Chapter 4 How To Make Her Happy

Around eleven forty in the morning, Jemima arrived at the Stahl residence. The butler, Robert, was quite surprised when he saw her. He was aware that another guest was expected, but he hadn't anticipated it being Jemima. The thought of Julius and Nadine in the living room at that moment made him break out in a cold sweat. The fact that Julius and Jemima were already married was a well-kept secret. Aside from their parents, the only other people who knew were Ronan and the close aides of the Stahl family, including Robert. “Follow me.” Robert had no choice but to do as Amanda had instructed, reluctantly leading the way. Before reaching the entrance of the living room, Jemima heard a clear, melodious voice teasingly say, “I've won again. Are you going easy on me, Julius?” Jemima halted her steps. For a moment, her mind went blank, but she quickly pieced everything together. She let out a sneer and took a step forward to enter. Since she had to move books, she didn't bother with makeup that day. Her outfit was simple: a loose white shirt and jeans. Her long hair was loosely tied back with a hairband. Even so, her skin remained as pure as snow, her eyes beautiful and lips crimson. The few strands of hair that fell down added a touch of innocent allure to her radiant beauty. In the living room, Julius caught sight of Jemima entering. “How did you—” “Your mom asked me to come,” Jemima replied, her expression calm but a hint of sarcasm hidden in her eyes. “Oh, weren't you supposed to be in Hoglein? When did you learn to teleport?” A flicker of unease flashed in Julius' eyes. Rising from the couch, Nadine approached Jemima. With a provocative stretch of her hand, she said, “Hello there, I'm Nadine Goodwin.” Jemima didn't even glance her way, treating her as if she were invisible. At that moment, Amanda made her entrance. She glanced at Jemima and, with a gentle demeanor, took Nadine's hand. “Nadie, are you happy today? Make yourself at home.” Then, turning to Jemima, she introduced, “This is Ms. Willis from our company. I need to discuss some matters with her.” Everyone knew that Jemima was Julius' woman, but Amanda had intentionally introduced her as merely a company employee. It was clear she wanted to keep Jemima out of the picture. At the same time, she was subtly conveying to Nadine that Jemima was insignificant and that there were no obstacles to the union between the Stahl and Goodwin families. Nadine lifted her face proudly. “So you're just a company employee.” Jemima didn't glance at Nadine and Amanda. Her gaze was solely fixed on Julius as she quietly studied his face. She wanted to see his reaction. However, he maintained a cool expression, showing no intention of speaking up for her. He was fully aware of what was happening, but he no longer cared about her discomfort. Jemima turned to Amanda and said, “Ms. Earlston, didn't you want to discuss something with me? Perhaps we could talk about it here.” “Let's discuss it another day. Since you're already here today, why not stay for lunch?” “No thanks, I've got other things to deal with,” Jemima replied, turning to leave. Amanda sternly reprimanded from behind, “What kind of attitude is that? It's disrespectful to turn down an elder.” Jemima turned around, her gaze serene as she studied her for a moment. “All right, I'll stay for lunch. Don't you regret it.” She walked over and settled into a single-seater couch. Nadine casually sat next to Julius, wrapping her arms around his. “Julius, let's continue our game.” Julius withdrew his arm, his gaze shifting toward Jemima. “Are you interested in board games, Ms. Willis?” Nadine also turned her gaze toward Jemima. Jemima glanced at the board game on the coffee table. They were playing Five in a Row, a simple child's game. Yet, unbelievably, Julius had just lost. It wasn't that he didn't know how to make others happy; he just didn't know how to make her happy anymore. She glanced subtly at Julius, a cold smile playing on her lips. “Of course, Ms. Goodwin, would you like to play?” A hint of annoyance flashed in Julius' eyes, his gaze conveying a clear warning directed at her. With full confidence, Nadine reset the stones on the board. “Ms. Willis, would you prefer black or white?” Jemima picked up a black stone. “Black suits me.” Julius was stupefied. Nadine and Amanda were just about to ridicule her for losing her mind. They had seen people subtly insulted by others, but never someone subtly insulting themselves. A few seconds later, they realized that Jemima was actually hurling insults. Gritting her teeth, Nadine rushed to make the first move. They exchanged moves across the board, with Amanda observing that Nadine's moves were methodical while Jemima's seemed random and scattered. Amanda, biased toward Nadine, didn't look closely at the game. Instead, she shot Julius a glance as if to say, “Just look at the kind of lady that comes from a prestigious family.” Julius showed no reaction whatsoever. The board was already crowded with stones. Each time Nadine thought she was about to claim victory, Jemima blocked her, causing Nadine's emotions to swing wildly and leaving her increasingly agitated. However, despite Nadine's frustration, Jemima hadn't secured a win either. At best, it seemed the game would end in a draw. Hmph, ending up in a draw with her is truly degrading. “It's your turn,” Jemima said. Nadine had already placed three stones in a hidden corner. If she could just place one more, she would surely win. She calmly placed a stone on the board, her gaze fixed nervously on Jemima, fearful that she might interfere again. Seeing that Jemima hadn't noticed, she confidently placed her stone elsewhere on the board. Overwhelmed with triumph, she exclaimed, “I've won!” Amanda immediately burst into applause. But in the next moment, Jemima began to collect the stones one by one. Only then did they realize that Jemima had already lined up five stones in a row. Amanda's and Nadine's faces instantly turned pale.