Gambling In a Cell

Rewards are granted to those who obey the law, but to Valda, every law was set to be broken at some point. Some can happen unintentionally, some can happen with a deliberate intention, and in her situation, it was neither of those two.

"I win."

Valda laid down her cards on the table, revealing a winning combination that left the two prisoners in front of her dumbfounded.

She was presently locked in a dim-lit prison cell with these two buffoons, and the fire torches on the wall casted a warm glow on her beautiful oval-shaped face.

The game they were playing was known as "Shadow's Gambit" a popular pastime among the incarcerated, but right now, it was nothing short of a gamble. The rules of the game were simple, Valda was no stranger to such games of chance, but the prisoners she was with didn't know that, and that was her end game to winning.

There's a saying that you should avoid two types of people when playing a game of gamble; the first is to avoid those you've never played with before, and the second are those who are known to be what they call, 'agents of distraction' – the type whose duty is to distract you from winning.

"This is merely the first round, woman, you just got lucky." One of the prisoners named Chucks sneered as he shuffled the cards this time around. Valda gave him the go-ahead, proving to them she wasn't up to anything mischievous, and he shared the cards.

Silence filled the quaint cell once they started playing, and Valda's strategy was swift and calculated. Tension gripped the two men who were now deeply engrossed in their game of cards. They revealed their cards eventually, confident in their victory, but were instantly humbled when Valda dropped her cards.

The two men were presently sweating after Valda's third streak, and she smiled at her triumph. Just as promised, a pouch containing more than thirty gold coins was given to her, but Chucks didn't look happy about his loss and scoffed audibly.

"What is your trick?"

"Pay up, and I might consider telling you." Valda proposed. She was basically money-minded, one needs money in order to have their way, that was the mentality she grew up with, as nothing in this cruel world is offered to you on a gold platter.

"How about a fight for the final win?" Chucks suddenly added, folding his strong arms with a condescending smile on his lips. "I heard you kick butts instead of giving those thirsty men a little lick from that vicious tongue of yours!" He brought his tongue out, wagging it side to side as a way to crack her nerves, but Valda barely budged at his offensive display.

"Hey, no."

Jeffery, who was his cellmate, was not in approval of Chuck's absurd demand, considering his size in comparison to the frail girl sitting beside them. The lady in question pinched the space between her eyebrows, shaking her head at Chuck's unwavering pride – he couldn't beat her in a gamble, so he wanted to make things physical in order to assure himself.

What a baby.

On a normal day, Valda would be putting these rotting men in their places, but unfortunately, tonight was not the night for such activity, because she needed their money – that's the main reason she broke the curfew law so the patrol guards would bring her here.

"Listen, Chuck's or whatever your name is, I won this money fair and square. I'm not in the mood to enter combat mode, maybe another time when I'm in urgent need of money, you can decide to turn that into a clash of the titans." she gave her honest advice, but Chucks wasn't buying it.

"Oh sure, run along like the little pussy you are, Valda." He smirked at her retreat, "Guess you're not as tough as people claim you to be, and at least you are aware of where your limit lies with me."

"Where my limit lies?" Valda scoffed in outrage and rose from her seat. She banged her small palm on the table, looking straight into the eyes of Chucks.

"I was being considerate cause I don't want a baby panda to wet his pants after losing overnight, but since you insist, I don't mind showing you some of my disciplinary methods – I could pick a favorite." she smiled challengingly, aggravating Chucks who rose to his feet, but they got separated by Jeffery.

"Let it go Chucks, don't forget, your actions might draw attention from the guards on patrol, and no one must get a whiff about our gambling business, else his Highness won't spare our lives." he reasoned with Chucks, reminding him of why he needs to gain control of his temper, and with a begrudging look, he watched as Valda happily brought out a pouch from where she hid it in her dress, adding all the money she's won inside.

Unbeknownst to them, Valda secretly switched her cards in the game to a higher number when they weren't looking, leading to her continuous victory, and her 24hr practice before coming here wasn't completely wasted.

By tomorrow, she'll be able to pay off the debt her greedy uncle has placed her in, and those loan sharks will finally stop paying her home unpleasant visits.

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Welcome old/ new readers to my newest book! Thank you all for joining me in yet another rollercoaster.

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