2026-03-06 14:00:12The flight to the capital was the longest Noah had ever taken, though in truth, it lasted barely two hours.
He spent most of it staring out the window and thinking about how old Jennifer had grown already.
The moment he landed, the difference was obvious.
Towering skyscrapers pierced the evening sky while streams of luxury cars flooded the roads outside the airport.
Noah stepped out of the terminal and ordered a taxi to the casino. Noah had heard of the casino before but he had no idea where it was located.
Il Leone casino was so popular in Casington. It was not only patronised by the mafia members but also by the citizens that just wanted to earn more money.
Noah stepped inside. He was met with a wash of light. There were crystal chandeliers spilling gold across polished marble floors. There were rows of slot machines chiming like metallic birds.
And the air carried a mix of perfume, aged whiskey and recycled smoke, thick enough to taste if you breathe in too deeply.
Card tables stretch across the room in orderly chaos, with players in front of them, some faces tight with hope and some with deep frowns.
Laughter bursts out suddenly, followed by groans that were quickly swallowed into clenched jaws.
Life is a gamble anyways, they say. And Noah was about to gamble his life by claiming the real Cedric.
“Come! Miss Jennifer is out! We need to go try our luck!” Someone said behind him suddenly.
“But what if we lose? A lot of people have been losing for the past three days.”
“No, it's going to be a lot easier now since she has changed the rule from 6-5, to 3-2.”
Noah turned to the speakers, curiously. “Are you saying Jennifer is playing blackjack?”
The two men turned to him.
“Yes! It has been going on like that for three days now. Only one person was able to win but guess what, he lost it in his next gamble.”
“Come, enough talk. Let's go!” The other speaker said with haste and pulled him along.
Noah watched them for a moment, different emotions mixed inside him.
He remembered clearly now, things he did with Jennifer. Jennifer's favourite game was black jack and she played a lot with Noah.
In fact, she ended up teaching him a lot about it. Jennifer was so good at blackjack that he lost to her several times.
But he trained harder. The first time he won, Jennifer got him some ice cream. And since then, he had gotten even better in the game.
He couldn't believe he would be playing the game with Jennifer again after so long.
Noah followed the crowds over to where Jennifer was. However, the lady sitting at the other side of the table doesn't look like the Jennifer he remembered.
She looked older and more matured, with a face he could only describe as being beautiful. Even with the way she was seated, Noah saw her shape. She looked impeccably perfect.
The young girl he once promised to marry was now a beautiful young adult.
“Since I'm changing the casino rules for today, this will be a high limit table!” Jennifer declared. “Which means you can only play with $100 and more per hand.”
Murmurs ensued immediately.
“That's huge, compared to what we have been playing with.”
“Only a person was able to win. How are we certain we will win?”
“Well, it's now 3-2, think of how much we would be earning if we win.”
“I will be backing off.”
A lot of people backed out, while some moved even closer.
“I will start then!” a man said suddenly.
Almost immediately, another man sat beside him. “Let's do this. I'm betting $100 too!”
Noah didn't step forward. Instead, he watched. That was one of the lessons he learnt from Jennifer.
Jennifer removed all the cards from the shoes, and started to swirl and mix them in messy circles.
Then, she gathered the card into stacks and started to shuffle it. She did it twice, a wide smile on her face.
She inserted the cut card and looked up at the players.
“Let's play.”
She pulled cards from the shoe, and placed two each in front of the players. Then she placed another two cards in front of herself, one faced up and one faced down.
The man by the left has a king and eight. The one by the right has a nine and seven while Jennifer's card was six.
“Hit,” the right man requested and Jennifer slid him a card. It was five. He sighed, he barely escaped.
The left man stayed with his eighteen.
Jennifer turned her hole card. It was ten. That made it sixteen. So, she went for another card. A seven!
“Bust!” The men yelled at the same time!
Both men won but the right man was more happy because his chips doubled.
“Place your bets,” Jennifer announced again.
The men hesitated briefly.
“Two games,” Jennifer reminded them.
“Well, I'm game!” The right man muttered with confidence. “I will increase it to $150,” he uttered, adding to his chips.
The cards were dealt again. The left man got ten and six, the right man got eight and eight while Jennifer showing card was Ace.
Everyone hesitated as their gaze focused on the men now. What were they going to do?
The right man split his cards. Jennifer nodded once and dealt two separate hands.
The first hand got ten, making it eighteen while the second hand got a three. So, he hit again and he got a king.
What! Bursted!
The left man hits with his sixteen and gets a queen. A gasp escaped him.
Jennifer smiled and revealed her second card. It was nine and that made it twenty.
The dealer won obviously.
One of the men dropped to the floor. “I lost $250 in a blink of an eye,” he lamented while the other man walked out of the place like a dead corpse.
“Is there anyone willing to challenge me further?” Jennifer announced and everyone stepped back.
People were suddenly scared of losing.
Oliver, who had been watching all these while and already looking forward to an opportunity to talk to Jennifer alone, stepped forward.
“No one can compete with you, Miss Jennifer. You are the queen of black jack. Everyone knows that already,” he praised her.
Jennifer scoffed. She didn't feel satisfied with the compliments. She wondered why there was no one she could play with. If Noah Cedric was alive, just if, he would have been the best to play with.
Just as she was called the queen, Noah Cedric would have been the king.
“Well, I'll challenge you!” A deep voice said suddenly, forcing Jennifer out of her mid thoughts.
Noah stepped forward.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
83
Victoria didn’t just fall; she collapsed, as if something inside her had finally snapped under the weight of years. Her knees hit the floor first, then her hands, trembling, barely holding her up. Tears streamed down her face in uneven lines, her breathing jagged.“I didn’t mean it…” she whispered, voice breaking apart. “That wasn’t my intention, I swear it wasn’t…”Noah stood over her, unmoved at first. His jaw tightened, his eyes dark with something sharper than anger, more like betrayal, confusion, and disbelief, all tangled together.“Then what was your intention?” he shot back, his voice cutting through her sobs. “To kill him? To destroy everything? Because that’s exactly what you did.”Victoria flinched as the words struck her physically. Her shoulders shook harder.“Yes!” she cried out suddenly, her voice rising in a painful confession. “Yes, it’s my fault Anita died! I know that, I know!” She dragged in a breath that refused to steady. “But it wasn’t how it was supposed to hap
82
Zack didn’t even see it coming.The slap landed across his face with a sharp crack, snapping his head to the side and sending him stumbling backward. He barely caught himself before dropping but the second hit came faster.“Have you lost your mind?!” Victoria’s voice shook with raw fury.Zack’s vision blurred for a second as he steadied himself, one hand pressed to his cheek. “Victoria, I can explain.”“Explain?” she cut in, advancing on him. “Explain how Cedric suddenly knows where we are? Go on. I’m listening.”“I didn’t tell him…”Another slap.This time Zack hit the floor.William shot up immediately. “Mom, stop!”Victoria didn’t even glance at him. She stood over Zack, breathing hard, her anger barely contained. “You think I don’t know how this works? You think men like Cedric just wander around hoping to get lucky?”Zack pushed himself up slightly, wincing. “I didn’t give him this place. I swear. I was trying to throw him off..”“By leading him straight to us?” she snapped.“Tha
81
Morning traffic stretched thin across the road, the city only just beginning to wake. Jennifer’s car cut steadily through it, the low hum of the engine blending with the faint rush of wind outside.Inside, the atmosphere was far from calm.Mike sat behind the wheel, focused, both hands steady as he kept a measured distance behind the two black SUVs ahead. Their tinted windows gave nothing away, but everyone in the car knew exactly who was inside.Cedric’s men.Noah leaned back slightly in the rear seat, his gaze fixed past the windshield, sharp and unreadable. Beside him, Jennifer shifted, her arms folded as she glanced between the road and his face.“You’re very sure about this,” she said finally, breaking the silence.Noah didn’t look at her. “I am.”Jennifer studied him for a second longer. “Because right now, all we’re doing is following a lead that could either save them…” she paused slightly, “…or walk us straight into something worse.”Mike let out a quiet breath. “Wouldn’t be
80
As Kyle pushed his chair back slightly, already signaling the close of the discussion, her voice rose again, controlled, but insistent enough to pull him back.“Father,” she said, drawing his attention once more. “Whatever you decide, don't forget what’s at stake.” Mia reminded.Kyle’s eyes shifted to her slowly.“The dignity of the Giles family,” Mia continued, her tone tightening with each word, “is not something we can afford to gamble with. We don’t even know who took that picture or who sent it out. For all we know, more people have seen it already.”Adrian leaned in slightly, reinforcing her stance without interrupting her rhythm. “And once something like that spreads, it’s difficult to contain. Reputation damage isn’t always immediate, but it’s always costly.”Mia nodded. “Exactly. Which is why the fastest and cleanest solution is obvious.” She held Kyle’s gaze. “We remove the problem before it grows.”A pause.Then, more bluntly. “End things with Noah before he stains this fam
79
Morning came quietly over the Giles estate, sunlight spilling through the tall dining room windows in long, golden streaks. The table was already set with polished cutlery, crystal glasses, and plates arranged with the kind of precision that came from years of routine.Breakfast, as always, was elaborate.Fluffy buttermilk pancakes stacked high with maple syrup dripping down the sides. Crispy bacon and sausage links. Scrambled eggs folded with cheese and herbs. Golden hash browns. Freshly baked biscuits with butter and jam. A bowl of cut fruits which was strawberries, blueberries, melon, sat at the center, alongside a jug of orange juice and a silver pot of coffee still steaming.Their personal chef had outdone himself.Yet the atmosphere didn’t match the warmth of the meal.Kyle sat at the head of the table, his presence steady, commanding even in silence. Beside him, Cynthia maintained her usual composed posture, while Adam leaned back in his chair like he had nowhere better to be a
78: the truth
Amelia got home late, late enough that the house had already slipped into that quiet, settled stillness that comes after dinner has been cleared and conversations have died down. The faint scent of food still lingered in the air, but the dining area was empty, and the lights dimmed.Mia was curled up in the living room, half-watching something on TV. She glanced up as Amelia stepped in.“You’re back,” Mia said casually.Amelia forced a small smile. “Yeah. Long day.”She didn’t stop to say more. Her mind was too full, too loud. She headed straight for Aria’s room.She knocked lightly.No response.Amelia hesitated for a second, then pushed the door open anyway.The room was dim, only the bedside lamp casting a soft glow. The bathroom door clicked open just as she stepped in, and Aria walked out, a towel wrapped securely around her waist, damp hair clinging to her shoulders. She looked tired, but still composed.“Oh you’re back,” Aria said, a faint smile forming. “When did you get in?”
You may also like
Rise Of The Student Billionaire
Dragon Sly230.1K viewsThe understated miraculous Doctor.
Pen thinker 99.2K viewsBecoming A Trillionaire After Divorce
Esther Writes74.0K viewsBack From Prison!
KMyay179.5K viewsThe Only Powerless is the Apex Predator
Life Survivor 12 viewsBLACK DRAGON'S REVENGE: FROM SERVANT TO NIGHTMARE
AllRoses254 viewsThe Nightingale's Heir Returns
Crystal Inferno82 viewsTHE HEALING HAND
Bliss249 views