Lukas reached forward and flipped his first card.
It was a jack of clubs.
This was his weakest card, placed exactly where he had intended it to be.
The moment he saw the value of Lukas' card, Trent began to chuckle. "After everything you said."
He shook his head slowly, the familiar confidence returning to his expression like a cloth he never really discarded. "After all that, you're still going to taste defeat."
"Life is a fickle thing," Lukas said. "One moment everything looks clear, and the next, all you can see is the floor coming up to meet you."
He held Trent's gaze. "I'm curious what kind of man you are when the floor arrives."
"The kind who watches it happen to someone else," Trent said.
Then he flipped his first card. It was a two of hearts. He had won this matchup.
The crowd murmured, the energy shifting.
"One down," Trent said. "Two to go."
Lukas smiled at that but said nothing.
