Part 2Fold or All In

Dominic guarded Lily in the VIP ward until she woke up.

"Dom..." Her voice was weak, filled with lingering fear.

Dominic held her, wiping the sweat from her forehead: "I didn't protect you well. I let you get hurt."

Lily shook her head gently, as if remembering something: "What about the lady who was tied up with me? How is she..."

Dominic's eyes darkened, avoiding her question: "You're too kind. I won't let you get hurt again."

He patted Lily's back soothingly until she fell asleep again uneasily.

Then he ordered his men: "Clean out the hilltop villa completely. Throw away everything that shouldn't be there. Lily will move in after she's discharged."

The henchman nodded and handed over a document: "This is the compensation agreement for Sister Ava you ordered. As per your instructions, two casinos and 20% equity have been transferred, enough for her to start over."

Dominic grunted: "Send it to her. Make her sign it."

In his view, this was a great kindness and closure.

Ava had been with him for eight years; she should know her place.

However, a day passed with no response.

Phone calls and messages to Ava sank like stones in the ocean.

He called the villa housekeeper: "Where's the Madam? Hasn't she returned?"

"Madam hasn't been back."

Dominic felt a trace of uneasiness amidst his irritation.

Besides his side, where else in Canaan could accommodate Ava Hayes?

The henchman reminded him: "Dom, could Sister Ava still be in the hospital? She was badly hurt last time..."

Dominic then remembered that two days ago, he had pierced Ava's hand with a dagger.

He suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and ordered: "Find out which hospital she's in. Send the stuff over and make her sign."

The henchman took the document, turned to leave, but was called back.

"After finding her, send two smart ones to watch her. She has a fierce temper; she might use dirty tricks on Lily."

"If you notice any unusual movement, control her brother first. If necessary, let her brother suffer a bit. She knows the stakes."

Late at night, Dominic went to the top floor of the casino.

This used to be his and Ava's love nest.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows was Canaan's most prosperous night view, neon lights flickering, a galaxy inverted.

Ava once pointed to half the lights below, smiling and saying this was their empire.

He pulled off his tie irritably and threw it aside, but faintly heard a sound from the bedroom.

She's back?

Right, where else could she go besides here?

Given Ava's temper, coming back quietly was definitely not a compromise.

She either wanted to turn the world upside down or was hiding a more ruthless move aimed directly at Lily.

His eyes suddenly turned cold. He stepped forward and pushed open the bedroom door.

The neon light from outside outlined a slender figure.

Dominic's eyes froze instantly: "Who let you in here?"

Lily trembled violently. She was holding a delicate press-on nail, her fingertips shaking slightly.

"Dom..." She was like a frightened deer, voice trembling, "I just wanted to come in and look... the brothers at the door said no one lived here, don't blame them..."

Dominic's gaze fell on the nail in her hand.

Ava made that herself. Thin as a cicada's wing, but hiding a secret mechanism inside, capable of easily slicing open skin or even thin sheet metal.

Not just these nails, but Ava's earrings, hair accessories, even a lipstick could hide deadly traps.

The Queen of Cheats was never just a title at the gambling table.

He looked at Lily's eyes filled with uneasiness, and the hostility in his heart suddenly dissipated.

He stepped forward and gently pulled her into his arms:

"I don't blame you. It's just that the things here belonged to my late wife. If you like, I'll have someone custom-make some for you."

Lily looked up, tears of emotion welling in her eyes.

It seemed she hadn't chosen the wrong person. If he could be so deeply affectionate to his late wife, he would definitely be a good husband and father.

In the early morning, the urgent ringing of a cell phone woke Dominic.

The henchman's voice was filled with anxiety and panic: "Dom, Madam is gone! We searched all the hospitals in Canaan, nothing! But you'd better look at Madam's previous medical records..."

"Madam seemed to know about the divorce long ago. She even checked the records at City Hall."

Lily was woken by the smell of smoke. She came to the living room and saw cigarette butts all over the floor.

"Did something happen at the casino?" she asked softly.

Dominic came back to his senses but didn't stub out the cigarette as usual.

"Nothing." His voice was terribly hoarse. "Just a small matter at work. It's handled."

He hadn't realized his eyes were bloodshot, exhausted beyond human likeness.

His men told him Ava had an abortion at a hospital.

That day was the day he took Lily to the casino.

While he was bringing another woman into the empire they built together, declaring a new mistress, she was lying alone on the operating table, killing their child?

How dare she?!

The dawn outside turned white, illuminating Lily's flawless face.

Completely different from that woman covered in blood who dared to dispose of his child privately.

This is fine. We're divorced anyway.

Ava leaving on her own saved a lot of trouble.

"It's okay." He extinguished the cigarette. "Wait for me to take a shower."

He turned into the bathroom and dialed his henchman:

"The scum in the East District, don't leave a single one. Keep it clean. Throw the trash to feed the sharks at the port."

Lily moved into the villa, becoming the nominal new mistress.

Dominic ordered countless expensive dresses and jewelry, and even arranged a leisurely and respectable position for her in the casino.

But he felt an unspeakable exhaustion growing.

Every time he dealt with the blood and storms outside and returned to Lily, facing those dust-free eyes, he felt split in two.

One half was the ruthless Yamaraja of Canaan's underground, whose word was law.

The other half masqueraded as the successful businessman she imagined.

He suddenly thought of Ava.

Only in front of Ava could he be the real Dominic.

She wouldn't be afraid; she would plan for him, cleanly sweeping away obstacles.

A gilded invitation lay on Dominic's desk.

The Southeast Asia Annual Casino Summit, inviting the King of Canaan and his wife to attend.

In the past, Dominic wouldn't have batted an eye.

With Ava by his side, any gambling game was just another performance adding to their glory and capital.

But now... he couldn't remember how long it had been since he really sat at a gambling table.

Years of obsession with expanding territory and handling shady business had made his skills rusty.

Playing a few rounds with Lily occasionally was just coaxing a child.

Dominic began habitually returning to the casino's top floor alone late at night.

Seeing the old items, he seemed to see Ava's dashing figure again.

Initially, he did save her from the drug lord and gave her shelter.

Later, she won key games for him, swallowed opponents, her hands stained with blood without complaint.

Between them, it was never one-sided charity and protection, but mutual reliance licking blood off a knife, tacit understanding and support in the dark.

Without Ava, there would be no Dominic today!

But why did he change?

Was it because her hands were stained with blood and no longer clean?

Or was he bored with the dependence and petty temper she showed later?

But why did he feel it was natural, even pitiful, when the same dependence and fragility appeared in Lily?

His heart felt like it was fiercely gripped, pricked with dense pain.

He stood up abruptly.

No.