Chapter 28 - 28 28 Nearly Exposed

Words : 1903 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

28: Chapter 28 Nearly Exposed 28: Chapter 28 Nearly Exposed “You see that, don’t you? Brother-in-law is truly amazing, having them all subdued, each one of them gaping with surprise, especially that Nine-Colored Rainbow—it’s incredibly delicious. I can still remember the aroma of the booze. Brother-in-law, mix me another one, will you?” Only having mixed such a simple cocktail, Emily Lopez was clearly unsatisfied. James Brown shook his head and said, “We don’t have that much liquor at home. This is the best I can mix for now.” “Then I’ll go buy some tomorrow.” Jonathan Lopez, loving his liquor, had found the cocktail so delicious that upon hearing what Emily said, he simply couldn’t resist the temptation. If it weren’t already late, he would have wanted to go out and buy some right now. Gina Lopez immediately said, “That wouldn’t be good, Dad. You’ve already had quite a bit to drink these past few days. You need to control yourself; otherwise, your body won’t be able to take it.” Mrs. Lopez also chimed in, “Gina’s right. Alcohol can be good, but you can’t overdo it. James, you can’t just casually serve him drinks. This old man, once he sees good liquor, he just can’t control himself.” Jonathan Lopez immediately put on a sad face and said, “Do you really need to be like this, mother and daughter? After all, it’s the New Year; is it really such a big deal if I drink a little extra?” James Brown smiled slightly and said, “Actually, some alcohol can stimulate blood flow and disperse blood stasis, as well as expel the cold. As long as it’s in moderation and drunk properly, it can be good for your health without causing harm. I’ll mix a couple of good drinks for my uncle tomorrow; they’ll definitely be healthy and won’t injure his body.” Jonathan Lopez immediately burst into laughter, patting James Brown vigorously on the shoulder, and said, “Good lad, that’s what I like to hear! See that, wife? James can make such drinks for me, so you can’t stop me from drinking, right?” Mrs. Lopez shook her head and said, “James, I’m leaving this to you, then. You have to watch over your uncle’s health.” James Brown hurriedly said, “No problem, Aunt. Rest assured, how could I not consider my uncle’s health?” Mrs. Lopez nodded and added, “We’ll leave it in your hands. Your uncle, he just wants to drink to his heart’s content whenever he gets the chance. If he dares to pressure you, just call me or Gina, and we’ll see to him.” Jonathan Lopez chuckled at James Brown, “James, it turns out that in our family, aside from myself, it’s all a Platoon. I have no status at all. I hoped you would join forces with me, but it seems they’ve already bought you over, leaving me as the only lone wolf.” James Brown also laughed and said, “Uncle, I haven’t been completely bought over yet. I might still side with you occasionally.” This comment made everyone laugh, including Gina, who couldn’t help but smile. It was getting late, and after some tidying up, everyone went to rest. Of course, James Brown still slept on the floor; Gina didn’t allow him to share her bed today just because they had shared it the previous night. The night passed without incident, and the next day was already the fourth day of the New Year. Since Gina’s maternal grandparents had passed away, there was no need for more New Year’s visits, so the family gathered to continue playing mahjong. Despite the holiday, Gina was still busy working non-stop in her room. After playing mahjong for a while, Jonathan Lopez looked at Sandra suspiciously, “Sandra, how can you be so lucky?” Proudly smiling, Sandra said, “Of course, who do you think I am? I didn’t even go out to play, and if I didn’t win some money from you all, that would just be too bad for me.” Under the table, her foot gently tapped James Brown’s instep as a sign of appreciation. Sandra’s mother turned to look at James Brown and said, “James, you’re not conspiring with Sandra, are you? Every time she needs a tile, you always seem to discard it.” James Brown rubbed his nose and said, “I can’t help it, I guess the cards I play just stink.” As Jonathan Lopez arranged his tiles, he laughed and said, “Don’t think that using small secret signals will work. I’m watching you two now to see if you can still cheat.” “Well, just keep watching then. Brother-in-law and I don’t have any secret signals, right, Brother-in-law?” Sandra said playfully, winking at James Brown. James Brown chuckled, “Indeed, there are no secret signals.” The little action beneath the table wasn’t even a secret signal; it was a blatant, open signal. But the constant caressing of his instep by Sandra’s pretty and soft foot was overwhelming for James Brown; it was an incredibly strong temptation, almost feeling like an affair. Seeing the suspicion of Mr. and Mrs. Lopez, James Brown feared they would discover the little trickery going on under the table, so he decided to temporarily avoid giving Sandra any tiles. However, after Sandra missed getting tiles twice in a row, she covertly stepped hard on James’s instep, leaving him no choice but to deal her in again. After a while longer, Jonathan Lopez still hadn’t caught on to how James Brown and Sandra were cheating, with Sandra continuing to win and James serving her the required tiles. “Go grab an apple. Does anyone want one?” Sandra stood up, feeling merry from her wins, and her appetite had returned. “Let’s get one for everyone; we’re all burning up with losses here,” Jonathan Lopez said, shaking his head continuously. They had probably played around eight rounds of mahjong by then, and most of the winning hands had been Sandra’s. Sёarᴄh the nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He hadn’t won more than three hands himself. Taking advantage of the moment, James Brown went to the restroom. Returning, he accepted the apple Sandra offered, eating it as they continued to play. Upon leaving his seat, and as James tried to stretch his foot back in the middle under the table, he found Jonathan Lopez’s foot had taken up space there, preventing him from reaching across. He wanted to warn Sandra, but then he heard Jonathan say with narrowed eyes, “You hussy, why are you stepping on my foot?” James Brown jumped. If Jonathan and his wife found out that Sandra was using her feet to pass messages beneath the table, it would be minor mischief, but doing it between a brother-in-law and his young sister-in-law seemed a bit over the line. Sandra was startled too, but she giggled and said, “Move your foot away, I can’t stretch out my leg. It’s uncomfortable.” “You brat, always with your complaints.” Jonathan always doted on his daughter, and at that moment, withdrew his foot and didn’t notice Sandra’s maneuvers. But because of this, James was initially hesitant to stretch his foot out again, but after a few rounds, Sandra kept stealthily glaring at him, and he hesitantly extended his foot once more. This time Sandra was more careful, gently tapping his foot after stepping on it. James nodded slightly in response, and Sandra’s lips curled up in a joyful smile, as their little scheme began again. It wasn’t until dinner that the game paused. Sandra had won a massive victory, raking in more than four thousand dollars, while James had lost about two thousand, with the rest lost by Jonathan and his wife. Sandra was naturally ecstatic, while Jonathan and his wife were quite disgruntled, agreeing to a rematch that evening. James took charge of the cooking that night, once again showcasing his culinary skills, and even mixed a drink for Jonathan during dinner. Losing money seemed to lift Jonathan’s spirits straightaway. “Sis, brother-in-law had it rough today, lost more than two thousand,” Sandra said with a giggle, winking at Gina during dinner. Gina managed a faint smile and said, “It’s just a loss. You always end up with a windfall every New Year’s.” “Thank you for the compliment, but brother-in-law does seem to lose a bit more miserably than you do in normal times.” “That’s because with you around, he doesn’t dare to win.” Although dinner was still abundant that evening, Jonathan and his wife were eager to play mahjong again, so they finished quickly and set up another round. Gina stayed to watch for a while as a way to spend time with her family but soon lost interest and returned to her room. It was past eleven o’clock by the time James made it to the bedroom. Gina was already lying in bed, covered with a thick pajama top and the blanket over her legs, with a laptop sitting on top of the blanket. “How much did you lose?” Gina asked casually. “Not much, haven’t hit five thousand dollars,” James responded with a grin. “I don’t have that much cash on me. Give me your account number, and I’ll transfer it to you.” James chuckled and said, “Then I won’t be shy about it.” “You don’t have to be. I can’t have you losing your own money to work here. Besides, if you didn’t lose, I would have anyway. Sandra is supposed to win something every year, but this year she seems to have won more than usual.” James chuckled inwardly. With him intentionally losing, it was no surprise Sandra won; it wasn’t his money, so why not use it to curry favor? Sandra’s little foot had truly made his day enjoyable. As James lay down in bed, Gina remarked, “Sandra didn’t seem to be testing you at all today, did she?” James smiled, “She was too busy winning money to spend any time on testing me.” “That’s not right. That girl is usually so sharp. How come she’s suddenly so trusting that you’re my boyfriend? She was testing you at first, but these past few days, she’s just believed it. It doesn’t feel real to me.” James stretched lazily and said, “Isn’t it simple? In her mind, you probably aren’t someone who’s easily swayed, right?” “Obviously.” “Well, there you have it. A person who isn’t easily swayed, sharing a room with me, and we even slept on the same bed at your grandfather’s place. How could she doubt our relationship?” “I hope you forget about this and never mention it in front of anyone else,” Gina said coldly, her tone leaving no room for doubt. “You’re the one who brought it up, and now you’re blaming me. Besides, I still have to work under your boss; I wouldn’t dare gossip unless I wanted to quit.” “That would be for the best.” Gina said this indifferently, feeling that getting James a job was effective after all. It at least kept his mouth shut; otherwise, if he went back and spread rumors, she as the boss, would lose all her dignity at the company.

Chapter 28 - 28 28 Nearly Exposed

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