The proposition extremely annoyed Brian and his eyes suddenly appeared heavy, cold, and cruel, as if
they didn't belong to human beings but devils from hell. But the man was oblivious to the fury in Brian's
eyes and just flashed Molly a smile. It might not be obvious to most people, but the man very well knew
that Brian had every intention of losing to him because he wanted to offer him something. Since Brian
badly wanted to offer him a favor, if he did not accept such favor, wouldn't it be a waste of Brian's "good
intention"?
'6, 27, 21… Hmmm... very interesting numbers. This woman must really be very important to Brian, ' he
thought.
The tension between the two men was so palpable even as the rest of the room suddenly felt chilly like
it was frozen. Never imagining herself as a prize for a wager, Molly was dumbfounded by what she
heard. She could hardly control her feelings, and her expression shifted from embarrassment to anger
to panic, while the hands on her legs started to tremble.
She tried to calm herself. There were obligatory rules in casinos. As one of the top casinos in the world,
the Grand Night Casino strictly adhered to its rules. And having worked there before, Molly was aware
that once Brian sat down to gamble, he was obliged to abide by his casino's rules. And rejecting the
man's proposition would mean breaking one of his hands himself. Rolling her eyes, Molly tried not to
show too much emotion in them. Subconsciously, though, she was no match for the strong resistance
and fear that she felt knowing she was the prize of a wager.
Brian didn't have to look at Molly to understand what she was feeling right now. He squinted at the
man, and just as he opened his eyes, slowly declared, "I cannot agree to this stake. So, according to
the rules of the Grand Night Casino, I will break one of my hands!" The room fell into hushed silence.
"Wow!" Everyone gasped and looked at Brian in disbelief. No one ever imagined that he would turn
down the wager because after all, it was only to accompany a woman for a midnight snack.
"Bri!" Molly suddenly turned around to look at Brian and while grasping his hand, bitterly said, "No!"
He looked into her eyes and stared affectionately, while asking gently, "No, Molly?" He peered at her.
"Mol, you don't want to be the stake, do you?" She froze at his question, while Brian seemed to laugh
at himself as he added, "Besides, I don't want you to accompany him for a midnight snack."
"But your hand…" she argued. It was unthinkable what Brian had to do to keep her from going out with
the man, and Molly ended up with tears welling in her eyes. "Bri, I don't want to be the stake. But, I also
don't want you to lose a hand for me. Do you understand?"
Her words filled with concern was reason enough for Brian to smile. It brightened his face and wiped
out the cold, fierce look he had on earlier. With a light touch, his fingers brushed away Molly's tears,
and then he gently kissed her on the forehead. "Your words are enough, and you don't need to feel
sorry for me."
Ignoring everyone else around them, Brian wrapped his arms around Molly and with his eyes growing
dark commanded, "Prepare the knife!"
The waiter quickly followed orders with no question at all. In the Grand Night Casino, no one ever broke
its rules.
"No!" Molly cried out. She quickly disentangled herself from Brian's arms and with eyes flashing,
begged him not to go through with it.
"Oh, how boring!" the man sighed. He had been watching the scene quietly and was quite moved
without showing it. "I, the famous Hanson, never expected my request for a woman to join me for a
midnight snack would be turned down." Hanson thoughtfully considered his options as he observed
Molly's hopeless expression and Brian's impassive face. From start to finish, Brian never once wavered
in treating Molly with gentleness. Pausing to think, he pondered, "So, what should I bet on?" Drumming
his fingers on the table, he mulled, "I don't lack for anything, and I'm not interested in some dull stake."
"How about offering each other as the stake?" Brian's cold tone broke into his thoughts.
"Oh? What did you have in mind?" Hanson asked with raised eyebrows. He was suddenly intrigued by
Brian's suggestion and wanted to hear more about it. "So, how does the bet go?"
"If I lose, I will do anything you command of me. And if you lose…" He left the sentence unfinished as
Brian stared at Hanson with dark eyes. "Of course, you will have to do everything I command!"
In response, Hanson laughed out loud. "That's quite interesting, I must say." Abruptly, he stopped
laughing and in an icy tone said, "Mr. Brian Long, since you came to me, I would like to think you know
who I am. What I am interested in finding out is where all that self-confidence comes from."
The corner of Brian's lips lifted as he comforted Molly by gently rubbing her palm. Slowly, he taunted,
"Just wait and see."
His tone was indifferent and his words simple, but it generated a lot of pressure. No one had ever
exuded such intimidating power as Brian did.
"Well then, I guess I have to wait and see," Hanson answered. A sinister smile broke out as his face
grew increasingly colder. "The rules are that both sides throw three steel balls at the same time and
guess the numbers in advance. But unlike the usual play where one player must correctly guess the
other player's chosen numbers, this time, both of us are required to pick all six numbers. The player
that guesses the most correct numbers will win!"
Everyone in the crowded room looked at each other, shocked by Hanson's request.
If Brian was surprised, he didn't show it. He only lifted an eyebrow and nodded in agreement. The
dealer proceeded to hand each player three steel balls, the regular silver balls for one party, and red
balls for the other.
"Do you believe me?" Brian asked Molly. Seeing her eyes still red, he was also waiting for the answer
from the woman he loved as if her answer would determine the fate of the next bet.
She was deeply touched by his gesture. Brian was once again asking her to believe him. The first two
times, they were in grave danger. While there are no weapons involved this time, the circumstances
were just as dreadful. It was so hard for Molly to imagine a person like Brian submitting to another
man's bidding if ever he lost the bet.
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