Chapter 8 The Lucky Charm

Every afternoon, Elena enjoyed playing bridge with her old friends. When they noticed a new face in the house, they all began inquiring about Emily's identity.

Upon learning Emily was the new nanny, their curiosity only grew. They thought her demeanor and appearance didn't match what they expected from household staff, and started bombarding her with questions.

Emily answered with a polite smile, but carefully avoided revealing too much personal information, sticking to casual responses. Fortunately, the elderly ladies didn't press her further.

Soon after, Arthur left to take Oliver to his enrichment class, leaving Emily to serve fruit and coffee to the four elderly women while observing Elena's bridge game from behind.

Unfortunately, Elena seemed to be losing almost every hand, which made Emily shake her head slightly.

"Emily, is our Elena particularly unlucky at cards?" asked a lady wearing a navy blue dress with a brooch.

"Not at all," Emily replied diplomatically.

"It's purely a matter of skill, not luck," said the woman in a floral blouse. "Just look at the cards she's discarding—they're all potentially winning cards."

The short-haired lady glanced at Elena's discards. "Indeed! If you rearranged those cards, you'd have a winning hand right there."

Emily couldn't help but smile.

Feeling a bit embarrassed by their teasing, Elena turned to Emily. "Emily, you know bridge too, don't you? Help me decide which card to play next."

"Elena, are you recruiting outside help now?" one lady protested.

"Yes, why don't you go make some coffee and let Emily play instead?" suggested another.

Emily quickly shook her head. "No, no, I couldn't. I'll just stand here and offer Mrs. Howard some advice. Don't worry, ladies, I'm not particularly skilled at bridge myself."

Hearing this, the women chuckled and agreed to the arrangement.

Emily stood behind Elena, quietly suggesting which cards to play. After several rounds, the other ladies began to notice something strange—Elena was consistently winning.

"I've got it! A perfect hand!" Elena exclaimed, laying down her cards with a triumphant smile, her crow's feet crinkling with delight.

It felt wonderful—she rarely won at bridge, but today she was finally having her moment of glory.

The other elderly ladies were growing displeased. Before, victories had been evenly distributed among them, with Elena usually losing. But now Elena was the only one winning, which made the game much less enjoyable for everyone else.

"Emily, dear, didn't you say you weren't very good? Yet here you are, outsmarting us old ladies," one of them remarked.

"That's right! Two heads against our one isn't fair. Elena should play on her own," another insisted.

"Absolutely. No outside consultants allowed," the third agreed.

Emily mentally rolled her eyes. When Elena was consistently losing, nobody complained, but now that she'd won just a few hands, they were getting upset.

Elena, however, didn't seem bothered at all. She continued smiling. "Fine, Emily can just sit beside me without saying anything. I feel like I've had a breakthrough—I don't need Emily's guidance anymore."

The other ladies laughed.

"Really? Let's play a few hands and see."

"I can't believe Elena has improved so quickly. We might not be able to beat her anymore."

"Remember, Emily can't speak now!"

Since Elena had made the suggestion, Emily nodded. "Alright, I'll just sit next to Mrs. Howard without saying anything."

Surprisingly, Elena continued to win, taking the next five hands as if she'd suddenly been blessed by Lady Luck. She happily collected her winnings while the other ladies exchanged puzzled glances.

Emily remained silent, thinking to herself that professors truly were quick learners. Elena had picked up the strategy from Emily's earlier guidance, and combined with her naturally good luck, she kept winning.

After losing two more hands, the other ladies couldn't stand it anymore.

"Elena, are you and Emily using some secret signals? How have you suddenly become so skilled?"

Elena looked quite pleased with herself. "There are no signals. I've simply had a revelation, and Emily's presence is bringing me luck. That's why I'm playing so well."

"Emily brings that much luck?" The short-haired lady adjusted her glasses. "Then come sit by me—I want to see if you'll bring me luck too."

"No, no, Emily works for me, don't try to poach her," Elena laughed.

"Don't be so stingy. I just want to test if Emily really brings such good fortune."

Hearing this, Elena became curious herself. "Emily, why don't you try sitting with her?"

Emily nodded.

She didn't believe in luck, nor did she think of herself as lucky, but it didn't matter where she sat.

Surprisingly, once Emily sat next to the short-haired lady, she won three consecutive hands. The lady's previously furrowed brow immediately relaxed.

Seeing this, the other two ladies insisted Emily sit next to them as well. Emily obliged, spending time beside each player.

Remarkably, whoever Emily sat beside started winning. This left Emily feeling rather conflicted.

Could she actually have some gambling luck? It was a shame she hadn't known this before—she could have made a fortune at the card table.

Emily had never actually played bridge herself; she'd only learned by watching others. When she had observed her mother playing cards, her mother had never experienced such a lucky streak.

Today's events were indeed strange.

Just then, Arthur returned with Oliver from his class. Elena pushed away from the card table. "That's enough for today—my grandson is back."

The elderly ladies seemed reluctant to stop, but it was time for them to go home and prepare dinner. They all stood up. "Fine, we'll continue tomorrow."

"I lost quite a bit today. Tomorrow I'll need Emily to sit beside me longer."

"Elena won so much today—aren't you going to treat us to celebrate?"

"Of course," Elena happily agreed with a wave of her hand. "Why don't you all stay for dinner at our place? Emily, I hope that's not too much trouble."

Emily replied, "Not at all, it's my job."

Having a few extra dinner guests wasn't difficult for Emily, especially since she and Arthur had bought plenty of groceries that morning.

Just over an hour later, Emily had prepared a complete dinner: roasted garlic shrimp, Swedish meatballs with mushroom sauce, herb-roasted chicken, stuffed bell peppers, honey-glazed pork chops, a fresh garden salad, and creamy mushroom soup. Each dish was beautifully presented and aromatic.

The delicious smells wafting through the house made the elderly ladies' mouths water.

"Emily's cooking rivals that of a five-star restaurant chef. Young people today rarely cook, and those with Emily's talent are even rarer."

"Absolutely. These may be home-style dishes, but Emily's preparation makes them special."

"Five-star restaurants just focus on presentation. Nothing compares to Emily's hearty, substantial cooking. We're in for a treat today."

Emily felt quite pleased with the praise. "You're all too kind. Let's eat before the food gets cold."

During dinner, the normally picky Oliver ate with exceptional enthusiasm. He nearly finished the entire plate of honey-glazed pork chops by himself, much to the astonishment of his grandparents.

After dinner was finished and everything cleaned up, Emily prepared to return to her quarters. Elena mysteriously called her into the study and pressed something into her hand.

"Emily, this is for you."