Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 396

Since Drake needed to defeat Nina, and she needed to interrogate Nina, it made perfect sense to face off against the reigning queen of the tables.

"I can. I've gone up against her more times than I can count, and she's wiped the floor with me every single time. I've bled a fortune to that woman."

No one had ever been able to take Nina down. Now that someone with the skills to do it was sitting in his office, he was desperate to see what happened when Star Todd clashed with Nina. He wanted to know who was truly superior.

"If you actually manage to beat her, you'll earn a seat at the elite high-stakes tournament in international waters next month. That's where the real monsters of the gambling world gather. You might find exactly what you're looking for out there."

International waters?

Stella suppressed a dark chuckle. Of course. The perfect lawless playground for underground empires to operate without oversight.

This whole conspiracy was unspooling into something massive. Her trip to Port City was turning out to be more lucrative than she'd ever imagined!

"When can you get me a seat across from her?" She was itching to take this woman down.

"She's not always on call. Head back to your hotel for now. I'll arrange a time with her and call you when it's set."

"Make it as fast as you can, Drake. I don't have the luxury of sitting around here indefinitely."

If Nina dragged this out for weeks, Stella wasn't going to wait.

Her primary concern was Julius. His time was unimaginably valuable. A man who pulled in millions of dollars a day shouldn't be trapped in a hotel room waiting for an underground gambler to clear her schedule.

"That guy down on the street... is he your boyfriend?" Drake had walked over to the window and was staring down at Julius.

He had seen the man the day before. The guy carried an aura of absolute power. The little girl certainly knew how to pick them.

"He's my husband."

Drake cast a surprised glance at Stella. He hadn't expected someone so young to already be married.

Julius frowned thoughtfully. "I didn't expect this to pull you into something so deep. Are you absolutely certain you want to go head-to-head with this Nina woman? Can you actually beat her?"

He hadn't seen Stella's real skills in Drake's office—she had completely glossed over that part of her past, only admitting she'd pulled off a little parlor trick.

And he had watched Nina dismantle Drake in the VIP room two nights ago. Even as an outsider to the gambling world, he could tell Nina was terrifyingly precise.

"I'll wipe the floor with her, don't worry. Honestly, you're going to be amazed."

She had watched Nina's technique that night, too. The woman was just recycling sleight-of-hand variations Stella had mastered and discarded years ago. Winning would be effortless.

A walk in the park!

She just hoped that when Julius saw her ruthlessly annihilating the competition, his "amazement" wouldn't turn into sheer horror.

He had a strong heart. Hopefully, her dark side wouldn't completely traumatize him.