palms damp with sweat.

Julian spoke gently and patiently. "Each player gets two cards to start. Hit for more cards or stand. Beat the dealer's hand without going over 21."

"Okay." Iris took the cards carefully.

Julian helped her arrange her cards. He leaned in close to keep his voice low, his cheek nearly brushing hers, and whispered, "We only focus on card values in blackjack. Number cards count as their face value, face cards are worth ten, and an ace can be one or eleven."

Beatrice glanced across the table at Iris and Julian, grinning at how close they sat. She nodded to start the round. "First hand dealt."

Gloria was about to hit for another card when Julian spoke up. "Wait."

Iris looked at him. "What's up?"

Julian nodded at her hand. "In blackjack, if you're holding two aces, you can split them into two separate hands. That's your best play right now."

Iris followed his advice. She split her pair of aces and set one aside, discarding a king from her hand.

Julian leaned in again, whispering more rules in her ear.

After everyone had finished their turns, it was Iris's turn to hit. She drew another ace.

Julian glanced at her hand and smiled.

Iris stared down at her pair of aces, then met Julian's soft smile. "I got another ace. What should I do now?"

"You can split again." Julian covered her hand with his, gently guiding her to separate the pair. He helped her draw a new card for the split hand, murmuring the blackjack rules quietly beside her ear.

Iris drew a nine. She frowned, glancing at her new hand, clearly confused about her next move.

Julian chuckled softly. "You're really lucky, you know?"

Beatrice leaned in, curious. "What good card did you get? You look so happy."

Thanks to Julian's clear explanation, Iris quickly picked up the rules. "If I get multiple matching pairs, can I keep splitting?"

Beatrice's eyes lit up. "In blackjack, you can re-split matching cards within the rules. Go ahead and draw your next card."

Iris followed her guidance, drew another card for her split hand, and adjusted her hands accordingly.

Irene drew her next card, her tone sharp with jealousy. "This is ridiculous. Do new players always have this much luck? She's split twice in one round."

Iris caught on to the game surprisingly fast.

On her final hit, Iris settled her cards in place. She leaned back, her head nearly resting against Julian's cheek, and whispered softly, "Julian... do I have a blackjack?"

Julian brushed the back of her head gently. "You do. You can show your hand now."

Iris smiled and turned her cards over for everyone to see.

Gloria's and Irene's faces dropped. Beatrice beamed, opened a drawer, and handed Iris some chips.

"Thanks, Grandma." Iris took them happily.

Gloria and Irene handed over their chips too.

By the second round, Iris still didn't quite get how to count chips, but she knew all the blackjack rules.

She was on a roll, winning three rounds in a row.

She was having a blast, and Julian looked even happier watching her.

Gloria's and Irene's faces got darker by the minute.

Gloria forced a smile, hinting, "As the younger one, shouldn't you be a little smarter when playing with elders?"

Iris didn't get what she meant. She leaned back against Julian, muttering quietly, "What's she talking about?"

Julian whispered in her ear, "Ignore her. Play however you want."

"Okay." Iris felt his warm breath tickling her ear, and her cheeks got hot.

She'd always had a good memory, and she was good at math and science. Hard problems were easy for her, let alone blackjack. The rules were simple. It felt like a piece of cake.

Two hours later, Beatrice had won two rounds, Gloria and Irene one each. Iris had won all the rest.

Julian looked at her with warm eyes, his voice proud and soft. "You're so good, kiddo."

Just then, the door opened, and Lily and Jenny walked in.

"So this is where you all are, playing blackjack?" Lily smiled as she came over.

Irene waved her over fast. "Honey, come take my place. I've been losing nonstop."

"Let me check." Lily took her mom's seat, glancing happily at Julian beside her.

Jenny walked over to Beatrice. "Grandma, did you win?"

Beatrice smiled. "No, Iris won all the rounds."

Jenny frowned at Iris, muttering under her breath, "So rude. How dare you win against Grandma?"

Beatrice's face turned serious right away. "What are you saying? I just don't like playing with you kids. You always let me win on purpose. Iris is the only one who plays for real. I'm not scared of losing."

Jenny pouted, slinking over to sit next to Gloria. "Mom, did you win?"

Gloria sighed. "We've been losing this whole time."

After hearing Beatrice's words, Iris felt even better about winning.

Lily glanced at Iris and Julian out of the corner of her eye.

They were so close they might as well have been touching—nothing like a couple about to get divorced.

Even with Lily playing instead of her mom, Iris's luck stayed unbeatable.

"Blackjack again!" Iris spread her cards out happily.

Julian stroked the back of her head gently. "No one can beat you."

Iris smiled sweetly at him. "Julian, can you collect my chips for me?"