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n“Didn’t you come to gamble? Why have you stopped playing?”

nDavid didn’t leave immediately,he wanted to see how William would lose all his money at the casino.

nHow would a gambler, who’s lost all his money, win over Lila’s heart?

nEven if Lila had a good impression of William, if he repeatedly approached her for loans due to his gambling habits, any affection she had for him would vanish.

nIn reality, William had more chips on him than just the fifty thousand dollars that Caleb had returned to him.

nWhen he entered the casino, he had already won a lot, with the chips in his pocket amounting to over five hundred thousand dollars.

nBut he also knew that casinos were in the business to make money, not charity. He hated the idea of ruining someone else’s business, regardless of their industry.

n“Transfer $10,000 to me!” William pushed a chip worth $10,000 in front of David.

nDavid twitched a smile and asked, “Why should I exchange money for you?”

nWilliam, as if not hearing his question, took out his phone and said, “Add me on WhatsApp, you transfer the money to me, and I’ll repay Lila.”

nHe’s actually repaying the money?

nIs he done gambling?

nIf he stops now and repays Lila, how will that tarnish his image in front of her?

n“We aren’t exactly close, are we?” David felt like beating William up. He couldn’t understand why William wanted to add him on WhatsApp and exchange money with him.

n“If you won’t transfer it to me, I’ll just have to approach another staff member. The outcome will be the same,” William said seriously. “Right now, I only owe Lila $10,000. It’s probably not a significant amount for her.”

nDavid scoffed, “Then find a staff member to exchange it for you. I’m not adding you on WhatsApp, and I’m not helping you with the money.”

nWilliam raised an eyebrow slightly, saying, “Are you sure?”

n“What do you mean, ‘Are you sure?’? I’d have to be out of my mind to exchange money for you.”

nWilliam pondered for a moment and said, “If you won’t exchange the money for me, then I won’t repay her today. Once I get back, I’ll repay her $100 every time we meet. For $10,000, wouldn’t that mean I’d have to meet her a hundred times?”

n“I…” David struggled to hold back a swear word, unable to articulate his frustration. ．

nWilliam flipped to his WhatsApp QR code and laid his phone on the table, gazing at David with an amused smile.

nAfter much hesitation, David finally took out his phone.

nIf he let William repay Lila now, as long as William continued gambling, he would certainly borrow money from Lila again.

nRepaying and borrowing repeatedly would further tarnish William’s image in front of Lila, right?

nBut if he didn’t transfer the money to William, and William really paid back Lila $100 each time, that would be even more dreadful…

nAs William pointed out, Lila wouldn’t care about the $10,000, but if William used the excuse of repaying $100 each time to see Lila, wouldn’t that just give William more opportunities to date her?

n“I’ll transfer it to you!” David took a couple of deep breaths, feeling suffocated by his own frustration. He begrudgingly added William on WhatsApp, took the chip, and transferred the money.

nAfter receiving the money, William sat there. After transferring the money to Lila, he sent her a voice message saying, “Thanks!”

nUpon receiving the money, Lila kindly asked, “You’re not short on money anymore?”

n“I’m not.”

nWilliam played Lila’s message on speaker, so David could hear it too.

nDavid felt as though he’d been stabbed in the chest again.

nHe had sent Lila a video of William gambling, yet she hadn’t replied to him. Furthermore, she didn’t even question William about the gambling, and when he repaid her, she was still so considerate in asking if he was no longer in need?

nHad Lila been completely charmed by William?

n“What are you up to?”

nLila sent another message.

nHearing this, David couldn’t help but chuckle. If William lied, Lila would surely know.

nWould William dare tell the truth?

nWilliam responded straightforwardly, “At the casino, having fun. Ran into David too.”

nDavid was torn between laughter and tears. Good heavens! How could someone be so audacious? Brazenly gambling in a casino and acting so nonchalant about it?

nHe was genuinely curious now about what Lila would say.

nA few moments later, Lila’s voice message finally arrived.

nWilliam glanced at David and asked, “Want to hear it?”

nDavid turned his head to the side and chuckled, “Who’d want to listen to that?”

n“If you want to listen, return the chips I just gave you.”

n“…” David was in disbelief, wishing he could find a corner to quietly rethink his life choices.

n“Sure you don’t want to hear?” William suddenly found that chatting with David was more interesting than gambling.

nThis young man must be at his breaking point now. But whatever his feelings, William was quite enjoying himself.

nDavid silently looked at William, pushing back the chips William had just handed to him. ” $10,000, just to hear what Lila said.”

nWilliam almost wanted to applaud, “Now that’s commitment!”

nDavid was getting impatient, “Come on, play it!”

nWilliam pressed play, and Lila’s voice filled the air: “You ran into David, huh? Be careful around him. I think he might have some ill intentions towards you. If you lose all your money at the casino, don’t ever borrow from him. He offers usurious loans. If you’re short on cash, just let me know. But just so we’re clear, I can only lend you up to $100,000. If you lose more than that, I’d have to ask my grandfather. But you’re better off not gambling at all. If you’re in need, I’ll provide for you. A place like a casino is just for fun.”

nUpon hearing this, David clenched his fists, reaching out to grab William’s phone.

nDamn it, he spent $10,000 to hear such words,the fact that he didn’t drop dead from anger right there was already quite impressive!

nWilliam, with his quick reflexes, grabbed the phone before David could snatch it and stared at David, asking, “What do you think you’re doing?”

nGasping for breath and not knowing where to vent his anger, David impulsively threw his own phone on the ground.

nUnfortunately for him, the casino’s floor was carpeted, cushioning the phone’s fall, so it didn’t break.

nDavid had brought two underlings with him earlier. One of them quickly ran over, picked up the phone, and handed it back to David. Trying to placate him, he said with a forced smile, “David, don’t be upset. I heard that some hot LA girls recently came to a nearby bar. If you need to blow off some steam, I can introduce you to them. I guarantee they’ll lift your spirits.”

n“Get lost!” David, in a fit of rage, kicked the underling’s leg. Holding his phone, he was momentarily at a loss for what to do. He felt like he was about to explode.

nThe underling, scared, immediately stepped aside and kept quiet.

nWilliam laughed, “Is it really that bad? Want me to explain things to her, so she doesn’t get the wrong idea?”

n“Smart,” David replied, taking a deep breath and showing an awkward smile, “Are you really not interested in Lila?”

n“Of course not. But if you don’t trust me, there’s not much I can do.” William gestured with a calming hand, then said, “Let me clarify things to her.”

nDavid leaned back in his chair, nodding slightly. He began to ponder, perhaps he really misunderstood William. If William genuinely had no feelings for Lila, why was he so sensitive about her?

nPicking up his phone, William said in a teasing tone, “Lila, how could you talk about David like that? I think he’s quite alright. How could he possibly have any bad intentions?”

nDavid gave a slight smile, shooting William a grateful look.

n“I actually get along quite well with David. His friend just told him about some hot girls from Los Angeles, and David plans to take me to see for myself. Who knows, I might learn a thing or two from David.”

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