The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1524 Gambling

"Don't worry, baby. I'm here with you. You're safe here," Black comforted Holley as he hugged her trembling body in his arms.

"I know you want to protect me, but Rachel is too strong. She has a bodyguard Bernard protecting her, who is a highly skilled assassin. I heard that he was merciless and cruel. Plus, we don't know their whereabouts, while they know everything about us. I can't even sleep at night," Holley sobbed, her voice trembling.

"Baby, don't cry. I'll handle this. Your eyes will get all swollen and red if you keep crying, and it'll make you look all ugly. You don't want that, right? Come on now, stop crying." Black tried his best to cheer her up.

Finally Holley stopped crying. Her tear-stained face made her look charming as ever.

This image of Holley aroused Black, but he knew she wasn't feeling okay, so he let it go. He promised her, "Don't worry, Holley. I'll have my men handle this problem. I'll finish Rachel once and for all!" "Really? You can do that?" Holley asked, surprised. She was looking at Black in admiration when suddenly she said, concerned, "But Bernard's a trained assassin. He's really strong. What if you..." "An assassin? My family doesn't care about that. It doesn't matter if they are gangsters or government officials. No one would dare touch my father. I promise you that as soon as my father gives an order, everyone will drop everything to do it," Black said arrogantly.

Holley felt relieved.

She wasn't completely relying on Black for this. After all, she was only his girlfriend-she wasn't his wife or his family. She doubted that Rex would do so much just to help her, his son's girlfriend. What could Black do without his father even if he did want to help her? He couldn't do anything without his father so she needed to have a backup plan just in case.

Holley was finally relieved. She looked at Black lovingly. "Black, I'm so lucky to have met you. You're the best."

"I feel the same way, baby," Black smiled. She looked so charming that he couldn't help himself-he leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

At Dream Garden

Melissa had been feeling frustrated recently especially when she thought about Sheryl. The helplessness drove her crazy. She hated Sheryl for being cunning and she hated herself for losing against her. She was stuck at home every day, and she was frankly getting tired of this kind of life. She figured if Charles wouldn't allow her invite any of her friends over, maybe she could go and visit them. But whenever she called them, they always seemed to be busy.

"Humph!" Melissa snorted when she read Helen's reply-she was pissed off.

Melissa could let Helen's stupid excuse of being busy slide but what she couldn't let go was her snide comment about staying home and taking care of her grandchildren-she was obviously poking fun at what had happened last time.

Melissa was so angry that she smashed the cup she was holding. It shattered, exploding into shards of glass everywhere. Destroying things satisfied her very much. Her chest heaved, and the veins in her arms were still throbbing-she was still furious.

She couldn't stand it when people openly mocked her, and she most certainly couldn't stand it when she was being forced to stay home all alone. 'Why don't I go to Macau so I can gamble? I can't stay in this damn house anymore!'

Melissa got excited as soon as she thought of it. She remember how she felt when she had cards in her hand and sitting in a gambling table. However, she soon realized that she was just getting way too excited. She furrowed her eyebrows in hesitation and her lips pressed together.

She recalled how Charles had warned her against gambling. Plus Charles had already withdrawn the rest of her allowance for the rest of the year. If she lost all her savings in gambling, she wouldn't know what to do.

Melissa suddenly didn't feel so excited anymore.

Melissa sat by the window and stared at the sky listlessly, lost in thought. She looked distressed.

A tiny bird flew over outside the window. Its lively movement pulled Melissa back from her thoughts. She was enlivened by the bird. Her sullen eyes suddenly became clear and resolute.

Why couldn't she do the things that she liked? Even this bird was free to do what it wanted.

The kind of life she was living was pathetic. She clenched her fists and decided to do it. She'd been so unlucky these past few months, so she figured luck was bound to find her soon.

Melissa had a gut feeling that she'd win big this time. If she did, she wouldn't need to depend on Charles for money anymore.

Melissa started imagining herself sitting in a gambling table and winning piles and piles of casino chips. Her heart was beating fast and her eyes gleaming with excitement.

She didn't want to waste another minute at home. She thought every minute she wasted at home was money wasted.

Melissa rushed to her room and packed her luggage immediately. Then she booked the earliest flight to Macau online before she called for a taxi. It was dusk now. She took the taxi and asked it to hurry. She was in such a hurry that she didn't even tell anyone at home about where she was going.

At the Casino

Melissa stood outside the entrance, feeling so elated. She sighed as it seemed like it had been so long ago when she was last here. She felt a bit disoriented at the crazy atmosphere-it had been that long! But as soon as she entered the gate, all this had been forgotten. She was finally home.

The big hall was filled with cigarette smoke which Melissa loved. There were so many tables in the room and each one was surrounded by red-eyed gamblers. Melissa felt even more excited as she heard people shouting over their wins and losses.

The atmosphere was tense. Melissa couldn't keep her eyes away from the tables. She rushed to the casino staff and exchanged some chips. Since she didn't want to lose all her savings, she didn't exchange much. She decided that if she won, she would continue to play. But if she lost, she would stop playing and leave.

She thought this was a smart plan to prevent any losses. She wasn't like one of those crazy gamblers at the casino. She was confident in her plan.

As a matter of fact, if she lost, she would like to win her money back. If she won, she would want to get more. Gambling could turn anyone into a greedy monster-gamblers often didn't know how to stop even when they'd lost everything.

The first round started.

The croupier started distributing the cards deftly. When Melissa got her cards, she didn't even look because she was afraid they weren't good enough to win. Her hands were trembling as she clutched on the cards.

'Whatever! It's only the first round!' she thought.

After a few moments, Melissa finally showed her cards.

It felt like hours to Melissa. Her hands were damp from being nervous, her eyebrows were furrowed, and her hair was a mess.

Melissa was staring intently at each of them as the rest of the group showed their cards.

"Aargh! I win!"