115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAR1wThoLk
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9RXDLzgAck
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.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡovaZysLYhS
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.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjm3Rqx4uc6
🃏 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."
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvsJH251e1h
♠ Elizabeth (with a faint smile, without looking away from her cards): "And what class do you think you're in?"
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAiCOggJqI4
🃏 William (in a calm, but challenging voice): "I make the rules."
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwtsCmNLkA
♠ Elizabeth: "But even the rule-maker can fall victim to her, right?"
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEMSwVyI0X5
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.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4oyuvIWK2V
🃏 William: "We're raising."
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6dByG7QXd
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.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdw5ARe04sZ
♠ John (worried, muttering to Madeleine beside him): "He's pushing her over the edge."
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7Ko0swhDq
❤️ Madeleine (eyes sparkling with excitement): "Or maybe she's pushing him over the edge."
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LtrdbysZK
But Elizabeth didn't hesitate. She looked at her chips, then pushed them all forward, even surpassing his bet.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZ5o2nw3cj
♠ Elizabeth: "I'm raising more."
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFbTlWtGKCT
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.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxdxIEBp5sp
🃏 William: "So... a game of no retreat."
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSCAo5QOXzs
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.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cNSoNDO1n
♠ 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.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfAlVN47oWC
🃏 William (in a low voice): "You know, Elizabeth? I've met a lot of good players in my life, but you're different."
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsNJpf3bFk
♠ Elizabeth: "How so?"
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXucMO3yt0
🃏 William (leaning forward, his eyes gleaming with something incomprehensible): "Because you don't just play to win... you play to escape something."
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTj5OBPGvNV
♠ 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?"
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8k3UJ0Nf3
William didn't answer immediately, but instead smiled, that smile that concealed a thousand meanings.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6xj7j0gIvR
Then came the next card—the Queen of Hearts.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn15nnoOAPX
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.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwuGz3hT7t
♠ John (in a low voice to Madeleine, watching Elizabeth): "She shows no fear, but she's playing on the edge."
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wpvBK7Vab
❤️ Madeleine: "And that's what makes her dangerous."
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6DAq0Oop9
🃏 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."
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4aEqJpzOYI
♠ Elizabeth (leaning forward, her gaze piercing): "And if you lose?"
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fMDVjQ1Rp
🃏 William (smiling slowly, as if he had never considered this scenario before): "I guess I'll find out soon enough."
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85zyfYUkHe
Finally, the final card arrived.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡooO2fnI6rD
It was the Ace of Spades.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX8D4HxgbxP
The atmosphere grew even more tense. Everyone knew this card could mean a landslide or a crushing defeat.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjxEWBsxPjv
♠ Elizabeth (placing her hands on the table, waiting): "Let's see your cards, William."
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJkvpxgbD8T
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.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWYzzeALTr4
Then, slowly, he turned his cards over.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrDiO4BfXDG
The King of Hearts, the Ten of Hearts.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBYTrIVjKDt
He had a Full House—a near-unbeatable hand.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPQ4clx7Ni
Some in the room smiled, others sighed, but Elizabeth didn't move. She showed no sign of shock or disappointment.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuIYG8wPHl
♠ Elizabeth (very quietly, turning over her cards): "But unfortunately for you... I have the Ace and the Queen."
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZ3KuviqGT
It was a Royal Flush.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPtCZu5obB
The only hand that could defeat William's.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAYs7kXwNL0
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.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfaIUjoZl1
Then, suddenly, he burst out laughing.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoccGwLgmCC
🃏 William (claps slowly, still smiling): "Well... it seems I've finally met someone capable of changing the rules of my game."
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWsZoKumQxr
♠ Elizabeth (leaning forward, looking directly at him): "Didn't I tell you? Even the rulemaker can fall victim to them."
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5nVGjsAJ1O
John breathed a sigh of relief, while Madeleine smiled, but her gaze held something deeper than mere admiration for the outcome.
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsnGWCmTUO4
William remained grinning, but his eyes held another promise—this wasn't the end, just the beginning of a whole new game.
ns18.189.184.99da2
