Chapter 1705
Lucas, âYouâre on a hot streak, buddy-two games, two wins. Marc, every time we play, itâs like youâve got Lady Luck wrapped around your finger. Arenât you afraid youâll scare us all off with your winning ways?â
Steve grinned and said. âLet the man have his moment of glory. Itâs not like heâs got much luck in the love department. Let him have his wins at the poker table.â
Luke quipped, âYou never know, tomorrow might just be the day Marc meets the girl of his dreams.â
Steve burst out laughing. âMarc? Find love tomorrow? Thatâs the funniest thing Iâve heard in years.â
Luke shrugged, âYou canât predict these things. Just the other day, you were telling us you hadnât met anyone special, and look at you now.â
Steve countered, âThatâs different, man.â
Luke mused, âTomorrowâs a new day. Who knows what could happen.âe2
âWhy donât we make a bet on it?â Steve proposed.
âOn what?â Luke asked.
âShould we get Zavier in on this?â Steve said, looking around.
Zavier, never one to miss out on a bit of fun, chimed in, âCount me in. I wouldnât miss this for the world.â
Steve declared, âI bet Marcâs destined to be a bachelor for life. How about you, Luke?â
Luke pondered for a moment, âLoveâs a tricky thing. Marc may seem like a lone wolf now, but whoâs to say he wonât meet the right girl tomorrow. I bet within two years, heâll be smitten.â
âWhat about you, Zavier?â Steve turned to Zavier.
Zavier glanced at Marc and said, âTwo years is a short bet. Ten years seems fair. I canât believe that in a decade, no woman will have made her way into Marcâs heart.â
âDeal. The losers do whatever the winner wants,â Steve declared.
Luke added, âJust keep your hands off my Rosie, and youâre on.â
âIâm a gentleman. I wouldnât go after a friendâs wife,â Steve scoffed.
âAlright, Iâm in for whatever,â Zavier agreed.
âIâm going to win this,â Steve boasted.
Marc interjected, âYou guys are using me as a betting chip right in front of me. What am I, invisible?â
âNope, just the star of the bet,â Steve replied with a wink.
âHow about you join in, Marc?â Zavier suggested.
âWhy not?â Marcus agreed.
Luke said, âIf Marc joins, doesnât that mean heâs sure to win?â
Steve wasnât worried, âLet him. I want to see when he plans to tie the knot.â
Marc thought for a moment, âNext lifetime, maybe.â
âOkay, then. May the longest-lived among us win,â Steve joked.
The guys continued their banter, each throwing in their two cents.
Meanwhile, Rosie sidled up to Skylar and whispered conspiratorially, âHey Skyler, you know who that guy with the glasses is?â
Skyler nodded, âJust met him through Zavier.â
Rosieâs eyes twinkled with intrigue, âHeâs quite the character. Lucas looks up to him a lot. There are all sorts of rumors, most of them bad, and people outside our circle are pretty scared of him.â
She sneaked a glance at Marc and said, âBut from the few times Iâve been around him with Luke, he doesnât seem as intimidating as the rumors suggest. Heâs just a bit quiet and not big on jokes.â
Skylar, not well-acquainted with the group, didnât want to delve too deep into gossip, âWhat we hear about someone isnât always the whole story. His life is his own business.â
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09:52
Rosie nodded in understanding, then quickly changed the subject, âWhat about you and Zavier? Do you like him?â
Skylar laughed softly, âFamily arrangements donât really come down to likes and dislikes, do they?â