One Hand Ruined, One Throne Taken

Before Cesar Romano could speak, a woman's sultry laughter came through the receiver.

His low voice rang out. "Baby, stop it. I need to take a call."

Anger surged in my chest.

"Cesar."

There was a brief pause on the line. Then, his voice turned sharp and impatient.

He asked, "Who are you? I'm discussing a business deal worth tens of millions of dollars. I don't have time for some crazy woman's nonsense."

With that, he hung up.

I, Victoria Corsini, tightened my grip on the phone. This was the fiance my father had chosen for me after exhaustive consideration.

We were engaged, yet he didn't even recognize my number.

Liliana Conti burst into shrill laughter.

She straightened up, and her chin was held high. She jabbed her red nails at my face. "Did you hear that? Cesar doesn't have time for you. You think you're worth his attention?"

Her voice dripped with contempt when she added, "And how dare you impersonate Ms. Corsini? Take a look at yourself. You're a worthless piece of trash!"

Liliana then grabbed a glass of whiskey and splashed it across my face. "Let me rinse you off, so that stench of poverty doesn't stink up our VIP hall."

The surrounding gamblers erupted into laughter.

"Hey, sweetheart. Get on your knees and lick the booze off the floor! Who knows? That might cheer Ms. Conti up, and she might just let you off the hook!"

Suddenly, Liliana pointed at me and shouted, "I knew something was off earlier! You stole the chips from the table when you were dealing cards!"

I didn't bother responding. I pulled out my phone, ready to tell my father that the marriage was off.

Liliana snatched the phone away. "You think you can leave after stealing chips?"

I frowned. In the next second, Liliana snapped her fingers.

Security moved in immediately, rummaging through my pockets.

One of them moved deftly, planting a chip in my pocket when no one was watching.

Then, he held it up high and reported, "Ms. Conti! Found it! It was in her pocket!"

Cesar's casino was famous for its chips made of real gold and silver. It drew both gamblers and thieves from all over.

Desperate regulars and seasoned crooks met the same end. Anyone who took money that didn't belong to them lost a hand.

"Here's another idiot asking for death. Where do you think Cesar will hang her hand?"

I raised my head and met the crowd's disdainful stares.

With a cold smile, I looked up at the surveillance camera above the table.

Liliana picked up on my intentions and sneered, "Don't bother. The cameras here just happen to be broken."

She then issued an even more vicious order to the bodyguards. "Strip her and search her thoroughly! I want to see if she's hiding anything else!"

The cheering grew louder. Someone even took out a phone, eager to capture the spectacle.

I watched the guards closing in and gave a humorless laugh.

"Wait," I called out, and everyone fell silent. They stared at me.

Liliana frowned in annoyance. "What tricks are you trying to pull now?"

I stared straight at her and spoke slowly. "Since we're telling different stories, and the cameras are down, let's settle this another way. Let's play a hand of blackjack on this table. If I win, you apologize to me in front of everyone and admit you framed me. If I lose…"

I paused and raised my right hand before continuing, "Do whatever you want with this hand of mine."

Liliana froze, then burst out laughing as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world. "Gamble with me? You're not worthy."

"What's the matter? Scared?" I shot her a provocative look. "You're a casino manager. Do you not have the guts to play a hand of blackjack against a rookie dealer?"