102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4cxOi66R2
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnYD83uwzn1
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.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCZeYp7HKi
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.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLHJJmgbAi
🃏 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."
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RJf0VUmma
♠ Elizabeth (with a faint smile, without looking away from her cards): "And what class do you think you're in?"
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIymRg69UM8
🃏 William (in a calm, but challenging voice): "I make the rules."
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1cPWFHGaRy
♠ Elizabeth: "But even the rule-maker can fall victim to her, right?"
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPBvFCLH2S
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.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3wWazwIkNW
🃏 William: "We're raising."
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQA3a8bw6K
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.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7D2yxGWG6
♠ John (worried, muttering to Madeleine beside him): "He's pushing her over the edge."
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaoQpT2T4ht
❤️ Madeleine (eyes sparkling with excitement): "Or maybe she's pushing him over the edge."
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8BvulPciv
But Elizabeth didn't hesitate. She looked at her chips, then pushed them all forward, even surpassing his bet.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTLpk3QTYN
♠ Elizabeth: "I'm raising more."
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcKDDQWnYJB
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.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbRRYe1BCDX
🃏 William: "So... a game of no retreat."
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzXTn60GuI
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.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZV3V9fhoyU
♠ 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.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFbQLdeQIZ
🃏 William (in a low voice): "You know, Elizabeth? I've met a lot of good players in my life, but you're different."
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRmZoXfjKe
♠ Elizabeth: "How so?"
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyoqT01GE0j
🃏 William (leaning forward, his eyes gleaming with something incomprehensible): "Because you don't just play to win... you play to escape something."
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa83is6ZTUa
♠ 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?"
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8juMrntroC
William didn't answer immediately, but instead smiled, that smile that concealed a thousand meanings.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwOAtCL4Pi
Then came the next card—the Queen of Hearts.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡet9sa1zV1S
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.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ04lXEi0hMy
♠ John (in a low voice to Madeleine, watching Elizabeth): "She shows no fear, but she's playing on the edge."
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJV3mp0oyI
❤️ Madeleine: "And that's what makes her dangerous."
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkgGj7MOjE6
🃏 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."
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lb7w5ISlq
♠ Elizabeth (leaning forward, her gaze piercing): "And if you lose?"
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSVmgFg3gU
🃏 William (smiling slowly, as if he had never considered this scenario before): "I guess I'll find out soon enough."
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZtW939bjBs
Finally, the final card arrived.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JZsWOB6kt
It was the Ace of Spades.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnej8tRCGjV
The atmosphere grew even more tense. Everyone knew this card could mean a landslide or a crushing defeat.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotucfjOLGt
♠ Elizabeth (placing her hands on the table, waiting): "Let's see your cards, William."
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyJgWnCNpN
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.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEUCwaUXhJb
Then, slowly, he turned his cards over.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMy5GkHwkd9
The King of Hearts, the Ten of Hearts.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9A3laX7LN
He had a Full House—a near-unbeatable hand.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu5Z1ZVuVVX
Some in the room smiled, others sighed, but Elizabeth didn't move. She showed no sign of shock or disappointment.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHzLvk3SX8
♠ Elizabeth (very quietly, turning over her cards): "But unfortunately for you... I have the Ace and the Queen."
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFTUACIiBzx
It was a Royal Flush.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ258mQLYV0Y
The only hand that could defeat William's.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1x1W6ZYzaR
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.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡusb2ALtoyq
Then, suddenly, he burst out laughing.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFAwfBZFmyq
🃏 William (claps slowly, still smiling): "Well... it seems I've finally met someone capable of changing the rules of my game."
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BDrj8mN5Q
♠ Elizabeth (leaning forward, looking directly at him): "Didn't I tell you? Even the rulemaker can fall victim to them."
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8D5t5Pid07
John breathed a sigh of relief, while Madeleine smiled, but her gaze held something deeper than mere admiration for the outcome.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIYT6AOUko
William remained grinning, but his eyes held another promise—this wasn't the end, just the beginning of a whole new game.
ns18.116.42.143da2
