Top Notch War God

Chapter 42

With Vinnie's reveal, the crowd around them erupted in a series of shouts.

"As expected of the heir of the Carr family from Lansate, this move is enough to dominate all of Philadelphia. It's simply stunning!"

Although Ariya didn't understand the game rules, Vinnie's declaration hit her like a bolt from the blue.

If she hadn't been sitting next to Talon, she might have even struggled to stand.

Had they lost? Did that mean she now belonged to Vinnie?

"Brat, reveal your cards already. We need to fulfill the bet!" Vinnie licked his lips.

"Don't worry. After I've cut off your limbs, I'll lock you in a room and let you watch as I make your woman scream under me, hahahaha!"

"You really think you've won?" Talon finally flipped his card, revealing a King.

"Hahaha, you lost! I have three Kings, and you only have one. No matter how you compare, you've lost! Now let me take back what's rightfully ours. Haha…" Vinnie was ecstatic, his gaze towards Ariya radiating malice.

"Wait, look at the suits first." Talon stopped him and laid his cards on the table.

Everyone followed his hand: Hearts 3, Hearts 4, Hearts 5, Hearts 6, and… Hearts King!

"Damn, it's a flush!"

"Though it's not a straight flush, it's more than enough to beat three Kings!"

"I must be seeing things. The heir of the Carr family from Lansate actually lost, and so thoroughly?"

The crowd murmured, and Talon looked at Vinnie. "So, I won the game."

"Impossible, impossible! You must be cheating! How could I lose?" Vinnie's face flushed with rage..

He had lost one billion in this high-stakes gamble.

Though the amount was nothing to the family, it was a test set by his father.

The dealer was displeased, frowning and standing straight to issue a warning.

"Sir, you should know the casino's rules. We have 24-hour surveillance here; no one dares to cheat at Masked King's table."

Knowing that there was no way out, Vinnie quickly composed himself. Seeing Talon take the contract, he hurriedly said, "Wait!"

"Do you still have something to say?" Talon turned back.

"Fine, I admit I misjudged. Losing to you isn't a big deal. This card has five hundred million. Consider it as my loss to you, and you can take it. But the contract, you must leave it behind. Consider it a favor owed to me!" Vinnie's tone carried an innate arrogance, as if a favor from him was worth a lot of money.

"Sorry, I don't need your favor." Talon sneered disdainfully. "I'll take twenty million and keep the one-billion contract, just as we agreed."

The crowd watched Vinnie, knowing well that the casino rules were strict. No one could break a contract.

Even if Vinnie was from the Carr family of Lansate, he couldn't openly break the contract.

That would be utterly disgraceful.

"Fine, keep the contract, but watch out for yourself!" Vinnie's eyes were blazing, but with so many watching, he could do nothing but grit his teeth and leave.

Then Talon turned to Ariya with a grin. "See? You are my good luck charm—we just won a billion!"

"You…" Ariya seemed to want to say something but couldn't find the words.

Her man had become so powerful that she couldn't even fathom it...

Talon smiled. "Let's go; the auction is about to start."

The Masked King's auction was held in a large venue, accommodating thousands of people.

Since Talon had a VIP card, he and Ariya were seated on the second floor in a private room called the Rain Whisper Lounge.

The room was filled with the aroma of coffee and had comfortable sofas, offering a clear view of the auction.

An elderly man in his sixties took the stage, briefly introduced the auction rules, and quickly moved on to the bidding.

The advantage of buying things at Masked King was that any fake item was compensated tenfold.

Therefore, the auction quickly entered a heated phase with intense bidding.

"By the way, didn't Ralphy say that next month is the birthday of Kieran, the richest person in Riverside City? He asked you to pick out one or two items?" Ariya looked at Talon with some concern. "But, do you understand this? The prices are too high. Don't bid easily if you're unsure; be careful not to get scammed!"

"Scamming isn't the issue; I just haven't seen anything valuable yet," Talon shook his head, looking a bit disappointed.

Since the start, he indeed hadn't seen anything truly worthwhile.

Just then, the auctioneer had two servers unfold a scroll, depicting a maid picking fruit. The painting seemed quite old, capturing the maid's joy at picking the fruit with exquisite detail.

"Everyone, take a look at this painting, a unique piece from Arcanis, titled The Maid Picking Fruit!" The auctioneer introduced.

"I remember at the auction three years ago, someone bid a hundred million for Liam Duncan's Portraits of Nobel Ladies. If this painting is authentic, its minimum price should be no less than three hundred million, possibly even higher."

He added. "Unfortunately, this painting is merely a replica. Although it depicts the maid, it lacks the soul."

He announced. "I declare, the starting bid for the painting of the maid is thirty million. Each bid must increase by no less than five million!"

After a pause, he declared. "The bidding begins!"

This time, there wasn't a rush of buyers competing for the bid, as it was a replica; no matter how well painted, a fake was still a fake.

After a moment of silence, someone finally spoke up. "Isn't anyone else interested in this painting? I'll take it for thirty million!"

"Thirty million is too low for this painting!" A young man's arrogant voice came from the room.

"Forty million!"

"Forty-five million!"

"Sixty million!"

In just two rounds of bidding, the price of the painting had doubled, and the auctioneer immediately began to smile.

At this moment, the door of the room was opened, and a young man walked out. He sneered at the room where the bid was coming from and said, "Come on, keep bidding. No matter how much you bid, I'll play along. Whatever the Hussain family wants, we'll get it!"

A middle-aged man in the other room, looking around thirty-five, asked, "May I ask if you're from the Hussain family of Pennsylvania?"

Albi Hussain proudly nodded. "Yes, finally, you have some knowledge. You know about our Hussain family. So, are you going to raise your bid?"

"No, no. Since the you want it, it should rightfully belong to you." Despite being much older than Albi, the middle-aged man was very respectful.

No choice; the Hussain family of Pennsylvania was a truly distinguished family, reputedly linked with high-ranking officials in Washington. Such a prominent family was beyond his reach.

Albi was pleased with himself and asked the auctioneer to continue.

Auctioneer nodded and raised his voice again: "Oh, alright, sixty million for the first time!"

"Sixty million for the second time!"

"Sixty million for the third time…"

"I bid one hundred million." Just as the auctioneer raised his hammer to drop, a faint voice suddenly interrupted.