Chapter 3

I looked at her calmly.

After a moment of eerie silence, Emily forced a smile, stammering.

"Last time, we went to a club event, and someone brought mango cake. After eating it, he started itching all over. That's when I found out he's allergic to mango. It's just a coincidence."

Emily smiled ingratiatingly.

I just nodded lightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Ethan and Emily exchanged glances, a barely noticeable viciousness in their eyes.

After a full meal and drink, Ethan suggested playing poker.

It's the most common card game at gambling tables. Several players bet, with the last two revealing their cards, and the one with the highest card takes all.

With the right cooperation, it's easy to set traps in this game.

Just like in the past, under Ethan and Emily's manipulation, I lost several rounds in a row.

Seeing my gloomy face and the transfer notification on my phone.

Ethan and Emily were overjoyed.

I pretended to be frustrated, "How could I lose so much? Let's play another round. I can turn it around this time!"

Emily paused, then smirked.

"Sis, why don't we play bigger?"

She took out two IOUs from her pocket and placed them on the table.

"I know you want to win back what you lost, but in this situation, it's impossible."

"Let's not cap the maximum amount. Bet all your assets. If we lose, we'll sign this IOU."

Ethan and Emily couldn't hide their delight.

Feigning disappointment, I said, "How could I lose so much? Let's go for another round. I'm sure I'll make a comeback this time!"

Emily paused before flashing a smile.

"Hey, why don't we up the ante?"

She pulled out two IOUs from her pocket and laid them on the table.

"I know you're eager to win back your losses, but realistically, it's not going to happen."

"Let's lift the limit and bet everything we've got. You put up your lottery ticket, and if my senior and I lose, we'll sign these IOUs."

"How about it? With my senior here as a witness, we won't back out."

Watching Emily's smooth persuasion, I chuckled to myself.

In poker games, there's a ruthless strategy called "bluffing."

Since you have to raise the stakes each time you check your cards, and you can only look at one card at a time, there are three chances to double up.

At the showdown, you still have to increase your chips.

When two players team up, they avoid checking their cards and keep raising, pressuring the target into folding when they can't handle it anymore.

And folding means giving up everything you've bet so far.

In my past life, I didn't know about this nasty trick and foolishly agreed to Emily's challenge.

On such a table, two million was nothing.

Ethan and Emily teamed up to put psychological pressure on me.

Eventually, I couldn't handle it and folded voluntarily.

It gave them a perfect excuse to humiliate me.

Even worse, after ruthlessly killing me, they spread rumors around the neighborhood.

Claiming I was a gambling addict who committed suicide with gas after being cornered by debt collectors.

Everyone used me as a cautionary tale, dragging my name through the mud repeatedly.

Now, meeting her expectant gaze, I smiled slightly.

"Alright."

Perhaps my compliance made them drop their guard.

I noticed Ethan awkwardly make a mark and pass it to Emily.

Emily started first, "My family has a house in the suburbs worth fifty thousand, I'll bet that."

Ethan added, "Then I'll bet my family's house," he looked at me, "the one you know of in the city center, worth one hundred fifty thousand."

Facing his gaze, I felt nauseated.

"I'll just bet the lottery ticket money, two hundred thousand."

Several rounds of betting passed, and the stakes soared.

But I remained calm and composed.

Seeing that they had nearly bet all their assets, Ethan and Emily were getting anxious.

"Nora, aren't you going to check your cards? Be careful, or you'll lose everything."

I knew they were trying to break my mental defenses and make me fold.

But having gone through this in my previous life, I wouldn't fall for it again.

I shook my head.

Finally, Emily couldn't take it anymore.

She glared at me venomously and revealed her cards.

"Three Kings, let's see who can beat that!"

"Nora, if you lose, don't blame us!"

I slowly revealed my cards.

At that moment, her face changed.