The second round of the high-stakes poker match was about to begin. The tension in the Auction of Kings was thick, an invisible battlefield where trillions, cities, and secrets hung on the turn of a card.
Ochieng sat with his usual composed demeanor, yet beneath his still expression, his mind was running calculations at lightning speed.
Across from him, Kaelthor, the cold strategist, adjusted his cufflinks. Veylith, the enigmatic billionaire temptress, leaned back with an amused smirk. Jayden, ever unreadable, rested his fingers on the table, eyes half-lidded yet dangerously alert. And then, there was The Phantom, a man who exuded an unnatural stillness, as if he controlled the very air around him.
The stakes had already gone beyond wealth.
"Shuffle," the dealer commanded. The deck was shuffled once more.
This time, everyone knew—this was more than a game. It was war.
---
Beyond the table, a group of silent figures watched the match unfold from a private lounge above. These weren't ordinary spectators.
Among them sat Ragnar Thorne, a legendary investor known for snatching multi-billion dollar companies overnight. Beside him, Minghao Chen, a Chinese tycoon who once single-handedly crashed a country's stock market for fun. There was also The Ivory Fox, a woman whose identity remained unknown, but rumors said she was the true owner of multiple royal family assets.
These silent titans weren't here just to watch. They were here to see who would rise, and who would fall.
"This game is different," Minghao murmured, sipping his wine. "It's no longer about money. It's about power."
Ragnar smirked. "I wonder how many of them understand that."
---
The second round began.
The cards were dealt. Ochieng glanced at his hand. Ace of Diamonds. King of Spades. Jack of Hearts. Eight of Clubs. A seemingly harmless set. But to him, every card carried a hidden weapon.
He studied his opponents. Jayden's face remained impassive. Kaelthor's eyes glimmered with concealed confidence. Veylith was as relaxed as ever, but there was something—an expectancy.
A trap.
Ochieng had played too many dangerous games not to recognize one when it was being set.
His mind sharpened. Who was planning the betrayal? And how deep did it go?
---
Ochieng played along, his expression giving nothing away.
He placed his bet. Ten million.
Kaelthor doubled it. Twenty million.
Veylith tapped the table lazily. "I'll match it."
The Phantom simply smiled and tripled the bet.
The air became suffocating.
Ochieng considered his next move when suddenly—a high-security encrypted phone buzzed on the table.
Everyone stilled.
Only a select few people in the world owned such a device.
The Phantom picked it up. His face darkened.
For the first time, the unshakable man showed emotion.
Ochieng's instincts flared. Something had just shifted. The game had taken a far more dangerous turn.
---
The Phantom put the phone away, his hand steady but his eyes colder than before.
"Let's continue," he said.
The next few moves were played in silence. The chips stacked higher.
Two hundred million.
Four hundred million.
One billion.
But to Ochieng, the money was no longer important.
He was watching Veylith. Kaelthor. Jayden.
Something was happening beneath the surface. A silent war.
And then, it clicked.
The betrayal wasn't coming.
It had already happened.
Someone at the table had just lost everything.
And now, the real game was about to begin.
---