223Please respect copyright.PENANAtHutpEeUSn
223Please respect copyright.PENANA7TuJF5kwRJ
The sounds in the hall faded to near-silence. There was only the players' breathing and the sound of cards being dealt across the velvet table, sliding gracefully between the dealer's fingers, as if they carried a fate heavier than just a game.
223Please respect copyright.PENANANe1YkMmtCB
Elizabeth sat firmly, her back straight, her hands on the table, unwavering and unwavering. In front of her, William leaned back in his chair, watching her with penetrating eyes, as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
223Please respect copyright.PENANAWTfvvCvbK0
🃏 William (whispering, slowly turning a card between his fingers): "You know, Elizabeth? There's a difference between someone who knows how to play and someone who knows how to win."
223Please respect copyright.PENANAdkSNT9X3la
♠ Elizabeth (with a faint smile, without looking away from her cards): "And what class do you think you're in?"
223Please respect copyright.PENANAGaKCCObK1E
🃏 William (in a calm, but challenging voice): "I make the rules."
223Please respect copyright.PENANAxAuWRWhQHl
♠ Elizabeth: "But even the rule-maker can fall victim to her, right?"
223Please respect copyright.PENANA7jUcHc401E
William didn't answer immediately, but slowly twirled his chips between his fingers, as if reconsidering her words. Then, with a half-smile, he pushed a large stack of chips forward.
223Please respect copyright.PENANAEmQLtFT5nz
🃏 William: "We're raising."
223Please respect copyright.PENANAgyMhYBjrTl
Eyes moved around the table, and some muttered in low voices. The amount he'd bet was enormous. If Elizabeth lost, she'd have no way out.
223Please respect copyright.PENANASZfUqUm7jm
♠ John (worried, muttering to Madeleine beside him): "He's pushing her over the edge."
223Please respect copyright.PENANABjTT2SAG6G
❤️ Madeleine (eyes sparkling with excitement): "Or maybe she's pushing him over the edge."
223Please respect copyright.PENANAB9LSGgPG4n
But Elizabeth didn't hesitate. She looked at her chips, then pushed them all forward, even surpassing his bet.
223Please respect copyright.PENANAzKK1iBBCOO
♠ Elizabeth: "I'm raising more."
223Please respect copyright.PENANAnQwpodkvxe
No one was expecting this; even William raised a small eyebrow, as if she'd piqued his interest even more than before. Then, suddenly, he smiled.
223Please respect copyright.PENANAte7TyMW9zN
🃏 William: "So... a game of no retreat."
223Please respect copyright.PENANAvSEE6zsL9U
The round began. The first cards were placed on the table—the King of Hearts, the Ten of Spades, and the Seven of Hearts. The cards were ambiguous, revealing nothing. Everything depended on the two cards each player held.
223Please respect copyright.PENANAdm7UVPeGH4
♠ Elizabeth showed no reaction, just looked at the table, then at William, trying to catch any glimpse, any sign from him that would reveal his game. But William was silent, his face a mask that revealed nothing.
223Please respect copyright.PENANAv7KTQsg8qS
🃏 William (in a low voice): "You know, Elizabeth? I've met a lot of good players in my life, but you're different."
223Please respect copyright.PENANAl6PijLXhPA
♠ Elizabeth: "How so?"
223Please respect copyright.PENANACl21faelgy
🃏 William (leaning forward, his eyes gleaming with something incomprehensible): "Because you don't just play to win... you play to escape something."
223Please respect copyright.PENANAVrNVOGtIU5
♠ Elizabeth (her gaze hardens for a moment, but she quickly regains her composure): "And do you think I'm the only one here running from something?"
223Please respect copyright.PENANAge6ee1lklh
William didn't answer immediately, but instead smiled, that smile that concealed a thousand meanings.
223Please respect copyright.PENANAJNkQa5JY3s
Then came the next card—the Queen of Hearts.
223Please respect copyright.PENANA2funuRp4T8
The stakes began to rise again. Everyone was anticipating, some nervous, some excited to see how this challenge, which was not just an ordinary game, would play out.
223Please respect copyright.PENANABJymkRDVX4
♠ John (in a low voice to Madeleine, watching Elizabeth): "She shows no fear, but she's playing on the edge."
223Please respect copyright.PENANAa9IUGWESRS
❤️ Madeleine: "And that's what makes her dangerous."
223Please respect copyright.PENANAfmaet13gCl
🃏 William (in a low voice, as if speaking only to Elizabeth): "If you lose, it's not just money... You become part of my game."
223Please respect copyright.PENANARhILyCDJAU
♠ Elizabeth (leaning forward, her gaze piercing): "And if you lose?"
223Please respect copyright.PENANAmMALziVtBF
🃏 William (smiling slowly, as if he had never considered this scenario before): "I guess I'll find out soon enough."
223Please respect copyright.PENANAm8ZBjjSitK
Finally, the final card arrived.
223Please respect copyright.PENANAp5PeAAYCxy
It was the Ace of Spades.
223Please respect copyright.PENANAgQk6VxT2hI
The atmosphere grew even more tense. Everyone knew this card could mean a landslide or a crushing defeat.
223Please respect copyright.PENANA0aK8FRxhCE
♠ Elizabeth (placing her hands on the table, waiting): "Let's see your cards, William."
223Please respect copyright.PENANAxUMmrrOssh
Time stood still for a moment. William didn't move immediately, but looked at her, looked deeply, as if searching for something in her eyes, something he wasn't sure of yet.
223Please respect copyright.PENANAWl4RZlJ2Sq
Then, slowly, he turned his cards over.
223Please respect copyright.PENANAPIfBiJP4x3
The King of Hearts, the Ten of Hearts.
223Please respect copyright.PENANAm4WCT0CHEc
He had a Full House—a near-unbeatable hand.
223Please respect copyright.PENANABvbOVD4jCz
Some in the room smiled, others sighed, but Elizabeth didn't move. She showed no sign of shock or disappointment.
223Please respect copyright.PENANADXgsHDfDaQ
♠ Elizabeth (very quietly, turning over her cards): "But unfortunately for you... I have the Ace and the Queen."
223Please respect copyright.PENANAjy9UtPdRUE
It was a Royal Flush.
223Please respect copyright.PENANAtkerLoPKLA
The only hand that could defeat William's.
223Please respect copyright.PENANAqqavdJ59qS
There was silence for a long moment. Everyone was staring at the cards, as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing. William kept looking at them, then at the cards, then at them again.
223Please respect copyright.PENANAwPgMcy8Qry
Then, suddenly, he burst out laughing.
223Please respect copyright.PENANAEG6hEkXqzE
🃏 William (claps slowly, still smiling): "Well... it seems I've finally met someone capable of changing the rules of my game."
223Please respect copyright.PENANA4xAi2VDHiF
♠ Elizabeth (leaning forward, looking directly at him): "Didn't I tell you? Even the rulemaker can fall victim to them."
223Please respect copyright.PENANAtHRvMJTzg1
John breathed a sigh of relief, while Madeleine smiled, but her gaze held something deeper than mere admiration for the outcome.
223Please respect copyright.PENANAHcku9vzCqa
William remained grinning, but his eyes held another promise—this wasn't the end, just the beginning of a whole new game.
ns216.73.216.146da2