Chapter 608: Chapter 608 Becoming the Focus of the Casino
Hope Williams stiffened, gazing at Liam Cloud’s stern face, her brows furrowing into silence.
Her heart was full of guilt.
She never knew how long he had been silently protecting her from the shadows.
She felt so remorseful and apologetic…
His feelings for her were sothing she could never reciprocate in this lifeti.
“Liam…” she softly called out, her eyes inexplicably glistening with a layer of crystalline tears.
Seeing this, Liam’s heart skipped a beat, suddenly left at a loss for what to do.
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying? Did I pull too hard just now and hurt you?”
Hope Williams, “…”
“…Hope, don’t cry, okay?”
Hope sniffled, unable to control the surge of emotions overwhelming her despite her attempts to suppress them.
By Liam’s side, Wesley Ruiz, Wyatt Lewis, Joseph Sanders, and Silas Stone were montarily stunned, their faces full of surprise.
“Liam!” Wyatt’s face darkened imdiately. “You made my sister-in-law cry, you’d better make up for it!”
While the ‘culprit’ was still in a state of confusion, Hope quickly adjusted her emotions, wiping away the tears at the corner of her eyes. “Sorry, I just… got a bit too emotional all of a sudden. Couldn’t hold it in.”
Liam, “…”
Wyatt, “…”
Joseph, “…”
Too emotional?
Liam looked even more puzzled. “What are you so emotional about?”
Under Liam’s penetrating gaze, Hope took a deep breath before responding, “Just seeing you makes emotional now.”
This response…
Liam laughed twice, montarily unsure of what expression he should wear.
Was she implying that his appearance was *moving*?
Cutting back to the point, Liam cast a cold glance at the casino in front of them. He then looked at her again and asked, “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for soone—Axel Ginger’s son, Paisley Ginger.”
Upon hearing this, Liam imdiately understood that Hope was here for so shares.
But still…
“This place… truly well chosen,” Liam remarked faintly.
“Huh? What do you an?” Hope sensed there was a deeper aning to his words.
“Never mind, stop dawdling. Let’s go.” Liam didn’t explain further and stepped inside.
As Liam walked in front, Hope blinked a few tis. Wesley walked up to her and lowered his voice. “Sister Hope, the owner of this casino and Big Boss are sworn enemies. They’ve always been at odds. Just a while back when Big Boss was in Emperor Capital, that guy took advantage of his absence in Territory Y to stir up quite a bit of trouble for him.”
Hope’s starry eyes narrowed slightly. So, this was Wesley’s real concern.
She glanced at Liam, no wonder there was sothing off about the aura surrounding him earlier.
“How bad is the conflict?”
“The kind where they’d co to blows the instant they et.”
Hope frowned. “Then why is he here…?”
“What are you standing there gawking for? Were you hired to be a door attendant?” Liam, already ahead, turned back and urged impatiently, “Hurry up.”
Hope’s eyes darted briefly before she said to Wesley, “Got it, let’s head in first.”
She then quickened her pace to catch up with Liam.
The interior of the casino, reputed as the largest in Territory Y, did not disappoint. It was enriched in grandeur and decadence, brimming with noise and excitent, a truly lively scene.
One gambler’s table followed another, each surrounded by crowds of onlookers.
Hope’s beautiful eyes swept across the surroundings, observing the situation. In such a crowded place, finding soone would indeed not be an easy task.
“You guys look over there, I’ll check this side,” Hope instructed.
Liam murmured sothing to Wesley, who nodded and left imdiately.
Then Liam said to Hope, “Play around for now. We’ll call you when we find him.”
Hope blinked. “Play? Just ?”
That’d feel terribly awkward.
After all, this was her matter to resolve, yet now she was just here to… play?
“What, you think you could find him all night on your own? Go have fun for a bit,” Liam’s voice was coaxing, almost as if he were talking to a child.
He raised a hand, and soon a staff mber approached. Liam instructed, “Take her to a private room on the second floor.”
Hope glanced at the tray in the staff mber’s hands, then casually picked up a chip and fiddled with it in her palm.
“What’s interesting on the second floor?”
“Things you’ve tried before. You can practice a bit.”
Finding this to be a good suggestion, Hope nodded. “Alright, lead the way.”
“This way, please.” The staff mber gestured invitingly.
Hope didn’t frequent places like this. It was her first ti here, so naturally, everything seed novel to her.
Upon reaching the open private room on the second floor, Wyatt leaned against her side and lazily asked, “Sister-in-law, how do you plan on persuading that kid to go back? Gamblers aren’t easy to deal with.”
“Make him lose so much it hurts.”
“Make him lose so much it hurts?”
Before the phrase had fully landed, soone across the table whom Hope was up against cheered loudly. The man smiled so broadly his face couldn’t contain it. “Miss, is this your first ti playing?”
Seeing how the man across was having the ti of his life winning against Hope, Wyatt was speechless.
Who exactly was supposed to “lose so much it hurts”?
“Sister-in-law, didn’t that Liam guy say he’d taught you how to play before? And you’re still playing like this?”
Unbothered, Hope smiled lightly. “Well, it really is my first ti playing.”
So essentially, she knew nothing but still planned to make soone else “lose so much it hurts”?
Just then, Hope’s phone rang. “We found him! Co downstairs.”
“Alright.” Hanging up, Hope tossed the chip in her hand lightly aside. “I’m done playing, ti to get serious.”
With that, Hope left the table. Just as she reached the staircase, a man walking toward her stopped and looked at her.
But Hope didn’t notice his gaze.
“Master Ross, what’s wrong?” the man’s subordinate asked.
The man raised an eyebrow. “It’s nothing, saw wrong. Thought I caught sight of soone familiar.”
The subordinate was curious. “Who did you think you saw?”
The man gave a faint smile. “Liam Cloud’s sweetheart.”
…
Hope walked up to Liam’s side. “Where is he?”
Liam gestured with his eyes, and Hope followed his lead. As they passed by one of the gaming tables, Liam raised his brows slightly. “That’s him.”
Hope looked up. Indeed, it was the man from the photo—Axel Ginger’s son, Paisley Ginger!
Judging by his mood tonight, he’d clearly lost a lot. His entire deanor was steeped in gloom, his brows furrowed deeply.
They were playing Dice, a simple high-low ga. Both sides seed to have bet significantly, and it was at the most nerve-wracking mont after the bets were placed.
Seeing them all holding their breath, Hope raised her chin and smiled.
The cover was lifted—five, six, six. High.
Paisley’s face grew taut, and he pounded a fist on the table, spitting out a curse.
Evidently, he had lost again and was reaching his breaking point.
His opponent bead brightly, raking in all of Paisley’s chips, leaving with his gains.
Hope’s lips curled into a faint smile as she handed Wyatt a card. “Go cash this in for chips—lots of them.”
“Sister-in-law, weren’t you just talking about getting serious? And now you’re playing?”
“Exactly, this is my serious business. Didn’t I say I’d make him lose so much it hurts? How else can I take him back?”
After speaking, Hope stepped forward, seamlessly replacing the spot left by the man who had just won big. She said in an even tone, “A few rounds with —how about it?”
Paisley looked up at the woman who had approached him, sizing her up with a glance. “Who are you? I don’t gamble with won.”
“Why not? Afraid to lose to one?”
Paisley glanced at Hope again, raising a brow. “Afraid to lose? Ridiculous. Bring it on—who’s afraid of who.”
His luck had been awful today, but maybe he could win so of it back against this woman.
Paisley’s lips twisted into a smile as he eyed Hope. “You’re the one asking for this. Don’t cry when you lose, alright?”
Hope chuckled. “Of course not. But since this is a gamble, just playing for money is dull—how about we add so stakes?”
Intrigued, Paisley leaned in. “What kind of stakes?”
“If you lose, from now on, you listen to . How about that?”
Paisley sneered. “Like I’d lose to you. And if *you* lose?”
Unbothered, Hope shrugged lightly. “You decide.”
Paisley raised an eyebrow, his eyes glinting mischievously as he rubbed his chin and sized her up from head to toe.
Hope’s beauty was unrivaled—her every gesture, her every smile, enough to stir even the calst of hearts.
“I don’t really want anything else, but you… You’re not bad. If you lose, how about being my woman?”
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