Chapter 31
Esteban sat arrogantly, not caring that he was drawing the attention of many, because that was exactly his plan. His slender fingers tapped on the table while his other hand played with his cards. The trick was to play each hand correctly. Bad hands like 72-offsuit were best played by folding. Poker is a game of skill. Underground poker is poker played in a venue not operating in accordance with local gaming laws.
The Clandestine Leisure Club, also known as the Clandestine Underground Casino, was thought to be a mansion with a foot massage service, but it was just a cover because many well-known people from society often played poker here illegally. All the living rooms in the mansion looked pretty decent, but the basement housed game rooms with physical equipment. A working spa was also set up there, which was a clever disguise. The real game rooms were hid
Chapter 34Esteban secretly shook his head at what was happening. He already knew that none of Anna’s relatives—on either side—were decent, but he didn’t expect things to turn out like this.“Don’t tell me, you’re making me pay for this? Mom, Dad! He didn’t tell me this place was small,” Iñigo whined like a child. Isidro turned to Esteban with an angry glare.“You’ve always been worthless. I don’t even know why my niece Anna married you. Where did you even come from? All you’ve done is ruin our lives. What are we supposed to do now?” Isidro ranted at length. Esteban just looked at him. He had no problem with what happened, but he couldn’t just say he could replace the car immediately, because he couldn’t.
Chapter 33Anna had been restless since Esteban left earlier. She was nervous, unsure of what she should be feeling. As soon as her husband had left, she couldn't settle down. She lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep.What's happening to me? She thought. He said goodbye, so why can't I calm down?She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.Quickly, she grabbed her cell phone from under the pillow but hesitated whether to call her husband or not. She glanced at the time—almost eleven o'clock. She just sat there holding her phone, watching the minutes pass by.Anna wou
Chapter 32Sandoval was taken aback by what he saw. He didn't expect that the notorious "trash" of the entire town would be this strong. He never imagined that the man standing before him, fighting his men, was not only powerful but also someone Apollo, who feared him, referred to as "master."He stepped back, swallowing hard as he watched Esteban take down all of his men, his eyes now locked on Sandoval. "H-how...""Sandoval, release Ruben now, or you'll end up like your men..." Esteban turned to Apollo, who was now doing nothing but watching Esteban fight. Even Apollo was surprised by what Esteban was showing them; he never thought Esteban could fight so well against so many large-bodied men without getting a scratch on his body or face."Ridiculous! Who are you?" Sandoval sho
Chapter 31Esteban sat arrogantly, not caring that he was drawing the attention of many, because that was exactly his plan. His slender fingers tapped on the table while his other hand played with his cards. The trick was to play each hand correctly. Bad hands like 72-offsuit were best played by folding. Poker is a game of skill. Underground poker is poker played in a venue not operating in accordance with local gaming laws.The Clandestine Leisure Club, also known as the Clandestine Underground Casino, was thought to be a mansion with a foot massage service, but it was just a cover because many well-known people from society often played poker here illegally. All the living rooms in the mansion looked pretty decent, but the basement housed game rooms with physical equipment. A working spa was also set up there, which was a clever disguise. The real game rooms were hid
Chapter 30In the late afternoon, Esteban arrived at the canteen, but he was puzzled as to why it wasn't open yet. It should have opened earlier, as many customers usually come after work for lunch and dinner, but now, it was already four o'clock and it was still closed. Maybe it closed early? He wanted to answer that question but couldn't, as he wasn't used to not seeing Ruben."Is something wrong?" he thought to himself. He couldn't help but worry about his friend Ruben. He shook it off for the moment because he was determined to find out what happened and help his friend. If anything bad had happened to Ruben, he wouldn't leave him. With a sigh, he left after observing the quiet canteen and went to pick up Anna from work. After getting out of the car, he looked at his wife, who was standing outside with a pout, clearly bored from waiting. He walked slowly, and when he reached Anna, she still didn't notice him, so he suddenly kissed her on the forehead and pulled her into a hug.
Chapter 29Everyone in the conference room widened their eyes when two large-built men entered, throwing a sack onto the floor. No one could figure out what was inside.“Who are you? What do you want from us?” Frederick asked bravely.He would never allow anyone to cause trouble in the company.“My name is Apollo Ibrahim. You must have heard my name?” Apollo looked at Anna, then turned his gaze toward the matriarch, Doña Lazaro.Anna frowned, trying to understand why Apollo was acting that way. She still couldn’t shake off what happened yesterday. She noticed her family was in a panic.Apollo wasn’t just a big name in Laguna but throughout the Philippines. With his power and influence, their company couldn’t afford to provoke him—or risk collapsing. What puzzled her most was how Esteban knew him.“Mr. Ibrahim! I didn’t expect you to come here to LCEC. What’s the matter? Is there anything we can do for you?” the Doña asked calmly.Social status isn’t determined by age. Although she was