Page 100 of Gamble with Me
I smirked when Chester frowned, playing with his cards. He held my look, but his cocky expression disappeared. My unexpected move caught him unprepared, but he dealt with it quickly.
He called my bet, moving the money toward Alice. His action provided an answer to my question, yet there was still a chance he wanted to trap me. That would be a terrific strategy if he held the ace high flush that I couldn’t beat no matter what card would turn on the river.
My heartbeat increased when I realized I could be beaten at my own game. Over four million dollars was in the middle, but it didn’t bother me as much as the chance of Chester winning against me. The fucker had the woman I wanted. He plotted against me with my enemies. Letting him win my money would be the last drop. If he didn’t have the best combination possible, I had to bluff him out of this spot.
The ace of spades on the river increased my heartbeat dangerously high. It finalized my straight, but Chester could still hold the flush. I checked, staring at him as he prepared half a million and pushed it behind the betting line.
My brows furrowed as Alice counted the bet. In my opinion, it was too little if he had the flush. If he truly had the best combination, he would have wanted to maximize his win. It didn’t make sense to bet only half a million into a four-million pot.
Deciding to follow my instincts once more, I raised to five million dollars. The buzz around the table stopped. The tension could be cut with the knife. I was glad people kept their mouths closed so I could think, but it was Chester’s turn to make a move.
“You want everything. Right, Zyon?” Chester said, smirking. He placed a protective chip over his cards, holding my scrutinizing gaze. “What about changing the game a little, then?”
“Changing the game?” I echoed, lifting a brow. I leaned into my seat, cautiously watching his every grimace, move, and breathing frequency. Anything could be a tell about his hand.
“Yes, if you want it all, I’ll bet it all,” he replied, a devilish smile appearing on his lips. “I’m betting all my remaining money and my wife.”
“Your wife?” Czaba repeated with a strong Hungarian accent. “What kind of nonsense is this?” He turned to me, but I only raised my hand, and he shut up. This development shocked me, too, yet the chance to win Valeria was too tempting to let it pass without proper thinking.
“I don’t have a wife to call your bet, Chester,” I said arrogantly, trying to avoid looking at a horrified Valeria. She was in my line of view, but all my attention was on her idiotic husband. “What do you expect me to put in the middle?”
“Whatever you want,” Chester replied, acting nonchalant. “Call the bet with what you consider equal to her.”
There was nothing comparable to her. Valeria was a unique, stunning piece of art I craved to own. She was a delicious cake I wished to taste daily. She was the first ray of light in the cave submerged in darkness.
I could continue singing odes about her beauty and intelligence forever, but Chester would never see her like I did. He only saw a lovely face. What an ignorant dick he was.
Waving at Jamal, my eyes connected with Valeria’s. She looked like she couldn’t believe this was happening. She drifted her gaze from her husband to me, then to Alice as if trying to find someone to tell her it was a bad joke.
But it wasn’t. I was sure Chester didn’t fool around with this bet.
Still, the fundamental question was, was he really that good he couldn’t lose?
-47-
Zyon
The people around me were disturbing my thinking. The entire hand was on repeat in my head. I tried to disclose what combination Chester could hold to add Valeria into the pot, but I couldn’t concentrate.
He caught me unprepared. He risked his wife in a poker game, which forced me to believe he had the best hand, but at the same time, my gut screamed at me to watch the signs.
Exhaling loudly, I leaned into my seat, flinching when Jamal appeared on my right side. He brought me the items I’d commanded him to fetch, placing them on the table before me and the leather briefcase at my feet.
“So, Zyon, what’s it gonna be?” Chester asked, and I lifted my gaze from the rectangular black velvet box to meet his eager look.
“Let me clear things first,” I said, repositioning myself. “Your daughter is part of the package, right? If I win the mother, the daughter comes with her.”
Gasps around the table started to annoy me. This fucked-up situation was as shocking for me as it was for them, but Christ, can you just shut up?
“Yes,” Chester confirmed without hesitation. His smug expression was making me sick. “If you win, you’ll get Valeria and Zara.”
My skill at hiding my emotions was at the highest possible level, but I still almost snarled at him like a rabid dog. The fucker had no respect for his family. He felt no love for them. Or was he that good he knew he couldn’t lose them?
Suppressing a frustrated groan, I held the velvet box to occupy my nervous fingers. Too much was at stake here, and I didn’t mean money. Money meant nothing compared to the woman I loved. I could win Valeria from her husband without a war. I could have her in my new house, which I’d bought for us tonight.
Fuck! Think straight, Zyon!I mentally scolded myself, focusing on Chester’s arrogant grin.He’s toying with you.
I narrowed my eyes at Chester, ignoring everything and everyone else. I knew him. It shouldn’t be hard to make the right decision. But the pressure of my beautiful Valeria being part of it was too intense.
