Maxwell’s hand wasn’t bad-two pairs-but if Amelia had the straight flush he feared, he was done for.
Still, the confidence in her eyes shook him. Based on what he’d seen before, Amelia would never bet this high without being sure.
He clenched his fists and decided to go all in mentally. “Call. One million.”
Everyone thought Amelia would back off now. But to their shock, she pushed her entire pile of chips to the center of the table. “All in.”
The room went dead silent.
Jeremy leaned forward, eyes narrowed. He couldn’t even read her this time.
What kind of hand did Amelia have to make her so bold?
Or she just playing the fool to trap them all?
Maxwell’s stomach dropped as he stared at the mountain of chips-five million dollars’ worth.
His finances were already tight. If he lost this round, he’d be flat broke.
But backing out now? That would crush his ego.
Maxwell tried to read something from Amelia’s face, but she kept that calm, faint smile-the kind that gave nothing away. Her clear eyes showed no hint of emotion.
Inside, Maxwell began to panic.
“What’s wrong, Mr. Nygard?” Amelia tapped the table lightly. “Lost your nerve already?”
Sweat started forming on Maxwell’s forehead.
He stared at the community cards-ten, jack, and queen of hearts. If Amelia held the king and ace of hearts, that meant she had a royal flush.
“I-I … ” His voice trembled.
“Time’s up,” the dealer reminded. “Please make your choice.”
Jeremy cut in smoothly. “Maxwell, either call or fold. Don’t waste everyone’s time.”
Under everyone’s gaze, Maxwell finally broke. “I-I fold!”
“Smart choice.” Amelia slowly pulled her chips back, but she didn’t show her cards.
“Wait!” Maxwell shouted reluctantly. “What were your hole cards?”
Amelia blinked playfully. “Why don’t you guess?”
Then she stood up gracefully and flipped her cards over-seven of diamonds and eight of spades. Useless cards that had nothing to do with the hand.
“What?” Maxwell froze, thunderstruck. “Y-you bluffed me?”
T-that hand wasn’t a pair, not a straight-just pure garbage!
The table went silent. Anderson and Ithan both gasped.
Now it all made sense. Amelia had been acting clueless from the start, pretending to be a rookie.
It was all part of the setup to lower their guard-only to crush them when it mattered.
Ruthless. Brilliant.
Jeremy chuckled. “That was impressive.”
“Y-you little trickster!” Maxwell shook with rage. “You’re a professional player, aren’t you?”
Dammit! Maybe this had been her trap from the very beginning.
Amelia shrugged innocently. “I never said I didn’t know how to play.”
Then she looked at Anderson. “Didn’t Mr. Corva just tell me to play bold?”
Anderson rubbed his nose, embarrassed. “Yeah, I walked right into that one.”
“Continue?” Amelia asked, turning to Maxwell, whose face had gone pale. “Or are you giving up?”
Maxwell suddenly grabbed his glass, ready to smash it against the table.
Jeremy moved fast, catching his wrist. His voice was firm. “Mr. Nygard, a bet’s a bet. Take the loss.”
“You all set me up!” Maxwell roared, losing control.
Amelia’s smile vanished, her eyes turning icy. “Set you up? Did you forget who threw the first insult? If your skill is weak, just admit it. Why are you getting mad?”
Maxwell’s expression changed rapidly.
The skills he once bragged about had been destroyed by Amelia in front of everyone.
And now? Now he was the joke of the night.
His friends would never look at him the same way again.
Seeing Maxwell’s gloomy face, Amelia felt secretly satisfied.
She cashed in her chips, then turned to Jeremy with a soft smile. “Let’s go.”
The group left the game room and headed back to their VIP room at the bar.
Tonight had been worth it-Maxwell got a good lesson. He’d lost millions for no reason.
Right now, he was probably still grieving over it.
Serves him right!
Back in the room, Anderson and Ithan were still in shock.
“Amelia, you were amazing! I want to learn from you,” Anderson said, giving her a big thumbs-up like an eager puppy.
Before Amelia could respond, Jeremy gave him a flat look. “Learn from her? With your IQ, you’d be paying tuition for the rest of your life and still never learn.”
Anderson groaned in protest. “Jeremy, that was harsh!”
Sure, Jeremy was smarter than him-but did he have to stab straight into his pride like that?
Ithan, not wanting to get roasted too, wisely kept his mouth shut. Instead, he poured Amelia a glass of wine and handed it to her. “Amelia, that was brilliant. You really played the fool and then took them all down.”
Amelia smiled faintly. “Just scared off a few cowards who love gambling but can’t handle losing.”
Both Anderson and Ithan’s mouths twitched.
Wait! Is she talking about us too?
They’d always thought Jeremy was the big boss-the unbeatable one who crushed them every round. So when Amelia showed up, they figured maybe she’d be easier prey, someone they could finally beat.
Now they realized how ridiculous that thought was.
In fact, Amelia was tougher and more ruthless than Jeremy-far better at pretending to be harmless.
It was their fault for being weak. Getting crushed was all they were good for.
They couldn’t even be mad. Both men just looked at her with pure admiration.
Jeremy smiled quietly beside her. This fierce, confident side of Amelia was exactly what he loved most about her.
Meanwhile, Maxwell, who had lost a fortune, was fuming. He couldn’t bring himself to stay in the bar any longer.
The thought of being tricked and beaten by Amelia burned inside him like fire. He couldn’t stomach the humiliation.
“Damn it,” he growled under his breath.
When he got home, he couldn’t hold it in anymore and told his family everything.
As expected, the whole family exploded with anger, cursing Amelia nonstop.
Maxwell slammed his hand on the table. “Isn’t there anyone who can control that girl? She’s completely out of line!”
Marcelo stayed quiet for a moment before replying flatly, “Amelia only listens to Aunt Thea.”
Thea Nygard had married into the Pearsons years ago. She’d been living overseas ever since and rarely came home.
Thea had always cared deeply for Amelia. Maybe it was because of her father, but she treated Amelia with the same affection. Every time she returned from overseas, she would bring Amelia a pile of gifts.
When Amelia went missing, Thea searched for her like a woman possessed.
After Amelia was found, Thea even came back to stay with her for a long time.
But with her husband and children living abroad, Thea eventually had to leave again.
Lately, though, something had changed. Thea rarely kept in touch with the Nygards.
She didn’t even know that Amelia had already cut ties with them.
“Now that you mention it, I just realized. It’s been months since we last heard from Thea. Do you think something happened?” Emery frowned.
Thea wasn’t especially close to her, but she usually checked in from time to time.
This silence felt unusually long.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.