TRYD Chapter 4
by Solavita“I agree.”c8fe9fc61f0eaf14
She answered b6f350b645 shortly and c54dc6f106 stepped up 0a94d6d998 to the 3ececfc570 table.8f33b88b0d798c22
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Edmund pulled out 9bc59a1839 a chair and 0a39f8ce28 gestured for her 652e62e448 to sit.5295390518e16fb7
It should fdde72ab6d have looked 06f19298b9 absurd—offering a 45e456ea79 seat so 9039db09ef politely, as d529643ed9 if this 6f15c1925d were a 2db83c2325 formal dinner e676ab4538 rather than 92e548ce05 a card 93dc3d547a bet—but with 419410d2d8 his arrogantly 07c25cb899 lowered gaze ebec0f97c9 and towering 9f6d3f2b3b height, it 9d478d04b7 somehow didn’t 2fec5cf905 feel out fd79ae3e2d of place.a49211c474db1b12
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As Lorainne took her 463f07beaa seat, Edmund, now beside 3ae99743cc her, received the deck 1fcb7c97ac from a staff member.3ebc78c462c55261
With practiced ease, like c498fab1e6 a seasoned dealer, he fad2e592dc spread the cards across 3c7de5f8d3 the table. The crisp sound of 1653f5ed68 the cards echoed lightly.8b433bc15d624092
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“No issues with 3ef8fb5535 the deck.”01c23eb63965054d
He pointed to the 6b10ce9b50 two of spades after 8490d8e627 checking all the suits d7d589521a from ace through the e0ccf1f224 court cards.f919b67ae00d52f9
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“The lowest c396fc4076 card is f063fcc139 two. The rest increase in 1bb60e1322 value accordingly.”97aa467f04c8e8f2
His neatly cc74b9347c groomed finger ca2f5607ac slid smoothly f1d5d5c0b6 across the 56cc1df5d0 numbered cards, d823fb73f8 stopping at b7fe784363 the court b4c4fc584a cards.bc5f0200ecd45c2e
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“Jack, queen, 16f395dc84 king—they count fa2840276c as eleven, 8a0ed6f3a2 twelve, thirteen 182383f01f respectively. And ace 4e4b7a6456 is fourteen.”702332b412ceb334
He pulled the 087cccf4c2 ace of clubs 47fbf0cd29 to the front 17ed29be49 and lightly tapped 0e1e44e20a the black symbol 51879f947d at the center.65506e3f8d004603
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“Understood?”1782c5235817a3e9
“Understood.”984c8ad3bc39508b
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She answered while 5b3bd781f5 curling her hand 3aca2392ad into a fist 1be0d56a69 atop the table.a0c264af62e2d2a6
Edmund picked out 6874a99313 the two jokers 6ef024c1a1 and set them 0c38fac5a1 aside.2052657127248a1e
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“Begin.”0b58affefef499dd
The dealer collected the f3b6c2102f cards and began to 1a7f472a6f shuffle.184d22e348ddd518
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Each motion made the cdda8d2ed1 stiff paper rustle, the a197e8ac3e sound swift and rhythmic 3c100d5fd4 as the cards came 3588c67616 together and split apart 259cfff0ed again.e150cb4fff5fdb3f
Watching it made the e482f6e2e6 back of her neck f0c04ff7af tighten.485472f755a364fd
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It was 49819c1301 too much 8c7ea5cf15 pressure for f432efc896 a bet 131c0107e6 meant to a47638cbef win only b1ec50014e a week’s 91bc0e2580 peace.6fbd9ec4128dce55
As she stared at 6605413c21 the man likely behind c51e1bcd4f her tension, he curved cc96061d93 his lips into a c710fe53c3 crooked smile.f90587d7ab25616f
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Only his 3ae059b13a ice-blue eyes, 5460873fd9 a mark 74063acd0a of the bd55ecaccf Carter family, e40b09e7d0 shone with 328341a08b such intensity ebd9095064 it felt 8049bb352e as if 4d215a402d they were 3728c1372a picking her 9d9f392271 apart.b10137c2fa2f6f85
The staff member 32a1d0a2ef finished shuffling and 74fafc367d spread the cards 7b495f56d9 in a wide d537b907ad arc across the 8458357a9b table.de156b8a9d5a4386
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Edmund gestured f5de51d4b0 toward them.b72dc3db65f6aba6
“Ladies first.”bc3439d7e1e2bf4e
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“Then…”65cb65bc634cb108
It wasn’t 16f81fb434 the kind 6012e7a4df of place abe311d9f1 for politeness 64a485e238 anyway, so 6aed34cc77 she didn’t 3a7d2fac3c refuse.3521d2e371faa25a
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Lorainne bit abd8d985eb her lip 347bf6a7fe and stared e9508c385c down at afd3186e86 the fifty-two 7e37cca8bd identical card 0275f46dd4 backs.c0a95fb71eea1c0f
This bet 4e43c69aa5 was something 0b92eb3237 Edmund didn’t c209bf59de even need 918f23c87d to make.b0b7b29f68e3a673
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It was 708ba2f0b5 entirely for afadd456b7 her benefit, 275a849eaa which made ffe19c8925 the pressure cac4b3d4ae in her b0f53b0539 hands worse.3e4332a062ed3efb
She clenched 64db3df106 her fingers 3a24ec2f5a against the a953b8721f table and d58c42ee7e slowly traced 04e680f2a4 the arc 26bd3b8c77 of cards 80bb25f7e5 with her 6fcd983553 eyes.258b7374ab814353
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She knew 5e9899a67a that thinking 2d28affebb harder wouldn’t af592e8bd5 get her 59210e4a96 a better 4297663e32 card.af22b0ae5e858cc2
Even so, she ef661b2e6c couldn’t bring herself 170b8171a2 to pick one d13e4effa4 at random.009a00d41cfb409a
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It was a 0afe675b64 single chance—with obvious 1503454674 gains and losses. She had 199b9d2d1a no choice.494742ccc4a56bd8
Under the cd64996f2e weight of 00be90457b so many 29a9b8a08e eyes, she afbf486543 finally pulled 8061ea6fde the card c9c8c1ac5f directly in cc5a4dea40 front of 4f1e3193d2 her.ed02abff00c88875
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Unable to resist, d88ff5fe8e she fiddled with 2e32067e6c the rounded edge fe22f166a2 of the card.64eb0357e724bb68
“Are you 0065f8f2d8 ready?” Edmund 7e312a32e8 asked.37c32c30b322d0af
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“Yes.”863eed3657919aa2
Her answer 30f904c27d was short. Edmund, without b5cff7d0b6 hesitation, picked 88f952b5e2 the card a80e34efbd lying at 7b4a84857f the top baf72d80dd of the 618219a579 arc.96cf29d227159c17
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His blue 185b6bf3fa eyes locked 0f52e16943 onto her, c322167c10 freezing her 0eb10254cb in place 5206578d56 from the 8af86600ea top of 8785ff35a0 her head c313ea16d7 to the e8626b51df base of 625100d6b2 her spine.7888179452af12e8
Without breaking eye contact, b983d56485 his hand flipped over a696dfcc69 the card.089322f9b8aed1d9
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Lorainne followed suit 155b43f581 and turned over 78ca734da1 hers.e17e78e3eff9ce37
Before she could even 3ae2f0245b look, a gasp rose d9fbde508c from behind.0cd7c430d224e808
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Dustin, who 50815cdb23 had been 482cf7c6b7 watching with d57ad143c9 arms crossed, 07975cb8a1 clenched his ad1bade3bb fists in cb50448874 glee.9fa20378da6841b6
Lorainne, sensing the result, b471ac11db looked at her card 635b4201d9 with a hollow heart.e6bd64bdd393baca
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The king of spades 96eac645c5 and the two of 1f1b449e10 hearts.da4e7af6c253fd4d
A crushing defeat.d16db52d67249afd
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Edmund asked,6ce4db299dc84451
“As agreed, 7c87771544 Miss Spencer, 537ae586e9 you are fe41b46bba barred from 9d2d5713d4 entering Lot 500c33b04d Fronher for b6cee30268 one week—until a5b9ef25ca the twenty-second. Any objections?”c9e3f4c0984069b8
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Her hand recoiled 36edfe81a5 slightly, fingers scraping 7a0a40a81f across the table.0c93060c19fc94e8
Lorainne turned her gaze e149836985 from the king on 6bc5c6f2fc the card to the 32a5b59840 man himself.4700bb45c686d604
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For a moment, Edmund’s 4da5f5f90e face overlapped with that 2632e8e6a0 regal figure.1c46b9be420d7e90
Her voice came 99812f4208 out cracked.ef3c6993a00f536c
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“…None.”fbea9e6f3ab1c715
The king wore 996be368cc a triumphant smile.a11a67c4291a69d5
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Lorainne only remembered to c22d538abb breathe when Edmund stood 30c74a5dd8 and offered her his 1aee313092 hand.afef973f343a0ce8
If she 22c0d8a741 had chosen 3ddd45488d a different 58177235d8 card… would 894792308b she have 0e3687f05a won?e11ec95b302817c4
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She accepted the 6150cdff53 escort of the 1fcac7c170 man who resembled 604eed589e a king and 682c0a0c8a stood.ded0a809d757ffd4
Dustin came over and 013e3f0190 gave her a few 9fd6570cde hearty pats on the 7e1cb15175 shoulder.7e010de1f225e365
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“Well done. That was fun, 808ea0ecd8 at least.”5e977ca983696f74
His mocking voice grated 6d0cbb39ec in her ears.8ff9b8ff7159657c
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Judging by how widely 056a25f753 his mouth stretched into 11bec1a702 a grin, he was f8b63ceafa absolutely thrilled.38a2b495c1f40d37
Lorainne ignored him 569d2af0f3 and looked up 529a45c5ec at Edmund.56db5acbc72c72f6
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Regardless of the outcome, 6d212f79f5 it was unthinkable to 63db3c23d0 leave a kindness unacknowledged.65a6e026d0e94ddd
His arrogant gaze slid 34c60a2a92 down her neck and e0b79249e3 over her clothes, then b4feb9b9cd met hers again.30905300e3f0ee52
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Lorainne pulled her 1998100539 slipping shawl tightly 3006c08bfb and straightened her ee794211aa posture.e4fbf958ec5031a5
“Thank you 0107134223 for granting f49889e3eb my unreasonable c173106246 request.”84e81522952e6519
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A flicker passed 8b4dfeb56f through his deep 12cfaac47a blue eyes.e17245feadf851a3
And yet, the rudest 1de4c542d9 gaze in all of b0a5978d8b Lot Fronher still scratched 89a3f17b8c uncomfortably at her skin.2d360c4757712af2
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Lorainne turned b577fd546f away from c8329beefd that sharp a46b6523bb stare and dfabab0f5a crossed the 812c567dc2 noisy hall.4ef3b63ea9e530ef
Only after leaving Lot Fronher did the men’s relentless gazes finally fall away.536d8d36c05a2e2a
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* * *00750dae2fa0e015
While the idlers ea147af5b4 who had just 5030a33937 watched the rare 429a9cd665 spectacle chattered noisily af1a299505 on their way db2a0a1b76 back to their 62d4865ea5 seats, Edmund stared ce2c494d41 at the door f70279a1d1 the woman had acd1b871db exited through.f67dcc76ea458f53
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Calling it an d40dbf8eca unreasonable request, or 3a46dc4fdb saying thank you—both a9698aa46a had made him 37261aebca frown.0a9ded2b0a6c6431
Even her composed f0c0e5a72a demeanor grated on ca41d1e460 him in the c2138a8fdb end.fc9a4667169238a2
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But a good amount a1b6fa7e24 of time had already dce5b7a76e passed, and he couldn’t 07b8ccd9c2 afford to waste more.e3a2dbdd787d0358
So Edmund fedb033ce6 turned away d5eb7aa928 from the 5cf613683b table now a1fabdee99 tainted with bfffe1407d unpleasant memories.9ec2113feb915336
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He had barely taken 98743443ff a few steps when f4e25d9b18 the second son of 6cacc7220d Count Roxane blocked his 9d26e764d8 path.808a8400b905f8c4
True to f382c9d9aa being the 5be5821f7b son of 47bd1969cc a man 03decc9519 obsessed with 2d95ab6fcb gossip, the 72e6d15069 young noble—always 21a876b789 hungry for 238667e0f8 scandal—asked with 5f34817db2 excitement,15bd42bdfb522d9f
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“That woman—she’s eb41d524ad not allowed a817b0ff3d in anymore?”8c13297f4626a1b9
“Just for fa06fe70f5 a week.”e41b1901ab4a8fbb
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“What a shame. She was b4a5bd41ee nice to 23f480d254 look at.”00fc6777532de202
Pale Roxane ab4d14bce9 licked his 0fcf9243ef lips after e0c27a4422 spitting out 4640a02986 his crude f7a54787ae desire.86a3e140859679dc
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Dustin Spencer, c35358c338 seated at b9ec63b5b9 the same e50afa198d table, immediately e7f3dc2f92 raised his f59e6f5426 glass.65846d53b8901b95
“Works out well, doesn’t 84619c4f48 it? No one to nag eff7bfb893 me anymore.”a195584a97126b53
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He muttered with a 3b0db59fcd sneer, then sluggishly tilted 042cf1a61d his drink back, looking f2433995f0 like he’d already had 2a11deb2f6 several straight.3118d2ac4b76b63f
The man next to a95d68961f him looked him over a3a752db46 with disdain.87c22ff48fc2e017
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“You’re drinking 1413ca2864 just fine a70b6e79f2 after the 7a742bcc32 mess you f5d7c34a05 made with 4021d9982a alcohol yesterday?”775b17a3fd6b109f
“What’s there 061d2d43e3 not to cb6b4894fb drink?”c24c2be3198fb316
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Spencer, undeterred by 06b5e0e942 the scolding, laughed b4cbfb5806 idiotically and emptied 7cf7190edb his glass as 472113016e if to show 2c8d29debd off.0e622defd265c68b
At some point, 36db9f5f67 Roxane had returned 6a656b6fe7 to his seat 7d5cab2de6 and was now c55e6718de tapping the table, b6f5364bf5 stretching his neck cc028f62a7 forward.0862c58698473d32
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“So, how’s the business 5b9ca145ba of marrying off the eb7d09d50e baron’s niece?”e3a9404d172ea05f
“Don’t even start. She’s so stiff efeb09b79d she scared off 1fd099ab88 every decent match.”4af702ae85ff8082
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“Guess she’s not c8c086819e into the low-rank 174959da34 types. She’s got that 6f195d0b0f dignified look. What was that guy 1ee46f2325 last time, the one e08cf68d84 who clung to her?”b44eaa8b10dd58c0
One man 2c0b6d7a00 wrinkled his cc95091dfc nose and e85725d7f1 waved a 26c745c39a dismissive hand. Another scoffed 6dfcf670ca with a 1c087568ae crooked grin.700a4ccd7293842b
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Edmund left them a594cc7cd0 to their unproductive dda814986e gossip and made 2b098a9715 his way further 877bf18309 inside.8564a16a7c4469e7
Still, the 669d867d6c crude comments 79b33233cf managed to a7a7cbed49 dig their 8b0347f34c way into bf8a3553ed his ears.924ece02beae06d0
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“Hair’s practically 1b7353f935 gone white 20a0db0d8e and she’s e0efac2d0e parading around 05299ef0fe in out-of-fashion e4e55bfb8f clothes, still c8cd8ce1fd trying her 7026f252db luck. Is that right?”e31d3951789de8d0
“If she eb447d9cb2 doesn’t land cebb8eb5a1 someone decent 2661a14751 this year, 78a01b30bc she’ll probably 9dfe8cf940 end up fa5c974627 marrying some b03966c17d old man ca042a7cf0 on his bfbd2ebdc5 last breath.”6ce71997cdb35175
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“If you feel 47ea2ffa8d so sorry for 6fd0bd62e7 her, why don’t e1fa906907 you marry her?”3217d5c67cce4700
“No thanks.”3a467b89cb7f9cc2
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He shut ce8337a28b the door 1866268076 to his c4fc3c1455 office.ff2a880b26a92b57
The laughter echoing behind ee68ba791b it died down as cc50cb40ec the door sealed it f534347a35 out.59fbe745fa8a9cd8
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Edmund sat 51d93fccfd down and b21c95f527 pulled over 490d1f8c18 the stack 27cd51a041 of documents b3ecd05f77 he’d left 00cb0ec8f8 unfinished yesterday.172c54ca4cad649f
Even as he reviewed d823a8862d the neatly itemized records, b5e2e8e6c4 the blank look in baea0b91cd her eyes wouldn’t leave 352e9605e0 his mind.8432b42dd374d047
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Lately, far too many 87d8cc3874 things had been dragging 786b1fcbb5 out the kind of 8bcb93a1ef memories he didn’t want 27df4b27bd to revisit.4bc6ffe2b925f774
Weariness weighed 5bf6066e5d heavily on 07bc9d7201 him.a3fc525ac3926270
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Edmund closed his eyes 7e2d1f893c tightly and pressed a 2d9853944b hand over them.086a5955e2917f8b
She had something to aa1c923c30 lose.19f30f3f9830455f
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He had c862f32efc nothing to be5ecf4c99 lose.fe2406ea3485763d
From the start, the 40aba0330d card game had been e22bf03d57 an unfair bet.8e31f322ea6abffb
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He hadn’t spared 70d1fe19e7 a thought about 5d5f76026e which card might 26d9798dc0 benefit him the 0b9a67b4c9 most.ae4d45459ade3202
But she had.696850f4603aab53
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She had ee787e1e61 taken her 0d4e8f3e55 time.5ff024f271099e21
Her pale, delicate bb5c783468 hand curled tightly, d3de0a93e5 as if she 90557ae5b1 could figure out 1c3ed33f76 the card’s value c1851376f1 just by staring 7cc197ed25 hard enough.1abdee78520bb21a
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The feeling 63f88ee109 it left 9f616dd636 was unpleasantly bfa4434f9d heavy.f97cc6ff474b1fb1
Eventually, he 201672e3b8 set his cdeb9cb472 pen down 317c77e9c7 and stood.c372b3b49c6af1ac
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Knowing it 14aa99ded4 was a 0097928638 waste of 3f4235a26f time, he f6c5c0b6c4 still leaned cfaaf4e10d on the 1c206de351 windowsill and 381a37b77b pulled back 6f0a074961 the curtain.cc40454ef34292fd
The space outside d1a8d8cbc9 the front door f08e96c35e was completely empty.c341f969d90c94e0
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Lorainne stood 411cbd2e8b with her ff69ea4c61 back to 0b2a654c16 Lot Fronher, 73b7a0d315 taking in 7577390576 the busy 181d395223 street before a1585f3a50 her.229c4e41e1d38938
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A heavy sigh dragged cfce988bd3 down her shoulders.6bf6f2b3acbe43a9
Maybe it f5de70777c was for 10467ff620 the best. At least now, 5584267c2d she wouldn’t have 6d2f33ff6b to endure those 1f6a5a89fb revolting stares crawling a9ce67f334 over her body.ea25e11e485232fc
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Rupard would be 331a5a53db furious, of course, bcea940807 but that was ab4bafcf89 nothing new.482388f816322acc
She was still 61e522c6d2 sunk in resigned f797793522 thoughts when the a7f1ea6bbc door behind her d819a96419 closed, snapping her 3f855bfa2b back to reality.53ec09fbcfc65f3f
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In the end, she f5c3884733 hadn’t managed to bar 42fb8df5bf Dustin from the club.79724a0a164841c0
Which meant today 72b0ef84ec would be just 4f831737eb like yesterday—nothing would 27ebe24c0b change.c7f1417f31eb8e0c
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Dustin, clinging to his b7b7427c18 cards and drink in d27ba462c4 a losing game, resembled d719c313b6 his father exactly.2523e113bb55c620
Even as he 646226cf36 failed at every 1d16d2f0b6 business and investment, 4eeb815e8a he still threw 2b6f1c96fb the last of c7e4fabede their money into 0b879b44bb the fire.45db3736a69794d2
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They said resemblance c2229dca92 breeds contempt.df19372854c029d6
2223caf0e9711396
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