The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 1782

Charlotte let her cards fall to the table. For a second, embarrassment flickered across her face, but she straightened up and said, “Nope.”

Kenneth perked up instantly. He slapped the table, grinning like he’d won already. “That’s what I wanted to hear! We all agreed, no one bails at the last minute.”

Lottie didn’t know how to play poker, so things were suddenly looking a lot easier for everyone else.

Charlotte leaned on her elbow, chin in hand, a frown creasing her brow. Anthony caught her expression and smiled, warmth in his eyes.

“I’ll show you,” he said, walking over. He pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of her eye, voice smooth and low, just a little bit teasing. “It’s just for fun... don’t stress. If we lose, it’s no big deal.”

First round. Charlotte was still figuring out which card was which, so there was no suspense. She lost. Badly. Seven hundred thousand down the drain.

Second round, she started to see how the cards fit together, but she couldn’t read what the others were doing. Another loss, even worse this time. A million gone.

“Looks like Charlotte’s glorious life just hit a roadblock,” Shirley whispered, lips pouting.

Stella nodded, barely moving her lips, “She can do anything... never thought a card game would stump her.”

Two hands and nearly two million gone. If they kept this up, she might lose who knows how much. Honestly, it was a little hard to watch.

“Making sense yet?” Anthony stayed by her side, explaining patiently, his voice calm and low. “I’ll grab you something to eat. Keep going, you’ve got this.”

“Mhm.” Charlotte kept frowning at her cards, considering her next move. She was definitely getting into it.

“Lottie, play that one you’re holding...” Donald glanced over, a sly edge to his smile, talking her into it.

Charlotte tossed the card down. She didn’t even see it coming. All three of the others threw down their cards at the same time and just like that, another three million gone.

“Don’t you think you’re pushing it?” Emily gave Kenneth a little punch, clearly annoyed. He was raking in way too much.

“It’s fine,” Kenneth said, holding a hand to his chest in mock injury before patting Charlotte’s hand as if to reassure her. He lowered his voice and added, “Anthony’s loaded.”

A measly ten million didn’t even make a dent. “Besides, Anthony still hasn’t coughed up his toll for the door-blocking game. If he doesn’t pay, I’ll remember it forever.”

Emily nearly blurted out, “Aren’t you worried Anthony will make your wedding miserable?” But then she remembered, they weren’t even engaged yet, and Kenneth had never mentioned marriage. She bit it back, not wanting to seem overeager.

“If you make Charlotte mad and Anthony gives you a hard time, I’m not defending you,” she said instead.

Kenneth just grinned at her, cocky as ever, and looked over at Charlotte. “A bet's a bet, right, Lottie?”

Charlotte raised her glass and took a slow sip of milk, her eyes scanning the table before she answered, “A bet's a bet. Let’s keep going.”