Five of hearts. The number was right in the middle again.Ivanka did not say anything and raised her hand. She was signaling them to show their cards too.Soon after, they then started to show their cards in clockwise order. The trio on the other end said nothing this time and just flipped their cards over.It was a three and a two respectively. Bert and the man’s other henchman were down for the count. But the moment the man at the head of the table flipped over his card, his eyes lit up. He was snickering with joy in his heart, because he opened a seven. It was a spade too!The man boldly pushed forward another stack of chips worth two hundred thousand dollars. He did not say anything but instead nodded at Michael. Michael ignored it and flipped his cards coldly. A ten! This round, the man’s additional chips went into Michael’s pocket, but the man was upset. “There are three of us and two of you. According to the odds of the cards being dealt out, it’s not fair.”
“Since we have new friends joining us, we can’t just follow the same rules as before…” “Why do you yap so much, woman?” Ivanka had just opened her mouth when Bert, who was beside the man, snapped at her very unpleasantly. He looked mean and fierce. Bam! Michael raised his foot and kicked Bert’s knee. Bert was caught off guard and instantly fell to his knees. “You’re just a lackey. Who are you to speak here?” Michael glared at him. He was totally looking down at him with disdain. When the man saw his lackey being kicked to the ground like this, and with so many eyes in the casino watching, the man felt that his pride had been insulted. “L-Look at you, mister. Why are you so hot-tempered? Casinos are all about fun, so most people here don’t like to drag their feet. They just start immediately!” Michael did not care to show the man any respect. “The man who’s dragging his feet seems to be from your side, right? He isn’t even the slightest bit observant. What’s the point
After saying that, the man placed a five-million-dollar bet before revealing his cards.He refused to believe that Michael and Ivanka could keep riding their streak of good luck!He flipped his cards.A nine of spades.The man raised the stakes by another five million.The seven remaining players only had a one-in-ten chance of beating him. He refused to believe anyone could draw a ten.Feeling confident, he arrogantly said, “Why don’t you both reveal your cards at the same time? Save us some time.”“Aren’t we supposed to go clockwise? Why are we changing the rules now? Can’t we play properly?” The masked man, clearly annoyed by the suggestion, voiced his displeasure.Before revealing his cards, the masked man casually tossed ten-million-dollars’ worth of chips onto the table.The onlookers were stunned.The man at the head of the table had already shown a nine of spades, and yet the masked man raised the bet to ten million before even flipping his cards. Was he just throwing
Ivanka pursed her lips.She was not afraid to drink, but she did not like the sharp scent of alcohol.It reminded her of the times when Michael would rather attend endless business dinners than come home to face her. It brought back memories of the vulnerable and downtrodden person she once was.As she prepared to decline politely, Michael stepped in and took the glass from the man. “She doesn’t drink. I’ll take this one for her.”Since Michael had said that, Ivanka could only manage an awkward smile.The man was not pleased, but he could not push the issue with so many eyes on them.If word got out that he was being petty at Kingzillion Casino and bullying a woman because he could not handle losing, his reputation would be in tatters.“All right, if you want to drink for Ms. Lane, that’s fine too. Here’s to you.As he said that, he raised his glass toward Michael before downing it in one go.Michael followed suit without hesitation.Meanwhile, the masked man crossed his arms
As soon as the man said those words, the onlookers turned the scene. They seemed more nervous than the three people at the table.However, in truth, the only one feeling nervous was the man.Michael and Ivanka had already won too much. If he lost again, it would not just be a blow to his pride, but his very life could be at risk.Therefore, the man was desperate to turn the tide.In contrast to his anxiousness and desperation, Ivanka and Michael remained calm and composed. Ivanka had already won a significant amount, so losing some of it would not matter. It was all winnings anyway.Michael’s true intentions were far from the game itself. His interest in the outcome of this gamble was secondary to the real reason he was here.However, right now, this game had not yet played out the way he intended.“Iv.”Michael’s sudden call caught Ivanka off guard. However, mindful of the audience, she quickly composed herself and suppressed her emotions. Even the man at the head of the tab
Michael coldly made his stance clear. At the same time, he told Ivanka to leave with him.Ivanka was a little stunned.Weren’t they supposed to keep going until they became public enemies? Was he really pulling back now?“Wait, you two lucky charms! We haven’t even had the chance to place our bets with you yet. Why are you leaving? Kingzillion Casino isn’t run by Jackie alone. If he can’t handle losing, others here can!”As Michael was about to lead Ivanka away, someone quickly stepped out from the crowd and tried to stop them.“Yes, stick around and share some of that good luck with us! Let us shake off the slump we’ve been in at Kingzillion Casino and finally get a win!”“That’s right!”...The crowd around Michael and Ivanka was filled with a mix of admiration and envy. Of course, they came out of their own accord to surround Michael and Ivanka because they were hoping to ride the wave of their fortune to win some money.After all, many of them had gambled away everything t
“Haha! Thanks to these two, I finally had a winning streak at Kingzillion Casino!”A voice suddenly erupted from the crowd and interrupted Ivanka’s train of thought.A plump man was waving his chips in the air. However, within seconds, people around him pulled him back.“You must be crazy. Their luck could just as easily turn around. Sure, we’ve won some money thanks to them, but we should quit while we’re ahead. Do you really think they’ll be able to leave Kingzillion Casino with all that cash?”The words hit the man like a cold splash of water and snapped him out of his euphoria.Ivanka, who was standing nearby, heard their conversation clearly despite their attempts to whisper.Soon, the onlookers began to disperse.Soon, the area around the table was almost empty. Only Ivanka, Michael, Evan, and Kingzillion Casino’s men remained.Bert, still seething from the kick Michael had given him and the forced apology by Jackie, made no effort to hide his disdain for Ivanka. The murd
“Turn around.”It was a command.It immediately put Michael on high alert.The sudden demand made Michael instinctively step forward and position himself in front of Ivanka.He did not know what the casino boss had in mind, but there was no way he was going to let anything happen to Ivanka right under his nose.“How may I address you, sir?”Michael pursed his lips and questioned as he attempted to divert the conversation.Ivanka understood what he was trying to do, but she could not help finding it ironic.He was being protective. She had never experienced this from him before. Why the sudden concern? “Sir, I apologize for my earlier staring. I meant no offense. I was just surprised that the owner of Kingzillion Casino is simply a middle-aged man.”Ivanka met the man’s eyes and calmly explained herself.The middle-aged man listened to Ivanka’s words and could not help but take a closer look at her.There was a flash of surprise in his eyes.Ivanka’s expression and feature