241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzwPPAQgND
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFBS9WInjU9
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.
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qWcFsSyZc
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.
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49Nyi2HPLp
♠ Elizabeth (in a low voice, but filled with repressed anger): "You planned this, didn't you? This wasn't just bad luck."
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCxY4LQaHZ8
🃏 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."
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Y0L9gYvVa
♠ 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."
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWtO9CWOHq
❤️ Madeleine (smiling sarcastically, crossing her arms): "How pathetic, everyone blaming William as if they didn't come here willingly."
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh029lZXNrO
Elizabeth turned to John, her gaze a mixture of concern and anger.
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡccgzUZqY2j
♠ Elizabeth: "How much exactly? How much have I lost?"
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYE2fyjLa0G
♠ John (lowering his head, muttering sheepishly): "Everything... I don't even have anything left for the next bet."
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAjAGLRCxmB
🃏 William (leaning forward, placing his elbows on the table): "But there's always a way back, isn't there?"
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJo12gKZbO
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.
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFc3e9dKL2p
♠ Elizabeth (warning him sternly): "Don't even try."
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocBL2L0IT4
🃏 William (raising his hands as if innocent): "I'm just offering options. No one is forced into anything."
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8JbnDISR6
♠ Elizabeth: "And what option is that?"
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡep8HCumhbj
William smiled, then leaned in slightly, speaking in a quiet but weighty voice.
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTkl7d6etq
🃏 William: "One game. High stakes. If you win, John takes it all back. But if you lose..."
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuRBls5710j
He paused for a moment, then looked at her directly, as if testing her mettle.
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQU3MXQmY6m
🃏 William: "...then you're becoming part of my game."
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEx8ju5aZSr
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.
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FEw1emblI
♠ John (shaking his head violently, speaking in a low but angry voice): "No, I won't let you."
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnobtB614K
♠ Elizabeth (ignoring him, keeping her gaze on William): "And what are the rules?"
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4OLKkaX3Ha
🃏 William (smiling slowly, as if she'd fallen into a trap set for her): "Classic poker. One hand. It all depends on one hand."
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9gB6tQ5GLK
❤️ 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."
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3mKjyIpMuW
♠ John (angrily, whispering back): "And if she loses? What happens to her?"
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PatTz0fKh
❤️ Madeleine (smiling sarcastically): "William doesn't just take money... He takes brains, too."
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsHo7TTni0r
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.
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc8OpumpOPW
♠ Elizabeth (leaning forward, placing her hands on the table): "All right, let's play."
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBhlKtewrb
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.
241Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwJhBu8J1V
The cards were dealt. The bets were placed. And the real duel began.
ns216.73.216.146da2
