204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Abx5VssAH
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcc2bugS6je
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYMz4MSByGQ
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXEY1IQyMGQ
🃏 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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzehtAM22N4
♠ Elizabeth (with a faint smile, without looking away from her cards): "And what class do you think you're in?"
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9FoSlmjDZ
🃏 William (in a calm, but challenging voice): "I make the rules."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlRLZlUd3ys
♠ Elizabeth: "But even the rule-maker can fall victim to her, right?"
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmrT88G3ghS
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYSEVDQ3mLX
🃏 William: "We're raising."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuuhTNKADuA
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QM2KM77P0
♠ John (worried, muttering to Madeleine beside him): "He's pushing her over the edge."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6NgBw5moQ
❤️ Madeleine (eyes sparkling with excitement): "Or maybe she's pushing him over the edge."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhP80Phu4pT
But Elizabeth didn't hesitate. She looked at her chips, then pushed them all forward, even surpassing his bet.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjWMkULUvBM
♠ Elizabeth: "I'm raising more."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6oQWtYmxfI
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpRSlwEl87O
🃏 William: "So... a game of no retreat."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpDqps821g
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7eaGbU4l5E
♠ 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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9gCl8eFUJu
🃏 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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsGOOTTn5CT
♠ Elizabeth: "How so?"
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLUH53ZubV0
🃏 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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3AJ6WmnYS
♠ 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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpASrs4dChI
William didn't answer immediately, but instead smiled, that smile that concealed a thousand meanings.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD85y1lnXBk
Then came the next card—the Queen of Hearts.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM2iTTEbOeU
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvO3r3Z3xN7
♠ John (in a low voice to Madeleine, watching Elizabeth): "She shows no fear, but she's playing on the edge."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9U8kOrlrI
❤️ Madeleine: "And that's what makes her dangerous."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPVaTSzBlX
🃏 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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHG1VMFaqoR
♠ Elizabeth (leaning forward, her gaze piercing): "And if you lose?"
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx53eLwwxjm
🃏 William (smiling slowly, as if he had never considered this scenario before): "I guess I'll find out soon enough."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74grmJRkuc
Finally, the final card arrived.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazHlGdsOU3
It was the Ace of Spades.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1M9ojcCO95
The atmosphere grew even more tense. Everyone knew this card could mean a landslide or a crushing defeat.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJsCVMFbd35
♠ Elizabeth (placing her hands on the table, waiting): "Let's see your cards, William."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0cUel44tbc
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXOPglKBiW
Then, slowly, he turned his cards over.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN3xlFLziA9
The King of Hearts, the Ten of Hearts.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnN0rgIBpfz
He had a Full House—a near-unbeatable hand.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1GGTT3K1t
Some in the room smiled, others sighed, but Elizabeth didn't move. She showed no sign of shock or disappointment.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSBTfSbbFR
♠ Elizabeth (very quietly, turning over her cards): "But unfortunately for you... I have the Ace and the Queen."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt1KMaznIWz
It was a Royal Flush.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3VWmeJG5JN
The only hand that could defeat William's.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQifh0NDI0F
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhLiEMizGco
Then, suddenly, he burst out laughing.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGqPefsWBk
🃏 William (claps slowly, still smiling): "Well... it seems I've finally met someone capable of changing the rules of my game."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3j6qWhbXLP
♠ Elizabeth (leaning forward, looking directly at him): "Didn't I tell you? Even the rulemaker can fall victim to them."
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLoRmZypeG8
John breathed a sigh of relief, while Madeleine smiled, but her gaze held something deeper than mere admiration for the outcome.
204Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYsyHcl1Ml8
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
