202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4omV2Kti5
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mzBSZZnnn
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.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡglz5ZeEnaj
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.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZzb6b4O4c
🃏 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."
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMxRh1UPm2
♠ Elizabeth (with a faint smile, without looking away from her cards): "And what class do you think you're in?"
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpGpyQJ391J
🃏 William (in a calm, but challenging voice): "I make the rules."
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2mn5Wpijt9
♠ Elizabeth: "But even the rule-maker can fall victim to her, right?"
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJjKmWW9v4
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.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMOf5DA5MwI
🃏 William: "We're raising."
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjbK8HKQCW
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.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU1nmHA9VY1
♠ John (worried, muttering to Madeleine beside him): "He's pushing her over the edge."
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU04ylOHiEJ
❤️ Madeleine (eyes sparkling with excitement): "Or maybe she's pushing him over the edge."
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz16ly1fswc
But Elizabeth didn't hesitate. She looked at her chips, then pushed them all forward, even surpassing his bet.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ2oZpGPcE7
♠ Elizabeth: "I'm raising more."
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ44kV6bKmV
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.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtRw0ga4tIv
🃏 William: "So... a game of no retreat."
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡry3rn2OP8v
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.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLymszXnL1a
♠ 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.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJGJ2qZiBqf
🃏 William (in a low voice): "You know, Elizabeth? I've met a lot of good players in my life, but you're different."
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdStULgzcM
♠ Elizabeth: "How so?"
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8FiwquLR3
🃏 William (leaning forward, his eyes gleaming with something incomprehensible): "Because you don't just play to win... you play to escape something."
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXuleXtpX8Q
♠ 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?"
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyUlgOUyvc9
William didn't answer immediately, but instead smiled, that smile that concealed a thousand meanings.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbS2AWMb9Yw
Then came the next card—the Queen of Hearts.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfaNHh68o9z
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.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6vQ9U9pVj
♠ John (in a low voice to Madeleine, watching Elizabeth): "She shows no fear, but she's playing on the edge."
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDtbXU6iNsx
❤️ Madeleine: "And that's what makes her dangerous."
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9uBGHmxIME
🃏 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."
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBy2yncEJFX
♠ Elizabeth (leaning forward, her gaze piercing): "And if you lose?"
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBWEiyJtD3
🃏 William (smiling slowly, as if he had never considered this scenario before): "I guess I'll find out soon enough."
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ0xPxmA5rL
Finally, the final card arrived.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjgaswBRA7
It was the Ace of Spades.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW8SvdLsYZz
The atmosphere grew even more tense. Everyone knew this card could mean a landslide or a crushing defeat.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02tpg3zaUT
♠ Elizabeth (placing her hands on the table, waiting): "Let's see your cards, William."
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3e2AQ3eEAu
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.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNxZxbzcYX
Then, slowly, he turned his cards over.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIrESxRNgLC
The King of Hearts, the Ten of Hearts.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZnZ26bDBP
He had a Full House—a near-unbeatable hand.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbnzUfebyEL
Some in the room smiled, others sighed, but Elizabeth didn't move. She showed no sign of shock or disappointment.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xBFa7m1Fw
♠ Elizabeth (very quietly, turning over her cards): "But unfortunately for you... I have the Ace and the Queen."
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlXbkEK2J7c
It was a Royal Flush.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmSZ2oUrmU
The only hand that could defeat William's.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxt8er4zql
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.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnqyDz4vOXU
Then, suddenly, he burst out laughing.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEg3QJn57P
🃏 William (claps slowly, still smiling): "Well... it seems I've finally met someone capable of changing the rules of my game."
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡByfIjQdhIw
♠ Elizabeth (leaning forward, looking directly at him): "Didn't I tell you? Even the rulemaker can fall victim to them."
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZJe0aHxBu
John breathed a sigh of relief, while Madeleine smiled, but her gaze held something deeper than mere admiration for the outcome.
202Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTWJyIoeQvd
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
