Chapter 24\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 24\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damien\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you see that? That scoundrel\u2019s at it again, cheating another poor soul.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, he always picks the right ones to scam. That girl\u2019s about to lose a gold coin. Do you know how expensive that is?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRich people are so weird.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Their voices buzzed around me like flies, but I barely heard them. My eyes were fixed on the woman with the careless smile and that sly, almost teasing glint in her eyes. If I had to describe her in one word, it would be unpredictable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Everything about her, from the first moment I saw her, defied logic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even now, as the crooked-toothed man began shuffling his cups, her gaze didn\u2019t follow the movement like everyone else\u2019s. She simply stood there, her wicked little smirk curving as if she already knew how it would end. Beside her, her maid watched the cups with intense concentration.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And Thane, my wolf, was watching her too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I felt it in the way his presence stirred inside me. \u2018She\u2019s interesting,\u2019 he growled, his tone laced with approval as his gaze lingered on her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I crossed my arms, my expression as unreadable as ever, though my eyes tracked her every movement. Behind me, I could feel Jason\u2019s questioning gaze fixed on my back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look like you have a lot of questions,\u201d I said, still watching her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was a short silence before Jason spoke. \u201cI do. May I ask?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGo ahead.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His hesitation was brief, but I heard the confusion in his voice. \u201cWhy?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tilted my head slightly. \u201cWhy?\u201d I echoed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jason stepped closer. \u201cWhy her, my lord? You\u2019ve never looked twice at anyone, least of all a woman. But since meeting her, it\u2019s like you can\u2019t look away. You\u2019re standing here, watching, and waiting. You\u2019d never waste your time like this, or let anyone test your patience.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His words hung in the air. The crowd cheered and jeered at the game in front of us. He added quietly, \u201cDid you see something in her? With your demon eyes?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Demon eyes? Ah, right. That\u2019s what they called them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The title never stopped sounding ridiculous to me, but I suppose it made sense to those who feared what they couldn\u2019t understand. My red eyes could see what others couldn\u2019t. They could see a person\u2019s soul, their strength, their darkness. Sometimes, if the conditions were right, they could even glimpse a fragment of the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was why people avoided my gaze, even my own men. They feared what I might see, and what I might uncover.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The first time I looked into her eyes, I tried to read her, but all I saw was white. Blinding, endless white that burned my vision until I had to turn away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t make sense. Even more, I couldn\u2019t tell how strong she was. My sight failed me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No wonder I couldn\u2019t read her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
TUE\u00a0<\/p>\n
|||\u00a0<\/p>\n
O\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 24\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was like a locked door that dared me to try again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really do have a lot of questions, Jason,\u201d I finally said, snapping my gaze back to the present.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jason immediately bowed his head. \u201cI apologize if I was rude, my lord.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I waved my hand dismissively. \u201cForget it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He hesitated, waiting, and I could practically feel the question burning on his tongue. I sighed and decided to answer the one thing he wouldn\u2019t let go.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the thing, I don\u2019t see anything.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jason blinked, caught off guard. \u201cWhat?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I look at her,\u201d I continued, \u201cthere\u2019s nothing to see. I can\u2019t read her strength, her weakness, or even her life thread. All I see is pure white. It\u2019s the first time my eyes have shown me nothing. And when I tried to glimpse her future, there was nothing. It felt as if her story hasn\u2019t been written yet. I\u2019m curious.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thane stirred in my chest again, amused. \u2018Curious or drawn?\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t answer him. Jason didn\u2019t press further. He simply went silent, though I could tell his curiosity was eating at him too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sound of the crowd pulled my attention back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy lady, I\u2019m done,\u201d the crooked-toothed man announced proudly, gesturing at the cups lined in front of him. \u201cPlease, choose the one that hides the ball!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned my gaze back to the woman.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She stood there, calm as ever. The man across from her grinned, while her maid pointed at one of the cups.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis one, my lady,\u201d the maid whispered nervously. \u201cI think I saw something white when he switched them. It has to be that one.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The man chuckled. \u201cAre you sure, miss? The ball could be anywhere.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The maid bit her lips. \u201cGoddess, I have no idea,\u201d she murmured under her breath. \u201cMy lady, what should we do? We\u2019ll lose at this point.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The woman simply twirled her wrist lazily, as if the entire situation bored her. \u201cDon\u2019t stress yourself about that, Evelyn, I already know where the ball is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That earned a few chuckles from the crowd. I raised an eyebrow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Did she really know?\u00a0<\/p>\n
The man leaned forward, smug and certain of his victory. \u201cThen please, my lady, choose your cup.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She smiled back sweetly, and then, to everyone\u2019s shock, moved. But she didn\u2019t reach for the cups.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her hand shot out, faster than the man could react, and with a clean motion, she drove her fist into his stomach.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The man\u2019s body folded over, his eyes bulging as he gagged. Then, to the horror and astonishment of everyone around, something white shot out of his mouth and rolled onto the table.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A ball.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The same one he\u2019d been hiding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
12:42 Tue, Dec 230 MG.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 24\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, the entire marketplace went silent. Then whispers erupted all around.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, don\u2019t tell me, he was hiding the ball in his stomach all this time?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo wonder he always won!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew that bastard was cheating! But how did she know?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The maid gasped, eyes wide. \u201cM-my lady! What are you doing?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She turned toward her. \u201cWhat am I doing? Oh, nothing. Just proving a point.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The man was still hunched over, wheezing and glaring at her with disbelief and rage. \u201cA-are you insane?!\u201d he spat out, clutching his gut.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She tilted her head slightly, her expression pure mockery. \u201cInsane?\u201d She stepped closer, lowering her voice. \u201cI could read you clearly. Did you honestly think I\u2019d let you cheat me by swallowing the ball and pretending to move it under the cup later?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her words sliced through the tension. The man froze, his jaw trembling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She extended her hand casually. \u201cNow then, be good,\u201d she said sweetly. \u201cAnd give me what you owe me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The crowd broke into murmurs again, half disbelief, and half laughter. The man looked utterly defeated, his face pale with humiliation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even I couldn\u2019t help the faint smirk tugging at my lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I heard Jason exhale behind me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy lord\u2026\u201d he said softly, as if still trying to make sense of what he\u2019d witnessed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t turn to him, eyes still fixed on her. \u201cDo you still need an explanation, Jason?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was a pause. Then, in a low voice, full of respect, he said. \u201cI believe not, my lord.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
12:42 Tue, Dec\u00a0<\/p>\n
Editorial Board: Our editorial team works behind the scenes to refine each chapter, maintain consistency, and deliver the best reading experience.<\/p>\n
Hope Is Not Optional \u2014 Manuel Flores 24 Chapter 24\u00a0 Chapter 24\u00a0 Damien\u00a0 \u201cDid you see that? That scoundrel\u2019s at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-ruthless-tycoons-obsession-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27818"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27818\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}