Chapter 24 Card Game

On the agreed day, Monica followed Steven to the meeting place.
She heard that it was Steven's business partner's birthday today, and she thought it would be at a hotel or a bar, but it turned out to be a small villa.
Steven parked the car and led her inside. Monica was always concerned about the video and stopped after a while. She asked him to delete the video from his phone before they reached the party venue.
She looked up at him and said, "You said you wanted me to accompany you. Now that I'm here, you can fulfill your promise." Monica pushed.
Monica dressed up beautifully today. She always took social gatherings and banquets seriously, and even though she was with Steven, she wanted to ensure that her image was perfect. This was her self-esteem and pride.
"The party hasn't started yet. I've promised you now, but what if you run away?" he said.
She hummed, "I'm not someone who breaks promises."
"Same here, so you can trust me." He slightly bent his elbow and gestured for her to link arms with him. "Shall we go in,, Your Highness?"
When he uttered such a cheesy term, Monica felt embarrassed and thought he was mocking her on purpose. Reluctantly, she linked arms with him and whispered, "Don't call me that anymore."
If anyone else heard it, she would be so ashamed.
Steven didn't care, "Don't you like that title? Let me change my nickname to that too."
It was a bet about WeChatFacebook nicknames they had two or three years ago. Steven unexpectedly lost to her, and Monica forced him to change his nickname to "Your Highness" and forbade him from changing it for a week.
During that week, she sent him messages like crazy, trying to make sure that whenever he opened WeChatFacebook, he would immediately see her chat box, reminding him of his failure.
He must have been very, very unwilling and felt disgusted, annoyed, and angry.
That's what Monica thought.
The two continued forward and soon saw the swimming pool in the yard, as well as the brightly lit building.
Steven led her inside. As soon as the door opened, all eyes inside the house turned towards them.
"Well, we finally have Mr. Wright's presence," a man in his thirties walked over with a glass of wine, exuding an air of success with every move.
"It's Mr. DuMr. Davis's birthday, of course, I have to come and celebrate," Steven nodded in response, "The gift has already been delivered before, so I came empty-handed today. I hope Mr. DuMr. Davis doesn't blame me."
"Hahaha." The man called Mr. DuMr. Davis laughed heartily, "Mr. Wright is so humble. Your presence alone adds glory to my birthday party. What does a gift matter?"
"Come, come, come, come in quickly." He extended his hand to invite them in.
"Wow, it's only now that Monica is being mentioned," Mr. Wright exclaims. "He finally brought a female companion, and she's so beautiful. I was just saying that if you came alone this time, I would definitely introduce someone to you."
"So, Steven brought her along to ward off any potential suitors?" Monica said to herself.
The living room of the villa was filled with unfamiliar faces tofor Monica. Steven introduced her briefly to some people, but he was afraid that she would feel uncomfortable being alone in such an unfamiliar environment, so he stayed by her side.
Soon, someone jokingly remarked, "Who would've thought Mr. Wright would be so clingy? Afraid we'll snatch away this beauty?"
Monica felt a little embarrassed and pushed him, saying, "Go away."
"Can you handle being alone?" he asked her in hushed tones.
"Of course, don't underestimate me." Monicas sharp reply came.
"If you need anything, just call me." Steven reminded her.
Steven walked away and soon found himself surrounded by people discussing something. Monica was left alone for a while until a girl approached her, inviting her to play poker.
"The food outside isn't ready yet, we still have to wait for a while. Can you play? Do you want to join us?"
Monica glanced at Steven, who was engaged in conversation with others, and thought that being alone would be boring. SoSo, she nodded and followed the girl towards the card table.
Monica's card skills were not very advanced, but playing with Eric had taught her a few tricks. She believed she could handle any regular game. However, what she didn't anticipate was that everyone there were seasoned players when it comes to business entertainment, far beyond what she could handle.
As a result, she lost round after round, not even getting close to winning a single hand.
She felt frustrated, thinking that if she were at home, she would have stopped playing and left already. But considering she was in a public setting and a guest,guest; she couldn't act out.
She had to maintain a calm demeanor and wait for the game to end.
Someone who was watching couldn't bear to see her continuous losses and brought Steven over.
The sofa sank slightly as he sat down, and Monica instinctively moved to the side. Steven smoothly put his arm around her waist, displaying a natural and intimate gesture, which did not go unnoticed by the observing crowd.
However, Monica started to regret it. The sofa was spacious and comfortable when she was sitting alone, but it became somewhat cramped with the two of them. They had to be pressed closely together.
His body heat seeped through the fabric constantly, and his shallow breaths fell on her ears, making her feel increasingly uncomfortable.
Glancing at the state of the game on the table, Steven turned to her and asked, "Do you want to continue playing?"
Monica, feeling a bit frustrated from losing, replied, "I don't want to play anymore, I've been losing continuously."
One of the men across the table immediately exclaimed, "If Mr. Wright wants to play, that's considered having an outsider. I don't acknowledge it, at most, I'll play a round with you."
Steven pushed all of Monica's remaining chips into the center of the table, saying, "One round is enough."
All-in.
He completely let go and took a gamble.
Everyone present was taken aback, clearly not expecting Steven to make such a bold move so quickly.
"It's different for venture capitalists like him, Mr. Wright truly has guts," someone remarked in awe.
The person on the left side smiled and pushed his chips forward, saying, "Then I will risk my life to accompany the gentleman."
The atmosphere was heightened to this point, and the man opposite Monica had no choice but to follow suit. The table was filled with all the chips, turning the originally recreational card game into a battle of fate where everything was at stake.
Monica was a bit nervous and hesitantly asked Steven in a low voice, "Are you sure about this?"
He answered seriously, "No."
"Then why do you have such a confident look?" Monica tried to remain composed.
"Not being confident, is it possible for them to accompany me in gambling?"
Monica felt that this man played psychological warfare really well and couldn't help but continue asking, "But if you aren't sure yourself, what if you lose and truly have nothing left?"
He remained calm, "If I lose, then I lose. After all, it's not my chips."
Monica: ?
She angrily pinched his thigh under the table and scolded him in a low voice, "How can you be so shameless?"
It turned out that this was his true intention. She was the one providing the money for everything. If he won, he would receive applause, and if he lost, she would bear all the material losses.
Monica couldn't help but want to kick this troublemaker out.
"Do you want to make a bet?" Steven lured her slowly and effortlessly played with the fingers she placed under the table. "What will happen if I win?"
Monica withdrew her hand, not allowing him to touch, and didn't believe he would win. "What will happen if you lose?"
He tightened his fingers wrapped around her waist and lightly smiled. "If I lose, you can do whatever you want. If I win..."
He intentionally paused for a moment.
"You will obediently go home with me tonight and let me do whatever I want. How about it?"
Go to his home.
Hearing this wordthese words,, Monica instantly remembered the debauched affair they had in bed that morning.
She clenched her fingertips and her cheeks involuntarily flushed. She gritted her teeth, "If you lose, you lose face. I don't care about this little money. I'm not gambling with you."
Steven didn't seem surprised that she refused. He leisurely opened his mouth, speaking with a very confident tone,
"Monica, you are afraid."
The shuffling had already begun. His gaze fell on the table, focused and calm. Clearly, he had already immersed himself in this game, but he still had a little attention left. With a low laugh, he dealt her a fatal blow,
"Just, what are you 're afraid of, is it losing to me, or is it the 'consequences' you have to bear after losing to me?"
Monica was struck by his words. Unable to maintain her composure, she bit her lip and fiercely kicked him.
**Chapter 25: Won, But Also Lost**