[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-four-of-a-kind":3,"chapter-four-of-a-kind-four-of-a-kind-chapter-175":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Four Of A Kind",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1529869,1985,"Chapter 175: [3.77] Playing For Keeps","four-of-a-kind-chapter-175",175,"\u003Cp>Cassidy stood from where she’d been leaning against the banister. Her eyes tracked over me. Head to toe. Slow. Deliberate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t say anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her ears went pink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sabrina lowered her book. Studied me with those half-lidded eyes. \"Interesting.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What’s interesting?\" I asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How clothes change perception.\" She tilted her head. \"You’re the same person. Yet completely different.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harlow bounced forward. \"Can I touch the suit?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just the sleeve?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Harlow.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Please?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s fabric. You’ve touched fabric before.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not on you.\" She reached out. Her fingers brushed my jacket sleeve. \"It’s so soft. What is this? Wool? Cashmere? Some kind of fancy sheep?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassidy walked closer. Slow. Like she was approaching something that might bite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stopped about two feet away. Crossed her arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You clean up okay,\" she said. Casual. Too casual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thanks.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For a scholarship kid.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And there it is.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her lips twitched. \"Can’t let you get a big head.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wouldn’t dream of it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Iris snapped another picture. \"This one’s going on Instagram.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Delete that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Make me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I moved toward her. She squealed and ran behind Harlow, using the girl as a human shield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harlow giggled. \"I’ll protect you, Iris.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thanks, Harlow.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No problem. That’s what friends do.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassidy’s phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen. \"Vivienne says she’s coming down.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The temperature in the foyer dropped about fifteen degrees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harlow straightened. Smoothed her pink hoodie. \"Okay everyone. Best behavior. No weird comments.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t make weird comments,\" Cassidy said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You exclusively make weird comments.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s literally my brand.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your brand is chaos.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Exactly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sabrina closed her book. Set it carefully on the side table. Stood with that boneless grace she always had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked at me. Just looked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good luck tonight,\" she said. Quiet. \"You’ll need it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before I could ask what that meant, footsteps echoed from upstairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heels on marble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slow. Measured. Coming down the grand staircase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone turned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vivienne appeared at the landing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My brain stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wore burgundy. Deep wine-red that matched her hair. The dress hugged every curve from her chest to her hips before flowing down in liquid silk to the floor. The neckline plunged in a sharp V that stopped just before inappropriate. Her shoulders were bare. The back must have been open based on the front’s construction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her wine-red hair was pinned up. Elegant. Exposing the line of her neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her makeup was subtle but devastating. Her purple eyes looked even larger. Her lips painted a shade darker than her dress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She descended the stairs like she was born doing it. One hand trailing the bannister. The other holding her skirt slightly to avoid catching the hem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every step was perfect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she reached the bottom, she stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looked at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something flickered in her expression. There and gone before I could identify it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re wearing the cufflinks,\" she said. Soft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They suit you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thanks.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She walked closer. Her heels clicked against marble. The scent of her perfume reached me. Something floral. Expensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stopped about a foot away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Held out her arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bent at the elbow. Palm facing down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The universal signal for take my arm, you absolute idiot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stared back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well?\" Her eyebrow arched. \"Are you going to make me stand here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I thought.\" My voice came out rougher than intended. \"I thought you’d changed your mind.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t change my mind.\" She lifted her chin. \"I make decisions and execute them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Right.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So.\" She kept her arm extended. \"Are you my date tonight or not?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind us, someone made a choking sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Probably Cassidy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe Harlow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could have been both.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I glanced back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All three conscious sisters were staring. Iris looked like someone had just told her Santa was real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassidy’s expression had gone completely blank. The way it did when she was processing something that broke her understanding of reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harlow’s hands were pressed to her chest. Her mouth forming a perfect O.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sabrina’s lips curved. Just slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Playing for keeps,\" she murmured. \"Huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vivienne’s voice cut through the shock. \"Isaiah.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her purple eyes held mine. Steady. Certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took her arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her fingers curled around my elbow. Light. Possessive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let’s go,\" she said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The car waited outside. Sleek. Black. Probably cost more than a house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The driver opened the door. Vivienne slid in first. I followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the tinted window I could see the foyer. Four figures and one smaller one all pressed against the glass. Watching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harlow waved. Manic. Both hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassidy just stood there. Still processing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sabrina raised one hand. Small. Almost a salute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Iris gave me double thumbs up. Grinning like she’d won something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The car pulled away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vivienne sat beside me. Not touching. But close enough I could feel the heat from her bare shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So,\" I said. After about thirty seconds of silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your sisters are going to have questions.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Undoubtedly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Like. A lot of questions.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m aware.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And you’re okay with that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned to look at me. The city lights played across her face through the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No,\" she said. \"I’m terrified.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But I’m doing it anyway.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her fingers found mine. Laced through them. Her hand was cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because you asked me what I wanted,\" she said. Quiet. \"And nobody’s asked me that in two years.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The party was being held at some museum in Midtown. The kind with columns and marble steps and people in tuxedos checking names at the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Photographers lined the red carpet. Actual red carpet. With velvet ropes and security.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vivienne’s hand tightened on my arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ready?\" she asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Absolutely not.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good. Neither am I.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The car door opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Camera flashes exploded like gunfire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stepped out first. Turned. Offered my hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vivienne took it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rose from the car with that impossible grace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cameras went absolutely insane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone shouted her name. A dozen voices overlapped. Asking about her dress. Her date. Her collection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vivienne smiled. That perfect smile she’d practiced ten thousand times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She pulled me close. Her hand still in mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Stay with me,\" she said. Just for me. \"Please.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I squeezed her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m not going anywhere.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1019,"2026-06-06T06:03:59.990Z",1,"novelbin.me","3b05dea3e278c155084ffd983f87eb9c470d84724c85f6af38d7dc0bdeec9a25","four-of-a-kind-chapter-176","four-of-a-kind-chapter-174",251,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ffour-of-a-kind-cover.jpg"]