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Zyon

T he people surrounding me in the VIP lounge were like bees in a hive. They were ecstatic just for a chance to watch the big game.

In the beginning, every player put one million dollars on the table, but after almost two hours, I had ten million before me. Stefano Gravaldis won a massive pot and smiled at seven million, and Chester had eight.

I played with the chips, waiting for Alice to deal another hand. My unfinished glass of expensive scotch stared back at me from the table, but I couldn’t shove it down my throat.

Alcohol often supported my aggressive and violent behavior.

In tense situations like this one, when the woman I was obsessed with gave all her attention to her husband, I couldn’t count on my common sense.

My head was full of scenarios in which Chester died, lost his limbs in a painfully slow way, or was crucified.

Usually, I didn’t care when madness took over my sanity, but here, I couldn’t let my hands do their job freely. Too many witnesses were around. Killing a man at my birthday party wasn’t right, but fuck, the urge to strangle him was so intense I almost couldn’t keep myself under control.

Folding my cards, I sighed and moved the alcohol out of my sight.

It irritated me to look at it when I couldn’t touch it.

An annoyed smile tugged on my lips when I realized it was the same with Valeria.

I could stare at her all day, but while her asshole of a husband was around, I couldn’t touch her without making a scene.

So, I chose to ignore her completely. It was almost an impossible task when she stood opposite me, looking like a dark goddess in her miniature dress, fishnet stockings, and extremely high heels.

She was the embodiment of my dreams, and my cock twitched in my pants with the need to be buried inside her sweet wet pussy for eternity.

People probably didn’t notice that her skull makeup matched mine, but I was too aware of the similarities.

It clearly indicated that she finally put two and two together and realized who her “stalker” was.

My heart clenched painfully at the idea of her being pissed like hell at me, but at the same time, a calming thought appeared, soothing my growing anxiety.

She wouldn’t be here if she were furious at me. She would’ve ignored me and punished me for my foolishness in pretending I was someone else. She would’ve wanted to teach me a lesson about not playing with her feelings.

But instead, my stunning woman was here. She came, yet I still didn’t know if it was to celebrate my birthday or spit on my painted face.

“You’re quiet.” Stefano Gravaldis leaned closer to me. His alcohol-smelling breath fanned my face when he chuckled, and his painted, bloody face twisted into a menacing grimace. “Has Chester got you off of your game?”

“Please.” I laughed, casting him an amused glance. “He could never do that.”

“Then what is it, my friend?” Stefano pushed, his expression changing to serious. “I’m a little drunk, but I can tell something is bothering you.”

“I didn’t expect Chester to show up here tonight,” I admitted, glimpsing at wavering Valeria. She had way too many drinks for my liking. “We are being watched, Stefano. After yesterday’s tragedy, we are under the surveillance not only of the authorities but also your Italian bosses.”

“Do they know it was you who destroyed the Americans?” Stefano asked, folding his cards and winking at a smiling Alice.

“Me?” I raised a brow, throwing my cards into a muck. “I was in Jersey at a business meeting. ”

“Yeah, and I’m a speaking donkey,” he deadpanned, shaking his head. “The entire city knows you’re behind it. The word about the Starlight building’s underground burying missing bodies of high-profile officials spread like a plague. I hope you have bulletproof alibies.”

“It’s not my first rodeo, Stefano,” I reminded him, stealing another glance at my beautiful Valeria. Chester won a game, and she smiled at him when he turned to her, but it didn’t reach her gorgeous eyes. She pretended to be the loving wife flawlessly, yet I saw right through her.

It was just an act. Her touch was cold. Her look was emotionless, and her smile was as fake as Chester’s mistress’s long eyelashes. When he wasn’t looking at her, she stared at him with repulsion.

It warmed my heart to know she was disgusted by him, but it couldn’t tame the fury raging in me. She belonged to me. She was my woman. Mine!

“Do you need help with something?” Stefano interrupted my inner turmoil, dragging me back to reality because I’d killed Chester at least three times in my head.

“No,” I replied curtly, noticing Malin at the bar cautiously watching his surroundings. We were all on high alert for what Chester may be up to. “Your assistance will be required later.”

Stefano nodded, returning to his conversation with Laszlo, who sat on his other side. They discussed the European market, which didn’t interest me, so I directed my attention elsewhere.

Chester won three big pots in a row, and his loud celebration after each hand began to irritate me.

I kept a perfect facade on my face. The excellent makeup my artist had created to mask my facial features tremendously helped to cover my true feelings.

No one would notice my frustration with him and this whole situation, but my patience was running out.

Valeria shifted her weight from one leg to another exactly when I looked at her. The insane high heels she wore surely tortured her delicate feet. I would massage them for hours after this charade was done. I just had to get Chester out of my casino and snatch his wife away.

I checked my cards, fighting the smile that threatened to stretch across my face.

After almost an hour of folding, I finally received a decent starting combination.

I looked at the queen and jack of hearts, thinking about how to play it.

With Chester on the button, the reraise from him was expected.

My hand was great against his wide range and massive ego. This should be fun.

I raised to seventy-five thousand, my eyes set on Chester. His interest instantly spiked when I put the chips into the game. He craved to beat me, win my money, and humiliate me. His obsession with me was almost as crazy as mine with his stunning wife. Almost.

I watched the other players, seeing one gentleman narrowing his eyes at his cards. We had played a few times already, and I knew it was a sign he held a mediocre hand and wanted to see the flop. His call didn’t surprise me.

Everyone else folded, and the game stopped on Chester. He made tricks with chips, watching me cautiously. I held his scrutinizing look, an arrogant, challenging smirk appearing on my lips when he raised me—exactly as I had planned.

Chester put two hundred thousand in the middle, and Stefano whistled beside me. Laszlo, on the big blind, grimaced at me, instantly folding his cards.

Without thinking twice about it, I called Chester’s raise, focusing on the third player. He should fold, but perhaps he would like to gamble a little.

The gentleman whose name Dorian had told me many times, and I still didn’t remember it, refused to continue in this hand. After a few moments of thinking and watching Chester and me, he gave up, and we moved on to the flop.

Alice showed us three community cards, but I watched my opponent instead of looking at them.

I knew him enough to read his game and predict his cards, but this time, I was distracted by the guests and Valeria standing behind him.

It was hard to focus when all I wanted was to take my woman and disappear.

Chester continued with a small fifty thousand bet, making me wonder what kind of cards he had. On the flop were six of diamonds, ten of spades, and king of diamonds, giving me a straight draw. If he had a king, he would’ve raised more to protect it and built a pot to win more from me.

I called his bet, waiting for the action on the turn.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Valeria nervously shifting behind her husband, but I chose to ignore her and my surroundings.

I wanted to deflate Chester’s enormous ego.

He was in my territory. He would jump only as high as I allowed him to. So, I had to maximize my focus .

Alice turned the next card, motioning for me to take action. I checked, waiting for Chester to make a move. The eight of diamonds completed the flush. My opponent’s bet of three hundred thousand was convincing, but something didn’t match up.

The wheels in my head were spinning, analyzing every possible combination Chester could hold to play his hand like this. He could have pocket kings and bet for value or pocket aces with a nut flush draw. Or perhaps my hand was dead. He had nuts and wanted to win as much money as possible from me.

After a few seconds, I decided to go for a raise to find where I was. It was the best strategy to understand if Chester was better than me. I had to know if I still had a chance to beat him or if it was better to fold and find another way to kick his ass.

I put two million dollars in the middle, earning gasps and murmurs from the guests. The players stopped their conversations, directing their attention to Chester and 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?