The hand that would define the night started simply.

Liu raised to one hundred thousand from early position, trying to establish dominance.

Zhang Wei folded and Katarina called, with a thoughtful expression on her face.

'Too rich for my blood right now," Tan folded with a laugh.

As a guy that doesn't like doing too much, he won't do too much.

Liam looked at his cards.

Jack ♠ — 10 ♠

Suited connectors. Plenty of playability.

He made a decision and called.

Three players to the flop.

The dealer spread:

9 ♠ — 8 ♣ — 2 ♠

Liam had an open-ended straight draw and a flush draw. Incredibly strong.

Liu bet three hundred thousand immediately, showing no fear.

Katarina studied the board, then raised to one million.

Liam called smoothly. Liu looked annoyed but called as well.

The pot was now over four million now.

Turn:

7 ♥

Liam had made his straight. Jack-high straight.

Liu checked this time, perhaps sensing danger.

Katarina bet two million without hesitation.

Liam thought it through. She could have a variety of hands—two pair, a set, or possibly a straight draw herself. But his straight was strong.

"Raise. Six million."

Liu's face went pale. He stared at his cards, then at the board, then folded with visible frustration.

Katarina's eyes narrowed. She studied Liam for a long moment, then glanced at her stack. "All in."

She had sixteen million behind.

The room went silent, with every eye was on their table now.

Liam's straight was strong, but the board had flush possibilities and she could have a higher straight if she held 10-6 or J-10 like him. But Lucy's calculations suggested she was more likely on a strong made hand like a set trying to protect against draws.

"Call."

Katarina gave a genuine smile this time, one of respect, as she said, "You're fearless. I respect that."

The river card slid onto the felt.

K♠.

A third spade. The entire table froze immediately.

For a full second, nobody moved.

Then the dealer's calm voice broke the silence.

"Show your hands."

Katarina exhaled and turned over her cards with a dramatic flick.

9♥ — 9♦.

Top set. Three nines.

A monster hand.

There were murmurs around the table. A few spectators nodded—most sets dominated straights unless the straight came early. And against two aggressive players, a set was usually enough to push all-in with confidence.

"Strong hand," the dealer acknowledged.

Then Liam revealed his cards.

J♠ — 10♠.

At first, someone in the crowd whispered, "Straight…"

Then another voice corrected, "…No. Look at the board."

Everyone's eyes snapped back to the board:

9♠ — 8♣ — 2♠ — 7♥ — K♠

Three spades on board and two spades in Liam's hand.

A flush.

And not just any flush, but a King-high flush.

The dealer pushed the massive pot of over thirty-eight million dollars toward Liam.

"Flush wins. King-high flush."

Katarina sat very still for a moment.

A set of nines, crushed. Not by the straight she feared… but by a flush she never expected.

Katarina stared at the board for a moment, then threw her head back and laughed. "Unbelievable. The river flush. You're either the luckiest man alive or you have a deal with the devil."

"Maybe both," Liam said with a grin.

"Twenty million this time. I'm not done yet," She made another call.

The night wore on, and the table continued to fluctuate wildly.

Zhang Wei finally busted out after running pocket queens into Liu's pocket kings. He left quietly, bowing to Liam as he departed.

Tan eventually succumbed to his loose play, going out in a blaze of glory trying to bluff Katarina with absolutely nothing. He left laughing, hugging everyone at the table.

Liu played increasingly erratically as his stack dwindled, finally shoving all-in with ace-high and getting called by Liam's pocket tens. The tens held, and Liu was eliminated.

New players continued rotating through—a Saudi prince, an Australian mining magnate, a Japanese industrialist—but none lasted more than an hour against the table's two remaining titans.

Because that's what it had become: Liam versus Katarina, with occasional supporting cast members who wandered into the crossfire.

They battled back and forth for hours. Massive pots swung between them. She'd win twenty million in one hand; he'd win thirty million in the next. She reloaded three more times. He built his stack higher and higher.

Around 11:30 PM, the table had finally narrowed to just the two of them.

Katarina sat with approximately forty-five million in chips after her latest reload. Liam had accumulated over two hundred and fifteen million.

The pit boss looked like he might need medical attention. Several casino executives had appeared, watching grimly from a distance.

"Blinds going up," the dealer announced. "One hundred thousand, two hundred thousand."

"Finally, just us. This is what I've been waiting for," Katarina grinned.

"You've been chasing me all night," Liam observed.

"Someone has to keep you honest." She picked up her glass of wine—her fourth of the evening—and raised it in salute. "To a worthy opponent."

"To worthy opponents." Liam raised his glass of water.

They played heads-up for another thirty minutes. The pots were astronomical and the tension was electric. They read each other like books, but sometimes the cards simply didn't cooperate.

Finally, on what would be the last hand of the night, Katarina looked at her remaining stack—about thirty million—and then at Liam's mountain of chips.

"You know what?" she said suddenly. "I'm done."

The dealer paused mid-shuffle.

"Done?" Liam asked.

"Not done playing poker. Done trying to beat you tonight." She laughed and started stacking her chips for cash-out. "I've reloaded six times. I've thrown everything I have at you. And you're still sitting there like a Buddha with a mountain of chips. Either you're the best player I've ever faced, or I'm having the worst night of my life."

"Could be both," Liam suggested.

She laughed again, a genuine sound of enjoyment despite her losses. "Could be. But I know when I'm outmatched."

She stood up and stretched. "Besides, it's past midnight and I'm hungry. You hungry?"

Liam blinked, surprised by the sudden shift. "I could eat."

"Good. You're buying. With my money, technically, but still." She collected her cash-out receipt from the dealer. "There's an excellent restaurant two blocks from here. Best xiaolongbao in Macau."

As the casino staff began the lengthy process of counting Liam's chips, Katarina waited patiently, sipping her wine and chatting with him about poker theory and her favorite gambling stories.

Thirty minutes later, the pit boss returned with a certified bank check, his hand actually trembling slightly as he presented it.

"Your winnings, sir. Two hundred and twenty-three million, four hundred thousand dollars." His voice was barely above a whisper. "Congratulations."

The number hung in the air.

Katarina whistled in a low tone. "Two hundred twenty-three million. In one night. That might be a house record."

"It definitely is," the pit boss confirmed miserably.

Liam accepted the check and stood up. Every joint in his body reminded him he'd been sitting for nearly seven hours straight.

Katarina linked her arm through his companionably. "Come on, champion. Let's get some food before they ban you from the premises."

As they walked toward the exit together, the casino floor seemed to part before them. People stared openly and whispers followed like a wave.

The guards at the door opened it immediately, with a reverent nod.

Liam and Katarina stepped out of the casino house into the cool Macau night. It was just past midnight, and the city was still very much alive. Neon lights reflected off Katarina's diamond earrings. The humid air was a relief after the stale casino atmosphere.

"Your car or mine?" Katarina asked.

"Mine's right here." Liam gestured to the Range Rover.

"A black Range Rover. Very mysterious." She slid into the passenger seat as he unlocked it. "The restaurant is on Rua de São Paulo. Do you know it?"

"GPS knows it," Liam said, starting the engine.

As they pulled away from the casino, Katarina looked back at the building, its lights blazing against the night sky.

"You know they're going to have a meeting about you tomorrow morning. Probably already planning how to limit your action," she said.

"Probably," Liam agreed.

"Was it luck? Or skill?" She turned to study his profile as he drove.

"Does it matter?"

"I suppose not. You won. That's what matters," she chuckled.

"You're different from other players I've faced. There's something about the way you play. Like you can see three moves ahead. Or like you know what cards are coming," she said after a few seconds of silence.

Liam smiled but said nothing.

"I'm not accusing you of anything," she added quickly. "I watched you the whole night. No earpiece, no signals, no confederates. You're just... unnaturally good." She laughed. "Either that or you sold your soul, and frankly, I'm not sure which I'd believe."

"Maybe I'm just having a good night."

"A good night is winning five million. You won two hundred twenty-three million. That's not a good night. That's a statistical anomaly."

They pulled up to the restaurant—a modest-looking place that nevertheless had a small crowd waiting outside despite the late hour.

"Come on," Katarina said, already opening her door. "They know me here. We'll skip the line."

And she was right. The moment the hostess saw her, they were whisked inside to a private room with a view of the street below.

As they settled into their seats and Katarina began ordering in fluent Mandarin, Liam allowed himself to relax, as he ate with this strange woman he met tonight.

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