Chapter 298: Best Two of Three

The ball is still rattling, but Anthony pumps his hands in the air, ready to celebrate his victory. Avery feels herself starting to relax. But then the ball bounces and slips into the next space. The bunny girl lifts it, revealing stars. Anthony freezes with his hands still foolishly in the air, and the audience groans.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you've lost," the bunny girl says. "You will get to keep the real estate rights, but you must forfeit your chip." 

Another bunny girl rushes over, carrying a silver tray with several official-looking documents. She puts the tray on the roulette table and offers Anthony a gold pen.

"Sir, please sign your name here and here," the bunny girl says.

"What is this?" Anthony asks.

"This is the document to transfer the real estate rights to you," the girl says. "I have three copies: one for you, one for Mr. Oliver, and one for the city records office."

Anthony grabs the pen and signs his name with a flourish. Though he's just lost Gabrielle, his smile is huge. Avery's stomach churns just watching him. How can he be so smug when he's just gambled away his daughter? She wonders. He's never been a good father, but this is monstrous—even for him.

Another bunny girl brings a gold tray with more papers, "These transfer your chip to Mr. Oliver."

Anthony signs the paper without a second of hesitation. The spectators groan and whisper disapprovingly. Andrew's hand tightens on Avery's shoulder, holding her back.

"You need to sign it too," the bunny girl says to Gabrielle.

Gabrielle's face pales, and she stammers, "I-I re-refuse."

"Oh, hurry up and sign it," Anthony snaps. "I raised you for eighteen years, and you've never done anything to help the family. It's about time you did something to repay us."

"Dad, are you serious?" Gabrielle asks, her eyes filling with tears. "You do realize what it means if I sign my name? Mr. Oliver will degrade and humiliate me."

Anthony's mouth trembles, but he shakes his head and says, "Just sign it! You guard, what are you waiting for? Make her sign it."

Two bodyguards step forward, looming over Gabrielle. Next, to the bulky men, Gabrielle looks especially small and defenseless. Tears fall down her face as she takes the pen and slowly signs the contract.

"Well, that's done," Anthony says with obvious relief. "I, for one, am happy to follow the rules of this contract."

The chandeliers dim and a spotlight sweeps over the crowd and lands on a grand marble staircase. Jackson appears in the middle of the light, and the crowd goes crazy with applause. He's wearing a neat white suit and holding a glass of wine. He raises his wine in a toast to the audience, and the cheering gets louder. Waiters circle through the crowd carrying glasses of champagne and wine so everyone can return the toast.

"Thank you for coming, everyone," Jackson says. "As a token of my gratitude, I'm giving everyone a red envelope. Inside each envelope, you'll find a voucher for a million chips. Please play and have fun with me."

More waiters appear carrying trays laden with red envelopes. The crowd stamps their feet and cheers, and Jackson slowly descends the staircase. Greedy hands snatch at the envelopes, and the audience rushes away to play their favorite games and try to double or even triple their new money.

The bodyguards are distracted by the chaos, and Avery runs to Gabrielle. She wraps her sister in a tight hug, and Gabrielle sobs into her shoulder. Her delicate body shakes and trembles, and Avery holds her tighter.

"Avery, what do I do?" Gabrielle sobs. "I can't stay with Jackson. I just can't."

"Don't worry," Avery whispers. "I'm not going to let that happen."

She looks around the room for their father, but he's already disappeared among the gamblers. He's probably already playing some other game, she thinks with disgust. She sees Andrew walking toward Jackson, and she starts to form a plan. Gently, she lets go of Gabrielle and helps her sit down.

"Listen, Gabrielle, I need you to stay here," she says. "I'm going to fix this."

She squares her shoulders and walks up to Andrew and Jackson, wrapping her arm around Andrew's waist as casually as his wife would. Andrew smiles and kisses her on the cheek. She forces herself to accept the kiss.

"Well, look at that, Andrew," Jackson says. "You've got quite the woman on your arm. Congratulations, again." Jackson turns to Avery and continues, "Can I call you Mrs. Clifford now?" 

"You can call me whatever you like," Avery says impatiently. "But enough with the small talk, I want to make a bet with you."

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Jackson laughs as if she's just told a joke. She stares at him, calmly and waits for him to stop. Andrew's arm tightens around her waist, and he shakes his head warningly.

"Oh, are you serious?" Jackson asks, still fighting back laughter. "You have some nerve, Mrs. Clifford, challenging me to a game in my own casino. I have to admit, and I'm intrigued. What game do you want to play?"

"Blackjack," Avery says.

"And let me guess, you want to play for your sister," Jackson says.

"Of course," she answers.

"Well, Mr. Clifford, you've got a fiery woman," Jackson says. "I hope your sister is just as fiery as you are, Mrs. Clifford. I do enjoy taming a woman. I'm not interested in playing your little game, though. I'd rather spend my time with your sister." 

Avery grits her teeth and digs her nails into her palm. It takes every ounce of her self control to keep from slapping Jackson. Andrew tightens his arm around her as if to hold her back.

"Jackson, if you have time, why not play with her?" Andrew asks. "After all, you're an expert, and she's clearly not. What do you have to lose?"

Jackson seems to consider the suggestion. He looks up and down at Avery, and his forehead wrinkled with thought. Finally, he shrugs and nods.

"All right, I'll play," he says. "And I'll even let you set the rules, Mrs. Clifford."

"Standard rules," Avery says. "Person with 21 wins. I'm sure a gambling man like you is familiar with the rules, no?"

"Very well," Jackson says, strutting off toward the nearest blackjack table. "Let's play."

There are already several men and women seated at the table. They're in the middle of the game, but Jackson snaps his fingers, and the dealer stops. The players groan and complain, but as soon as they see Jackson, they leap from their chairs and rush away.

"Don't you want to know what my chip is?" Avery asks.

"I don't want anything from you," Jackson says with an arrogant laugh. "I'm just playing this game as a favor to Andrew."

Jackson sits down and rocks back and forth in the chair. A waiter rushes over and brings him another glass of wine. Avery sits down, rolling her eyes at his confidence. The dealer collects the old cards and starts to discard them, but Avery stops her.

"There's nothing wrong with these cards," Avery says. "We don't need to ruin new ones for this little game."

Jackson shrugs and says, "Just listen to her."

"Since it's my first time playing, would you mind playing a practice round or two?" Avery asks. "I want to get a feel for the game before we really begin."

"Whatever," Jackson says. "But I don't want to waste too much time on this."

A crowd begins to form around the table. Everyone wants to see the powerful Mr. Oliver play cards with such a beautiful and headstrong woman. Avery tries to ignore them, but she can't help but hear their whispers.

"She should play stupid," a man whispers. "If I were playing with such a beautiful woman, I'd lose a few hands-on purposes."

"How many rounds do you want to play?" Jackson asks.

Avery looks at Gabrielle. She's stopped crying, but she's shaking with fear, and her face is deathly pale. She looks back at Jackson and takes a deep breath.

"Best two out of three," she says.

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