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The room froze for a moment, all eyes on John, who stood in shock as if he still couldn't understand how he'd ended up here. The cards were still on the table, the round still undecided, but the real scene was here—in his empty eyes, in his trembling hands that now held nothing but loss.
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Elizabeth didn't hesitate. She rose from her seat, her gaze fixed on William, as if she saw in him more than just a gambler.
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♠ Elizabeth (in a low voice, but filled with repressed anger): "You planned this, didn't you? This wasn't just bad luck."
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🃏 William (raising an eyebrow, as if enjoying her accusation): "John's a grown man. I didn't force him into anything. He decided to take the risk, and I simply... played my game."
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♠ John (closing his eyes, trying to control himself): "You've been dragging me into this from the beginning... you knew exactly how to get me to bet more."
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❤️ Madeleine (smiling sarcastically, crossing her arms): "How pathetic, everyone blaming William as if they didn't come here willingly."
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Elizabeth turned to John, her gaze a mixture of concern and anger.
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♠ Elizabeth: "How much exactly? How much have I lost?"
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♠ John (lowering his head, muttering sheepishly): "Everything... I don't even have anything left for the next bet."
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🃏 William (leaning forward, placing his elbows on the table): "But there's always a way back, isn't there?"
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Everyone looked at him, realizing that his words weren't just empty consolation. He was suggesting something else, something far more serious than just trying again.
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♠ Elizabeth (warning him sternly): "Don't even try."
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🃏 William (raising his hands as if innocent): "I'm just offering options. No one is forced into anything."
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♠ Elizabeth: "And what option is that?"
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William smiled, then leaned in slightly, speaking in a quiet but weighty voice.
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🃏 William: "One game. High stakes. If you win, John takes it all back. But if you lose..."
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He paused for a moment, then looked at her directly, as if testing her mettle.
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🃏 William: "...then you're becoming part of my game."
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A heavy silence fell in the hall. Even the other gamblers, accustomed to seeing crazy bets, seemed uneasy. This wasn't just gambling, this wasn't just a game of money. This was something deeper, something that touched on pride, freedom, and even fate.
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♠ John (shaking his head violently, speaking in a low but angry voice): "No, I won't let you."
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♠ Elizabeth (ignoring him, keeping her gaze on William): "And what are the rules?"
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🃏 William (smiling slowly, as if she'd fallen into a trap set for her): "Classic poker. One hand. It all depends on one hand."
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❤️ Madeleine (leaning forward, whispering to John): "This isn't just a game to him. He wants her into his world... He wants to discover what's beneath that confident face."
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♠ John (angrily, whispering back): "And if she loses? What happens to her?"
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❤️ Madeleine (smiling sarcastically): "William doesn't just take money... He takes brains, too."
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But Elizabeth didn't look afraid. On the contrary, she was strangely calm, as if she'd known from the start that things would come to this.
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♠ Elizabeth (leaning forward, placing her hands on the table): "All right, let's play."
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William's smile widened, but it wasn't just a smile of triumph. It was the smile of someone who'd found a real opponent for the first time in a long time.
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The cards were dealt. The bets were placed. And the real duel began.
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