208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcp7ns51RqD
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡppv8r1YIiQ
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.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUKe2QWrX02
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.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSiyjLoDIC
🃏 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."
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0lokogZVQg
♠ Elizabeth (with a faint smile, without looking away from her cards): "And what class do you think you're in?"
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡve9JKmdyRB
🃏 William (in a calm, but challenging voice): "I make the rules."
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMVpILdDo8
♠ Elizabeth: "But even the rule-maker can fall victim to her, right?"
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbge4jQomgb
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.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJnkR1ViM3
🃏 William: "We're raising."
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9pwSu4auj
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.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37fEKEaaOq
♠ John (worried, muttering to Madeleine beside him): "He's pushing her over the edge."
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡixjv8GW0is
❤️ Madeleine (eyes sparkling with excitement): "Or maybe she's pushing him over the edge."
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNQ0Brbzoh
But Elizabeth didn't hesitate. She looked at her chips, then pushed them all forward, even surpassing his bet.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3sQvCs6Ajo
♠ Elizabeth: "I'm raising more."
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCVKtJQ7Mw
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.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdyHrOznXWl
🃏 William: "So... a game of no retreat."
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRkfV5lGZPA
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.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkltAlqBv4o
♠ 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.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡruE4G3NQfk
🃏 William (in a low voice): "You know, Elizabeth? I've met a lot of good players in my life, but you're different."
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKEO37p14OH
♠ Elizabeth: "How so?"
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ05SyFXAGXh
🃏 William (leaning forward, his eyes gleaming with something incomprehensible): "Because you don't just play to win... you play to escape something."
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTbwQXy62k
♠ 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?"
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSppJwXtjQP
William didn't answer immediately, but instead smiled, that smile that concealed a thousand meanings.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6R6LneaTzm
Then came the next card—the Queen of Hearts.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkgeXNBJABW
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.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVtMhJl0Ga
♠ John (in a low voice to Madeleine, watching Elizabeth): "She shows no fear, but she's playing on the edge."
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaBSF8FXkBj
❤️ Madeleine: "And that's what makes her dangerous."
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecV3jEZSk4
🃏 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."
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyQ5ZoktIJ
♠ Elizabeth (leaning forward, her gaze piercing): "And if you lose?"
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡifF5jAOFSk
🃏 William (smiling slowly, as if he had never considered this scenario before): "I guess I'll find out soon enough."
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxF9neIieGa
Finally, the final card arrived.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBvCUtQLJvT
It was the Ace of Spades.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpzYaj0nfL4
The atmosphere grew even more tense. Everyone knew this card could mean a landslide or a crushing defeat.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8sE7az3qZH
♠ Elizabeth (placing her hands on the table, waiting): "Let's see your cards, William."
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsFvsP8eazD
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.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa41AmcZTVq
Then, slowly, he turned his cards over.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzCpxBevwT
The King of Hearts, the Ten of Hearts.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR947WceFgZ
He had a Full House—a near-unbeatable hand.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ilC2SrVsW
Some in the room smiled, others sighed, but Elizabeth didn't move. She showed no sign of shock or disappointment.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiPkDdsodFy
♠ Elizabeth (very quietly, turning over her cards): "But unfortunately for you... I have the Ace and the Queen."
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYVFzZzHzwm
It was a Royal Flush.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLUXoay21C
The only hand that could defeat William's.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ438eyHzNTI
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.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsCW2R77bxP
Then, suddenly, he burst out laughing.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE61Vk0tuJb
🃏 William (claps slowly, still smiling): "Well... it seems I've finally met someone capable of changing the rules of my game."
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ivjdKhsj3
♠ Elizabeth (leaning forward, looking directly at him): "Didn't I tell you? Even the rulemaker can fall victim to them."
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYIH1IWx3w
John breathed a sigh of relief, while Madeleine smiled, but her gaze held something deeper than mere admiration for the outcome.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLWoDfdXrt
William remained grinning, but his eyes held another promise—this wasn't the end, just the beginning of a whole new game.
ns216.73.216.109da2
