The Glass Rose
Count Alberto was sitting directly across from her with his eyes fixed on her hands, and the three other billionaires around the table were shuffling their stacks of high-value chips with a rhythmic, nervous clicking that echoed against the vaulted ceiling of the private chamber.
"The buy-in for this hand is one hundred thousand euros if you really want to verify the strength of your Zurich account, Countess, so don't be shy about pushing your stack into the center if you think your maritime routes are as profitable as you claim," Count Alberto said, and his voice was smooth and cultured but his gaze was predatory as he waited to see if she would flinch under the pressure of the opening move