55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisaM7Vg7jU
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuR6aStLlxw
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.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡub35IlftEJ
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.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRfuhxwghZR
🃏 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."
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAoGWVRXtji
♠ Elizabeth (with a faint smile, without looking away from her cards): "And what class do you think you're in?"
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY50ZHO2aCg
🃏 William (in a calm, but challenging voice): "I make the rules."
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI96HXH5fYj
♠ Elizabeth: "But even the rule-maker can fall victim to her, right?"
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUW9TpHz1t
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.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvtVmcacCGr
🃏 William: "We're raising."
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLNqy2cTnZB
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.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡampITzs0Qb
♠ John (worried, muttering to Madeleine beside him): "He's pushing her over the edge."
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQTC9XKBD81
❤️ Madeleine (eyes sparkling with excitement): "Or maybe she's pushing him over the edge."
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgKh8KyqJ1I
But Elizabeth didn't hesitate. She looked at her chips, then pushed them all forward, even surpassing his bet.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb17HTMVKws
♠ Elizabeth: "I'm raising more."
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmCkgXeYAd
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.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqAgtrcPa7
🃏 William: "So... a game of no retreat."
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJVYTxocSt
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.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmPbJdP8M4
♠ 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.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7QSNoaccfb
🃏 William (in a low voice): "You know, Elizabeth? I've met a lot of good players in my life, but you're different."
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxfthtyvG7i
♠ Elizabeth: "How so?"
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFguGIu6qqa
🃏 William (leaning forward, his eyes gleaming with something incomprehensible): "Because you don't just play to win... you play to escape something."
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4fi7Hy6Sj
♠ 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?"
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs1Yxssw88c
William didn't answer immediately, but instead smiled, that smile that concealed a thousand meanings.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjipzN2FsFW
Then came the next card—the Queen of Hearts.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnIZb5wTECV
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.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNc7geuhGlL
♠ John (in a low voice to Madeleine, watching Elizabeth): "She shows no fear, but she's playing on the edge."
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5Er5QahTO
❤️ Madeleine: "And that's what makes her dangerous."
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9PC3xrWhLb
🃏 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."
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlOqpET2oQ6
♠ Elizabeth (leaning forward, her gaze piercing): "And if you lose?"
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0gCumxss1
🃏 William (smiling slowly, as if he had never considered this scenario before): "I guess I'll find out soon enough."
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrMcKWOxq8
Finally, the final card arrived.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoarWqlwFWD
It was the Ace of Spades.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBl4LWftPRm
The atmosphere grew even more tense. Everyone knew this card could mean a landslide or a crushing defeat.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKiNAb9Og3
♠ Elizabeth (placing her hands on the table, waiting): "Let's see your cards, William."
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTy9m8U9jyH
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.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbaVSDbnCk
Then, slowly, he turned his cards over.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡViBLkowtCQ
The King of Hearts, the Ten of Hearts.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn482oBQmHt
He had a Full House—a near-unbeatable hand.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHP3b50L4bA
Some in the room smiled, others sighed, but Elizabeth didn't move. She showed no sign of shock or disappointment.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jwOJL7IKr
♠ Elizabeth (very quietly, turning over her cards): "But unfortunately for you... I have the Ace and the Queen."
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoRbe2r8fa7
It was a Royal Flush.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7YRY0xDXjZ
The only hand that could defeat William's.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQL3DBGlNu
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.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu2GlZaD1J0
Then, suddenly, he burst out laughing.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUO1r4wxhM
🃏 William (claps slowly, still smiling): "Well... it seems I've finally met someone capable of changing the rules of my game."
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gktXqirRO
♠ Elizabeth (leaning forward, looking directly at him): "Didn't I tell you? Even the rulemaker can fall victim to them."
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0gbI7YHdZ
John breathed a sigh of relief, while Madeleine smiled, but her gaze held something deeper than mere admiration for the outcome.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QjKGuY3bP
William remained grinning, but his eyes held another promise—this wasn't the end, just the beginning of a whole new game.
ns52.14.165.32da2
