230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAK2yadeUW
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs1SU8RO2f5
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.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmL3oQiqR56
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.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKzSB9HvQk
🃏 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."
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPKKcIaqdC
♠ Elizabeth (with a faint smile, without looking away from her cards): "And what class do you think you're in?"
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMbbf4LLUG
🃏 William (in a calm, but challenging voice): "I make the rules."
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQpabEf20n
♠ Elizabeth: "But even the rule-maker can fall victim to her, right?"
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlLvqq4ltjG
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.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKuQwQIJfe
🃏 William: "We're raising."
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwBoRIV4iO
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.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLx9odXAzL
♠ John (worried, muttering to Madeleine beside him): "He's pushing her over the edge."
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa3cgEQsp9H
❤️ Madeleine (eyes sparkling with excitement): "Or maybe she's pushing him over the edge."
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP64bmPWmuj
But Elizabeth didn't hesitate. She looked at her chips, then pushed them all forward, even surpassing his bet.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwI9yn8c9Er
♠ Elizabeth: "I'm raising more."
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBMQB9ExGiO
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.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1yh7ON7vTg
🃏 William: "So... a game of no retreat."
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9jnCQbERBl
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.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgD9MQzpCvd
♠ 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.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhxqGwe3Nl
🃏 William (in a low voice): "You know, Elizabeth? I've met a lot of good players in my life, but you're different."
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQz3LKdO93B
♠ Elizabeth: "How so?"
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwEDyCjAFv
🃏 William (leaning forward, his eyes gleaming with something incomprehensible): "Because you don't just play to win... you play to escape something."
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPE6C0CQYS9
♠ 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?"
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0PEa9RUnU
William didn't answer immediately, but instead smiled, that smile that concealed a thousand meanings.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMqCUDeiXu
Then came the next card—the Queen of Hearts.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeD8p8VWF7X
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.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1D7evx8vU9
♠ John (in a low voice to Madeleine, watching Elizabeth): "She shows no fear, but she's playing on the edge."
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Yv5Lsq2td
❤️ Madeleine: "And that's what makes her dangerous."
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbN7n1wcWFc
🃏 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."
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVfDih1rVN8
♠ Elizabeth (leaning forward, her gaze piercing): "And if you lose?"
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsC4zZIgWSQ
🃏 William (smiling slowly, as if he had never considered this scenario before): "I guess I'll find out soon enough."
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ZqTOPYdPN
Finally, the final card arrived.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡepkTWI43HZ
It was the Ace of Spades.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6OaRSak0VL
The atmosphere grew even more tense. Everyone knew this card could mean a landslide or a crushing defeat.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyW6NGx735e
♠ Elizabeth (placing her hands on the table, waiting): "Let's see your cards, William."
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcdYGeVjrWP
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.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaaWQJPVg3
Then, slowly, he turned his cards over.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzVwZfNZTW
The King of Hearts, the Ten of Hearts.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbH8lpZPwFk
He had a Full House—a near-unbeatable hand.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn58XkMJXwh
Some in the room smiled, others sighed, but Elizabeth didn't move. She showed no sign of shock or disappointment.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1a2jGl3tx
♠ Elizabeth (very quietly, turning over her cards): "But unfortunately for you... I have the Ace and the Queen."
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjJv5GEbed
It was a Royal Flush.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXP5HLT0VZj
The only hand that could defeat William's.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAXWrMm21C3
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.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpUjldfADiY
Then, suddenly, he burst out laughing.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8qly0qEEh
🃏 William (claps slowly, still smiling): "Well... it seems I've finally met someone capable of changing the rules of my game."
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSjPa0ESNIe
♠ Elizabeth (leaning forward, looking directly at him): "Didn't I tell you? Even the rulemaker can fall victim to them."
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXniIsZXrS
John breathed a sigh of relief, while Madeleine smiled, but her gaze held something deeper than mere admiration for the outcome.
230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlvrSnsRQZ
William remained grinning, but his eyes held another promise—this wasn't the end, just the beginning of a whole new game.
ns216.73.216.79da2
