A Journey from Bitterness to Truth (Matilda and Yvan) novel Chapter 284

On a balmy evening, Declan invited Yvan over for a round of poker, with Adrian, Mason, and some of the big shots from Sea City's elite next generation lounging around the table.

As the room filled with a haze of cigarette smoke, the men's thoughts were as opaque as the fog. Declan broke the silence first, "Heard you backed Matilda and her crew with some cash?"

Yvan glanced at his cards and tossed a grand into the pot nonchalantly, "I call."

Then he turned to answer Declan, "Yeah, I did."

"Rolling in dough, aren't we?" Declan squinted with a sly grin, peeked at his own hand, and tossed his cards in the middle, "I'm out. Luck's not on my side tonight."

"Looks like Mr. Yeager's here to make a donation," Adrian chuckled, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, giving Declan a nod of thanks, "Much obliged."

"Easy there, tiger. What goes around comes around," Chase tapped the table, "It's Rafferty's turn."

Rafferty didn't even bother to look at his cards, just threw in five hundred, "I'll play blind."

Adrian was up next, following Yvan's lead and upping the ante with two grand, "Let's keep it interesting, boys."

"The stakes are through the roof!" Chase cursed under his breath, "Damn, I need a breather. Rafferty, toss me a smoke, will ya?"

"If I were you, I'd grab a cold beer to cool off," Rafferty replied with a smirk, throwing a hand-rolled cigarette Chase's way. They were all well-known heirs in Sea City, handsome and reckless to a fault. Rafferty's chips clacked loudly as he said, "If you're short, I can spot you."

"Buzz off."

Chase gritted his teeth and raised, "Two grand!"

Yvan tsked, "Getting too rich for my blood. I fold." He revealed his cards as he bowed out: a pair of threes.

"You bluffing son of a gun!" Chase and Adrian coughed out laughter, cursing and joking, "And here we thought you had something up your sleeve."

The pot had grown to well over twenty grand. As the rounds went on, many had bailed, not confident in their hands, essentially handing over their cash to the others.

Adrian, with his sharp features lit up with determination, appeared ready to blind Chase with sheer confidence. Declan, already out of the game, said to Chase, "Adrian's probably sitting on a flush."

"Isn't everyone?" Chase murmured, peeking at his cards, "Let's spin the wheel. Go big or go home, right?"

"Who taught you all these tricks?" Declan laughed, his coughs sending out plumes of smoke.

Chase quipped, "Who else but the king of bluffs, Yvan."

Yvan, called out, pointed to himself, "Me? I'm not the one with the silver tongue here."

"Drop dead!" Chase shot back, "Rafferty, are you still playing blind? Show your hand, enough with the theatrics!"

Rafferty chuckled with a hint of malice, laying out his cards, "Apologies, but my blind hand's a King high flush..."

"Damn!"

Adrian was ready to flip the table, "You cheating or what?!"

"Lose with grace, my friend," Rafferty scooped the hefty pile of chips toward himself, "Let's count it up, around twenty grand, right? Thanks for the night out, boys."

Adrian stormed off the table to join Chase, fuming, "In half an hour, I've just funded his night of debauchery with nine grand."

"Enough for him to party till dawn."

Chase couldn't help but laugh, hugging Declan and turning to Adrian, "Thought you were the top dog, huh? Didn't expect the dark horse to win in the end, did ya?"

Adrian was stunned, so was Yvan. Though Chase's words were meant in jest, they took on a different weight in their ears.

The two men locked eyes, an unspoken understanding between them—there was indeed a dark horse among them.

But the question remained—who was the dark horse?