The CEO’s Masked Secret Wife novel Chapter 72

72 Winning Her Back with a Bluff

72 Winning Her Back with a Bluff

## Hazel’s POV 1

The tension at the poker table was thick enough to cut with a knife. I watched Liam from beneath my lashes, pretending to be engrossed in my cards. His jaw was clenched so tight I worried he might crack a tooth. Every time Levi leaned closer to me, Liam’s eyes darkened dangerously.

“Need help understanding your hand?” Levi whispered, his breath tickling my ear.

I smiled sweetly. “I think I can manage.”

Levi’s hand casually draped over the back of my chair. The muscle in Liam’s cheek twitched. Good. Let him stew in his jealousy.

“Raise,” Liam announced, pushing a stack of chips forward without breaking eye

contact with me.

“Someone’s feeling confident,” Chloe remarked, casting a meaningful glance at me.

Our plan was working perfectly. One by one, our jealous boyfriends were losing focus on the game, distracted by their partners’ flirtatious behavior with Levi’s friends.

Noah folded first after Chloe laughed too loudly at a joke from Levi’s buddy. He practically dragged her away from the table, muttering about “needing to talk.”

Damian lasted a bit longer, but when Thea accepted a sip of champagne from another man’s glass, he slammed his cards down and guided her firmly toward the bar.

“Seems your friends can’t handle a friendly game,” Levi noted, smirking at Liam.

Liam’s response was to push more chips into the center. “Call.”

The dealer revealed another card. My heart raced as I realized the final showdown would be between Liam and Levi, with me as the prize.

“Last chance to fold, Sterling,” Levi taunted, matching Liam’s bet.

I watched Liam carefully. His expression gave nothing away, but I knew him well enough to notice the tiny tells-the slight tightness around his eyes, the way his finger tapped once against his chips. Was he bluffing?

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72 Winning Her Back with a Bluff

“All in,” Liam declared suddenly, pushing his entire stack of chips forward.

Gasps erupted around the table. Scarlett shot me a shocked look. This wasn’t part of the plan.

Levi hesitated, studying Liam’s face. “That’s quite a bet for a dinner date.”

“It’s not about dinner,” Liam replied, his eyes finding mine. “It’s about much more than

that.”

My heart hammered against my ribs. The raw emotion in his gaze took my breath away.

Levi glanced at his cards again, then at me. “Sorry, cousin. Not worth the risk.” He tossed his cards face-down. “I fold.”

Liam’s lips curved into a satisfied smile as he reached for the mountain of chips. The dealer asked if he wanted to reveal his hand.

“Why not?” Liam flipped over his cards.

Levi burst into laughter. “A pair of twos? You bluffed me with a pair of twos?”

“I had a flush,” Levi admitted, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Sometimes you have to risk everything for what matters most,” Liam replied, looking directly at me.

Warmth flooded my chest. He’d risked losing everything just to keep Levi from taking me to dinner. It was reckless, possessive, and completely ridiculous-yet somehow exactly what I needed to see.

“Well played, Sterling,” Levi conceded, extending his hand. “She must be special.”

“She is,” Liam answered, shaking Levi’s hand firmly.

Scarlett nudged me, grinning. “Mission accomplished,” she whispered. “He just revealed his hand in more ways than one.”

“I believe we’re owed dinner,” Liam announced, standing. “My treat.”

The remaining players gathered their things. Levi and his friends graciously admitted defeat while Liam swept me away with a possessive hand at the small of my

back.

Outside the gaming lounge, we found the others waiting. Noah had Chloe backed

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72 Winning Her Back with a Bluff

against a wall, whispering intensely in her ear while she smiled, clearly enjoying his jealousy. Thea and Damian were locked in a heated kiss.

“Seems like our little scheme worked,” I murmured.

“What scheme?” Liam asked, raising an eyebrow.

I bit my lip. “You weren’t the only one playing games tonight.”

Understanding dawned on his face. “You planned this?”

“Not all of it,” I admitted. “But we might have deliberately tried to make you jealous.”

His eyes darkened. “That was dangerous, Cat.”

“Why? Because you might have lost me to Levi?”

“Because I might have punched him,” Liam growled, drawing me closer. “No one touches what’s mine.”

Despite myself, I shivered at his possessive tone.

We settled on a cozy French bistro nearby. Throughout dinner, Liam kept me close, his hand resting on my thigh beneath the table. The others were similarly occupied-all past grievances temporarily forgotten in the wake of rekindled passion.

Later, as Liam drove me home, silence filled the car. Not uncomfortable, but charged with unspoken questions.

“You didn’t have to go all in, you know,” I finally said. “It was just a game.”

“Not to me.” His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “I wasn’t about to let another man take you to dinner.”

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