204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTeaB7t09z2
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtl7weAI4k0
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.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJSuRqyRkr
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.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5f4XmxlSKB
🃏 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."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5uYbN08m4X
♠ Elizabeth (with a faint smile, without looking away from her cards): "And what class do you think you're in?"
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBXMCr4bJ7J
🃏 William (in a calm, but challenging voice): "I make the rules."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ028L6M4n9b
♠ Elizabeth: "But even the rule-maker can fall victim to her, right?"
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqeC3sXa4n
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.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhD8oe015mE
🃏 William: "We're raising."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnUUk8aNU2W
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.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAg5lY3NUK
♠ John (worried, muttering to Madeleine beside him): "He's pushing her over the edge."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KATLAWLPB
❤️ Madeleine (eyes sparkling with excitement): "Or maybe she's pushing him over the edge."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcCzP4yoioo
But Elizabeth didn't hesitate. She looked at her chips, then pushed them all forward, even surpassing his bet.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhbOJDCOvU
♠ Elizabeth: "I'm raising more."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJOAj0wCIlY
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.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrzUSeOxoT
🃏 William: "So... a game of no retreat."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9mUjwmL1n
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.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2NjuhhpSG
♠ 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.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iA1J8MNgj
🃏 William (in a low voice): "You know, Elizabeth? I've met a lot of good players in my life, but you're different."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIva8xajatk
♠ Elizabeth: "How so?"
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5AJgrymCEb
🃏 William (leaning forward, his eyes gleaming with something incomprehensible): "Because you don't just play to win... you play to escape something."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzKxDMQe4V
♠ 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?"
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MkHL1vf8b
William didn't answer immediately, but instead smiled, that smile that concealed a thousand meanings.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEdR06IjHw
Then came the next card—the Queen of Hearts.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ZU04mRm94
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.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Wkifcopoc
♠ John (in a low voice to Madeleine, watching Elizabeth): "She shows no fear, but she's playing on the edge."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60hEA61smU
❤️ Madeleine: "And that's what makes her dangerous."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyPQtL5D6H
🃏 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."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZyokyvcI5t
♠ Elizabeth (leaning forward, her gaze piercing): "And if you lose?"
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5yBdU1K3d3
🃏 William (smiling slowly, as if he had never considered this scenario before): "I guess I'll find out soon enough."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡew89vVa16N
Finally, the final card arrived.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVhaZpfH1ZM
It was the Ace of Spades.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fXqRfzxFO
The atmosphere grew even more tense. Everyone knew this card could mean a landslide or a crushing defeat.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEDkmK1OQQ
♠ Elizabeth (placing her hands on the table, waiting): "Let's see your cards, William."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJOurFQNxOW
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.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7LM6zJ7tXe
Then, slowly, he turned his cards over.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipDdFlRtFs
The King of Hearts, the Ten of Hearts.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQFbamrR9Q
He had a Full House—a near-unbeatable hand.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCtgNaFEyn
Some in the room smiled, others sighed, but Elizabeth didn't move. She showed no sign of shock or disappointment.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWxL4QPQIia
♠ Elizabeth (very quietly, turning over her cards): "But unfortunately for you... I have the Ace and the Queen."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAqzMAmtbi2
It was a Royal Flush.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXgH78UnSsY
The only hand that could defeat William's.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUdFMo3VWU
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.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkq6PeQhZxX
Then, suddenly, he burst out laughing.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP97Es8KHz5
🃏 William (claps slowly, still smiling): "Well... it seems I've finally met someone capable of changing the rules of my game."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTyLho90VQO
♠ Elizabeth (leaning forward, looking directly at him): "Didn't I tell you? Even the rulemaker can fall victim to them."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6TL4gg747
John breathed a sigh of relief, while Madeleine smiled, but her gaze held something deeper than mere admiration for the outcome.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr09pSJa35p
William remained grinning, but his eyes held another promise—this wasn't the end, just the beginning of a whole new game.
ns216.73.216.25da2
