A Reborn Bride Pearl Emerging from Dust

Calliope glanced at Yara, giving her a nod. "Sure, let's do it."

Uriah leaned closer to Calliope, whispering, "Do you even know how to play cards? Do you want me to step in for you? Yara's got connections to some big- time players like a real poker king."noveldrama

"A poker king, huh?" Calliope mused, "I've crossed paths with a few big names over at the Neon Casino myself."

"You've been to Neon Casino?" Uriah was shocked. He always pictured Calliope as this innocent lamb, but she was turning out to be anything but that. She could smoke, down whiskey like it was water, and despite all the drinks, not a hint of drunkenness. She could play the banjo like she was ready for Carnegie Hall, and she'd beaten Ronin at chess.

No one could be good at everything. Calliope couldn't be a card shark, too, could she? Uriah felt a whirl of mixed emotions and couldn't help but text Silas.

[Silas, be honest. Is there anything your wife can't do?]

Silas: [Not much, really.]

Uriah: [Come on. Everyone has their limits. She can't be some kind of prodigy at everything, right?]

Silas: [Well, surprise, she kind of is.]

Uriah was at a loss for words.

Calliope and her entourage followed Yara to the card room. Yara's card room was indeed huge, accommodating several tables. She chose the one in the center.

She looked at Calliope. "What game do you play?"

"Anything's fine," Calliope replied indifferently.

"Are you sure? You can pick what you're good at. And I'll pick my favorite if you're up for anything." Yara raised an eyebrow as Calliope calmly pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Seriously, anything works. Whatever you enjoy," Calliope said causally. "It's all the same to me."

"Alright, then go with my favorite." Yara named a game and looked at Calliope. "But hey, we can't just play for fun, right? How about we spice things up with some stakes? It` makes it more thrilling. Don't you think so?"

"Sure thing," Calliope smirked. "Money?"

"Money? That seems dull, not exciting," Yara pondered, glancing at Calliope. "I've noticed that bracelet you're wearing looks pretty valuable. How about that?"

"Sure," Calliope said, glancing at her wrist.

The bracelet, worth a fortune, got slipped off and placed on the table.

"Anyone who knows their stuff would recognize this bracelet is worth a small fortune." She looked up at Yara. "So, Ms. Xander, what do you have to put on the line?"

Yara considered her options.

Calliope continued, "I noticed earlier, Ms. Xander, you have a painting on your wall. It's quite intriguing and seems to be on par with my bracelet in terms of value. How aboutwe bet on that?"

"You think you're going to win?" Yara was surprised by Calliope's confidence.

"Pretty sure," Calliope toyed with her bracelet, her gaze casual but with certainty that suggested victory was already hers.

Uriah was starting to worry.

Calliope's bracelet looked incredibly valuable, though he had no idea

where it came from. But Yara wase

serious about her wagers. If Calliope put something up as a bet, losing meant it was gone. Not even Silas could smooth things over if Calliope lost.