50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9q15I2RkZe
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOraFuD0aNG
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.
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1voO1N6MnD
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.
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7gOvTFT24x
♠ Elizabeth (in a low voice, but filled with repressed anger): "You planned this, didn't you? This wasn't just bad luck."
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ21QOiyPgsD
🃏 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."
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnfPV2x9z3
♠ 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."
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbsbwmTwU8
❤️ Madeleine (smiling sarcastically, crossing her arms): "How pathetic, everyone blaming William as if they didn't come here willingly."
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgmkKdM0fF
Elizabeth turned to John, her gaze a mixture of concern and anger.
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnfyeIJh7l
♠ Elizabeth: "How much exactly? How much have I lost?"
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphMc4A4z30
♠ John (lowering his head, muttering sheepishly): "Everything... I don't even have anything left for the next bet."
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDsvCDyY6jb
🃏 William (leaning forward, placing his elbows on the table): "But there's always a way back, isn't there?"
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOA1kiDDBX5
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.
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP7cVqWQUay
♠ Elizabeth (warning him sternly): "Don't even try."
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5YfEFpobz
🃏 William (raising his hands as if innocent): "I'm just offering options. No one is forced into anything."
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHAogawKjT
♠ Elizabeth: "And what option is that?"
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHhqps15fAE
William smiled, then leaned in slightly, speaking in a quiet but weighty voice.
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnDaofEJWbm
🃏 William: "One game. High stakes. If you win, John takes it all back. But if you lose..."
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0POjTAQkM0
He paused for a moment, then looked at her directly, as if testing her mettle.
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVVfPBUCkVy
🃏 William: "...then you're becoming part of my game."
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgo1uTF1uMN
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.
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwC9I4pnafS
♠ John (shaking his head violently, speaking in a low but angry voice): "No, I won't let you."
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUNxY9EB0q
♠ Elizabeth (ignoring him, keeping her gaze on William): "And what are the rules?"
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDiEntNJne5
🃏 William (smiling slowly, as if she'd fallen into a trap set for her): "Classic poker. One hand. It all depends on one hand."
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7Y2UlxiKF
❤️ 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."
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlhFu7EWKNQ
♠ John (angrily, whispering back): "And if she loses? What happens to her?"
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZtGG9TgY8
❤️ Madeleine (smiling sarcastically): "William doesn't just take money... He takes brains, too."
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvohqM71gni
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.
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡES02Imb25h
♠ Elizabeth (leaning forward, placing her hands on the table): "All right, let's play."
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoCCRDjT0vP
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.
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6NxYYuuwI2
The cards were dealt. The bets were placed. And the real duel began.
ns3.144.15.219da2
