83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgHpocCLa8
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF19KLfF0Oc
The room froze for a moment, all eyes on John, who stood in shock as if he still couldn't understand how he'd ended up here. The cards were still on the table, the round still undecided, but the real scene was here—in his empty eyes, in his trembling hands that now held nothing but loss.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXatoiShx8j
Elizabeth didn't hesitate. She rose from her seat, her gaze fixed on William, as if she saw in him more than just a gambler.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGv9bz9sIk8
♠ Elizabeth (in a low voice, but filled with repressed anger): "You planned this, didn't you? This wasn't just bad luck."
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQl3FhoNXqB
🃏 William (raising an eyebrow, as if enjoying her accusation): "John's a grown man. I didn't force him into anything. He decided to take the risk, and I simply... played my game."
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxU9q2Xlrrl
♠ John (closing his eyes, trying to control himself): "You've been dragging me into this from the beginning... you knew exactly how to get me to bet more."
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCygUwaIxB7
❤️ Madeleine (smiling sarcastically, crossing her arms): "How pathetic, everyone blaming William as if they didn't come here willingly."
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMu5Bw5j9iR
Elizabeth turned to John, her gaze a mixture of concern and anger.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVXELOKFr8
♠ Elizabeth: "How much exactly? How much have I lost?"
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKLubWvRpII
♠ John (lowering his head, muttering sheepishly): "Everything... I don't even have anything left for the next bet."
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSjmuZ5oRPx
🃏 William (leaning forward, placing his elbows on the table): "But there's always a way back, isn't there?"
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpkXJ4y0Nr
Everyone looked at him, realizing that his words weren't just empty consolation. He was suggesting something else, something far more serious than just trying again.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMhai6gX7G
♠ Elizabeth (warning him sternly): "Don't even try."
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZB3V2RYYw
🃏 William (raising his hands as if innocent): "I'm just offering options. No one is forced into anything."
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ9z4UM2Bvq
♠ Elizabeth: "And what option is that?"
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtORxxkMD8f
William smiled, then leaned in slightly, speaking in a quiet but weighty voice.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSNMSMkJ37j
🃏 William: "One game. High stakes. If you win, John takes it all back. But if you lose..."
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWkFjsoCVE
He paused for a moment, then looked at her directly, as if testing her mettle.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmLltaT6vW
🃏 William: "...then you're becoming part of my game."
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNvf7QzuQW
A heavy silence fell in the hall. Even the other gamblers, accustomed to seeing crazy bets, seemed uneasy. This wasn't just gambling, this wasn't just a game of money. This was something deeper, something that touched on pride, freedom, and even fate.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Dl1WD9nhT
♠ John (shaking his head violently, speaking in a low but angry voice): "No, I won't let you."
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30kI6UvUNr
♠ Elizabeth (ignoring him, keeping her gaze on William): "And what are the rules?"
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdd8LcGQOHH
🃏 William (smiling slowly, as if she'd fallen into a trap set for her): "Classic poker. One hand. It all depends on one hand."
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9BtBNxjh2O
❤️ Madeleine (leaning forward, whispering to John): "This isn't just a game to him. He wants her into his world... He wants to discover what's beneath that confident face."
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw41iVcpnS2
♠ John (angrily, whispering back): "And if she loses? What happens to her?"
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzCURdceoeM
❤️ Madeleine (smiling sarcastically): "William doesn't just take money... He takes brains, too."
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqWGH69mUKH
But Elizabeth didn't look afraid. On the contrary, she was strangely calm, as if she'd known from the start that things would come to this.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZQiyie9AVO
♠ Elizabeth (leaning forward, placing her hands on the table): "All right, let's play."
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ7kmLutMqz
William's smile widened, but it wasn't just a smile of triumph. It was the smile of someone who'd found a real opponent for the first time in a long time.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdDsuzpXps
The cards were dealt. The bets were placed. And the real duel began.
ns3.142.83.171da2
