Chapter 4

The dealer flinched under the murderous tension and dealt the fourth card immediately.

The cards hit the felt.

Julian received the Ace of Hearts. While it broke his straight flush dream, it gave him an overwhelming four-flush alongside his 8 and 10 of Hearts. With his hole card, his odds of a flush were monstrous.

I was dealt the Ace of Diamonds. Paired with my Ace of Spades, my board suddenly held a pair of Aces.

"No... No! How is it a 4 of Spades?!"

Before the dealer could even speak, Chloe shrieked. Her knees gave out, and she slid off her chair, collapsing onto the carpet in an undignified heap.

Her trembling hand caught her facedown hole card, accidentally flipping it over for the whole room to see.

The Queen of Hearts!

Four cards total: a pair of Jacks, a Queen, and a 4.

That meant her hand was locked. No matter what the final card was, she could never beat my pair of Aces.

Chloe... was dead in the water.

The silence shattered into chaotic murmurs and shocked gasps.

Chloe completely lost her mind. Abandoning all pretense of class, she scrambled on her hands and knees to Julian's feet, clutching his pant leg, tears and mascara streaming down her face.

"Julian, save me! Please!"

"I can't crawl naked in front of everyone! My life will be over! I'll die of shame!"

Julian's face was as dark as thunder. But looking at her tear-streaked face—which shared a chilling resemblance to his mentor—his heart softened.

Suppressing his irritation, he pulled her up.

"Get up. Stop crying. The game isn't over."

"I've got you."

Taking a slow, deep breath, Julian turned his icy gaze back to me.

"Nadia, take my advice and end this now."

"Fold this round. Walk away with the thirty million on the table. On top of that, I'll gift the Vance family an extra one percent of the harbor project. The bet between you and Chloe is erased. If we see the river card, nobody walks away clean."

"You know about my Ghost Hand technique. You can't beat me."

I shook my head and let out a soft, mocking laugh.

Glancing at the sobbing mess on the floor, I drew out my words.

"My, my. Julian really does care for my dear little sister."

"In that case..."

I cut my laugh short, slammed both hands against my towering piles of chips, and shoved them straight into the center.

"All in."

"Julian, let's see you put your life where your mouth is."

The sound of ivory chips crashing against each other rang like thunder through the hall.

Staring straight into his eyes, every word out of my mouth was coated in ice.

"If you want to play the hero for Chloe Miller, then carry her bet on your own back."

"Take her place. If you win, everything is erased. But if you lose... don't forget our first deal."

"I take your manhood."

Julian stared at my audacity, his fury turning into a psychotic laugh.

"Ha... Haha! Good, Nadia! I really underestimated you. You're ruthless!"

"If you're crazy enough to bet your own womb, why the hell should I back down?"

"Let me tell you something: unless my mentor herself is sitting in that chair, nobody in this damn room can beat me!"

He turned toward the dealer, barking out the final command.

"Dealer! Chloe folds. Deal the river!"

The final card sliced through the air and landed.

Julian caught the King of Hearts.

I caught the 3 of Spades.

Julian stood up, casting a pitying, ruthless look over my board, and slowly peeled his hole card open.

The 7 of Hearts!

Julian's full hand was revealed: the 7, 8, 10, King, and Ace of Hearts.

An Ace-high Flush!

He stared at me, his eyes full of cold, merciless triumph.

"A pair of 3s, a pair of Aces. Your hole card is just a useless kicker, isn't it? Two pair. How do you plan to beat a flush with two pair?"

"Don't blame me, Nadia."

"You dug your own grave!"

Chloe jumped up from the floor, her terror instantly replaced by rabid, vindictive ecstasy.

"Bitch! Let's see you act cocky now!" she screeched. "Don't worry, I'll make sure every media outlet in the country streams you crawling naked on the floor!"

The entire ballroom erupted into deafening cheers, sneers, and cruel laughter.

To everyone present, the verdict was sealed.

I was ruined.

Yet, my expression remained dead calm. Almost bored.

I didn't even waste a glance on Chloe's pathetic gloating. My eyes cut through the noise and locked onto Julian's arrogant face.

I slowly stood up.

"Julian... is this how I taught you to play in that Las Vegas alleyway?"

Julian's triumphant smile froze instantly. His pupils dilated in sheer horror.

His voice came out in a shattered, disbelieving whisper.

"How... How do you know about that?!"

"Vegas... the alley... That was between me and my mentor! How could you—"

I didn't answer. I merely shook my head with deep, cold disappointment.

"The moment you see a good hand, you lose your head. You reveal your cards way too early."

"Five years... and you're still an amateur."

Under Julian's terrified gaze, I reached out and casually flipped my hole card face-up on the green felt.

It wasn't the trash card Julian was praying for.

It was the 3 of Hearts.

My five cards lay exposed under the chandelier lights: three 3s and two Aces.

The room dropped into absolute, suffocating silence.

"A Full House. Threes full of Aces."

"Nothing flashy. Just enough to crush your flush."

I leaned in, meeting his horrified eyes.

"Have you learned your lesson yet?"