Chapter 811: Separating Might Be the Best Choice

Preston Vance smiled and said, "Looks like Ann and I are going to lose miserably today."

Annie York smiled shyly. "Miss Linton, Chloe, don’t win too fast. Give us a chance to get familiar with the game."

Fiona Linton chuckled. "Sure, no problem. We’ll play a practice round with you first."

After the first hand, Chloe Reed realized Preston was telling the truth. He genuinely had absolutely no idea how to play! Ann was a little better; at the very least, she understood the rules of mahjong.

But after three hands, Preston gradually found his rhythm. Sitting directly to Chloe’s left—making him the player who discarded right before her turn—he began feeding her tiles the moment he figured out the mechanics.

Sitting to Preston’s left, Fiona saw what was happening and immediately spoke up. "Chloe, I kind of want to switch seats with you. Mr. Vance hasn’t learned anything else yet, but he’s already mastered the art of spoon-feeding you tiles."

Preston looked bewildered. "Am I feeding her tiles?"

Fiona snorted, looking at him with a half-smile. "If you aren’t setting her up for a chow, you’re setting her up for a pung. If that isn’t feeding, what is? Mr. Vance, you can go easy on her, but there’s no need to make it this obvious, is there?"

Looking embarrassed, Preston said, "I honestly didn’t realize. I’ll pay closer attention next time."

Fiona, meanwhile, shot Chloe a meaningful look.

Chloe’s expression remained perfectly calm. She typed on her phone and held up the screen: "We can switch seats after four rounds. Then we’ll see if you’re just bad at the game."

Fiona’s eyes widened slightly. "Wow, you’re calling me a terrible player? Alright, alright. You just wait. I’m going to win so much you won’t have a single chip left!"

Chloe curved her lips into a smile. As Preston and Ann gradually grasped the rules, the pace of the game sped up.

In the following hands, Chloe won big. Eventually, she went on a winning streak and stayed on as the dealer, leaving the other three players utterly miserable. Fiona had never expected Chloe to be this good at mahjong. She refused to accept defeat. She was absolutely determined to beat her!

Behind his glasses, Preston’s eyes were warm and smiling. Watching Chloe calmly declare her winning hands, an undeniable, lingering tenderness surfaced in his gaze.

"Did Mr. Grant go back to the old estate for the New Year?" he asked.

Chloe nodded in confirmation.

Preston sighed softly. "You didn’t go back with him this time. Are you really planning to divorce him?"

Chloe nodded again.

Fiona chimed in, "Our Chloe has always been very firm in her decisions. The only reason she hasn’t divorced Walker Grant yet is that his eyes haven’t healed. She needs to take care of him. Once his eyes are better, she’ll leave."

Hearing this, Ann’s eyes flickered. She looked at Chloe and asked, "Chloe, is there really no room for reconciliation? Actually, Mr. Grant treats you pretty well."

As the hand ended, Chloe picked up her phone and typed, "But the pain between us is still there. As long as those wounds remain unhealed, I can’t be at peace getting back together with him. Besides, I think separating is probably the best choice for both of us." That way, neither would bring the other any more pain. They could both be well, safely apart.

Ann nodded. "Okay, I support your decision too."

Preston smiled. "I look forward to that day."

Chloe didn’t show much of a reaction. Instead, she simply drew her tiles and continued the game.

By the time they reached the fourth round, it was time to change the winds and switch seats. The winner rolled the dice to determine the new arrangement, and this time, Fiona ended up sitting to Preston’s right.