His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 127: Unexpected Gifts

"You got it," Julian whispered, reaching over to collect her chips.

Lily's eyes turned dark, but she forced a smile. She patted Julian's shoulder, leaning over on purpose to peek into their small drawer. "Let me see. How much did you win?"

Julian pushed her hand away gently. "Won from all three of them."

Lily felt Julian pulling away from her. Her smile stiffened little by little.

Then Julian moved his chair, sitting on the other side of Iris even farther from Lily.

Iris didn't notice anything off.

Lily let out a cold huff, tears filling her eyes. She was about to open her mouth to question Julian's attitude when Beatrice, sharp-eyed as always, spoke up just before she could.

"Oh, I'm worn out. Let's call it a night and settle up."

"Fine." Gloria pulled out her remaining chips, annoyed. "Iris has been winning this whole time. It's no fun."

Lily frowned, complaining, "I just sat down. Why stop now?"

"You young ones play. I'm really tired." Beatrice urged, "Julian, where's the phone?"

Julian pulled Iris's phone out of her pocket, took her finger, and pressed it to the fingerprint scanner to unlock the screen.

Iris looked confused. "What do you need my phone for?"

Julian set it in the middle of the table. "To collect your money."

Iris finally realized. "I thought this was just for fun. When did it turn into gambling?"

She'd played so freely because she thought it was just a way to pass time.

She never thought it was for money.

Irene scoffed, "We always play for money when we play blackjack."

Julian rubbed her back to comfort her. "It's okay. They're all rich."

The three of them paid up.

Iris took her phone back and checked. She'd won over 50 thousand dollars in two hours.

She was stunned.

She stared at Julian in shock.

No wonder Gloria and Irene looked so mad when they lost—they were playing for such high stakes.

Winning what most people made in months in just two hours, it made sense why gambling was so addictive.

Beatrice stood up.

Lily pointed at Jenny. "You take your grandma's seat. Let's keep playing."

Jenny happily sat down in Beatrice's chair.

Julian stood up too.

Iris stood up with him.

Lily couldn't reach Julian, so she grabbed Iris's hand instead. "Iris, don't leave. Let's keep playing."

Iris didn't want to play with Lily, but she couldn't think of an excuse to say no. She looked at Julian.

Julian asked her, "Do you want to keep playing?"

Iris didn't know how to answer.

Just then, Beatrice called out. "Julian, Iris, come here. I have something nice for you."

Beatrice's save came just in time.

"Mrs. Prescott, you play." Iris gave her seat to Irene and walked over to hold Beatrice's hand.

Beatrice smiled. "Perfect. Two mother-daughter pairs going against each other."

With that, Beatrice took Iris and Julian out of the game room.

Irene sat down in Iris's seat. "Let's keep playing then."

Gloria and Jenny were happy, feeling more excited now that Iris was gone.

The deck had just been shuffled when Lily slammed her hand down on the table, her face cold.

The cards scattered with a sharp clatter. The three of them jumped, staring at her in shock.

Her face was ashen, tears spilling from her eyes.

Jenny realized something was wrong. She quickly touched Lily's arm to comfort her. "Lily, don't be sad. Uncle Frederick said they'll get divorced soon. Just wait a little longer. Julian will definitely marry you."

Gloria tried to comfort her too. "Yeah, Lily. We all like you in this family. Don't overthink it."

Lily cried harder, speaking through her tears. "Julian never used to push me away like this. I didn't do anything wrong. Why does he keep hurting me over and over?"

Jenny guessed, "He used to think you were just friends, so he didn't keep his distance. Now he knows you love him, and things aren't just platonic anymore, so he..."

Jenny didn't finish her sentence. Lily wiped her tears hard, stood up suddenly, and walked out.

The three of them panicked and hurried after her.

In the living room, Iris and Julian sat at the dining table, staring at the two big bowls of nourishing soup in front of them, confused.

Beatrice sat beside them, smiling brightly as she coaxed them. "I picked the ingredients myself, fresh as can be. I told May to make this soup for you. It's perfect for a midnight snack. Eat up, then go back to your room to wash up and sleep."

Iris picked up her spoon and stirred the soup to see what was inside.

Plump shrimp, tender crab meat, creamy corn, soft potatoes, and a few herbs for boosting energy and overall health.

She swallowed hard and then glanced at Julian.

Julian sat straight, staring at his big bowl of soup without a word.

His ears were turning red.

"Why aren't you eating?" Beatrice pretended to be mad. "Do you want to waste my kindness?"

Iris had always been a little frail. She had just finished her cycle, so a warm, nourishing soup would do her good.

"Thank you, Grandma." Iris thanked her, then picked up her spoon and started drinking the soup.

The soup tasted fragrant with herbs, and the shrimp and crab meat were fresh and sweet—tender and juicy. It was really good.