The Ex and Her Riches novel (Gwendolyn and Maverick)

Chapter 168 Gambling With Life

Charles lay on the couch with a half-smile, gazing at Maverick with his deep blue eyes.

With his lazy posture, he oozed an aura of mischief.

Charles had looked into the people around Maverick and found that they were no ordinary people. As for Maverick’s

background, it was too clean that he could not help but feel suspicious.

“I’m just Maverick, that’s all. Nothing more.”

Maverick’s dark eyes became serious as he took a step forward, his long legs carrying him to the couch next to

Charles. Then, Maverick sat down, his posture straight and proper.

With a casual glance, he first noticed Charles’ exposed, perfectly sculpted chest muscles and collarbones beneath

the black shirt. Paired with those deep, blue eyes, Charles looked absolutely enchanting like a fairy.

Even I, as a man, found him attractive. Gwendolyn probably finds him pleasing to the eye as well, right?

Maverick suddenly thought of Charles mentioning his long-time bond with Gwendolyn, as well as the complex look in

Gwendolyn’s eyes when she saw Charles at the police station.

Gwendolyn… She did like him, didn’t she?

When Charles noticed Maverick staring at his body, a wicked smile played on his lips. “I’m the kind of person who

insists on having what’s mine. If anyone dares to lay a finger on it, I’ll chop them down and take back what belongs

to me. Do you understand what I mean?”

Hearing that, Maverick laughed.

Does Charles think he can chop me down?

He poured himself another glass of wine and elegantly drank it.

With a tone of provocation, he began, “You can give it a try, and I’ll play along. But…”

Maverick paused for a moment, his expression serious and cautious. He then added, “Gwendolyn is not anyone’s

personal possession. I learned this a long time ago. She has always been independent and full of ideas, and her

decisions cannot be influenced by others.”

“Of course, but I can guide her in making choices, just like last night.”

When the incident from the night before was mentioned, Maverick’s dark eyes narrowed. As he exuded a fierce

aura, the surrounding atmosphere chilled.

Charles sat up and looked him in the eye. “I taught her how to shoot. She’s very smart and learns quickly. Last

night, I was right behind her and saw her every move clearly.”

Maverick realized what Charles wanted to say and suddenly furrowed his brows.

Charles went on, “If she didn’t want to hurt you, she had the ability to keep you unharmed. So, she must have been

angry with you and even harbored murderous intentions. To her, you are just a pet. She rewards you when you

obey and punishes you when you don’t. She stopped loving you a long time ago. Think back to the expression on

her face when she first saw me. I have a place in her heart. Once the misunderstanding between us is cleared up,

she will no longer need her pet. Do you understand?”

Maverick’s thin lips tightened as his deep and cold eyes quivered slightly.

Charles admired his expression and laughed with arrogance.

In the next moment, Maverick also burst into chuckles.

“No wonder you’re the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. You’re skilled at sowing discord, manipulating

emotions, and exploiting people’s vulnerabilities. You can tear apart and crush people’s fragile hearts, leaving them

utterly devastated.”

Upon hearing this, Charles narrowed his eyes and gazed at Maverick warily.

Charles had only said a few sentences, yet Maverick already figured out what he was up to. This revealed that the

latter did not look as simple as he appeared.

Maverick continued, “You didn’t meet me secretly today just for something casual, right?”

Charles resumed his light-hearted smile at that.

He voiced, “Don’t you want to find out how much you truly mean to her? When faced with life and death, who will

she care about more? Is it you or me?”

The two men stared at each other.

One had a look of cold and profound depth, while the other had a charming and unrestrained gaze.

Gwendolyn and Yulia were in the middle of a meeting when suddenly, a commotion erupted in the hallway outside.

It was very noisy.

After exchanging glances, Gwendolyn and Yulia stood up and opened the door to investigate.

Outside the door, a man in a suit was arguing with the female assistant.

“What’s wrong?” Gwendolyn asked.

The assistant hurried over and said, “Ms. Shalders, I told this gentleman that you cannot meet visitors as you are in

a meeting with Ms. Sullivan, but he insisted on barging in. I could barely stop him!”

Turning around, the man nodded respectfully to Gwendolyn. “Ms. Shalders.”

Gwendolyn studied his face and found him familiar-looking. “Are you Charles’ subordinate?”

The man was visibly pleased to be recognized.

He answered, “Yes, I am Mr. Newton’s subordinate. I apologize for the intrusion, but this matter is quite urgent. You

see, Mr. Newton and Mr. Wright are about to engage in a life-or-death game.”

“Life-or-death game?”

Gwendolyn narrowed her eyes slightly. “What is Charles up to now?”

“They are currently in a private room at Realm Bar. Please come with me to persuade them, or someone might

actually die!”

Gwendolyn’s face darkened almost instantly.

She turned around and told Yulia, “You can go ahead and do your work. We’ll continue the meeting tomorrow.”

After giving the instructions, she quickly headed to Realm Bar.

Once she opened the door to the private room, she saw the two men seated across from each other on a circular

leather couch.

Neatly arranged gun parts were displayed on the coffee table in between them.

Their strong desire to win was evident in their eyes.

Noticing Gwendolyn’s arrival, Maverick, who was near the door, quickly stood up and blocked her line of sight.

Gwendolyn’s expression was frosty. With an unfriendly tone, she demanded, “What are you doing?”

Maverick glanced behind him and said to Charles, “Fix your clothes.”

Charles raised an eyebrow and leisurely fastened the two loose buttons before his chest.

It was only then that Maverick moved to the side, allowing Gwendolyn to take a seat on the couch.

Gwendolyn took a seat right in the center. Folding her hands authoritatively, she cast a cold glance at the array of

gun parts laid out on the coffee table.

A cold smile appeared on her red lips. “Is this an assembling game, where the loser gets shot in the head? Whose

idea was this?”

The two men stayed quiet.

Gwendolyn glanced sideways, first looking at Maverick. “He’s the director of the Central Intelligence Agency who’s

been handling these things since he was a kid, yet you agreed to compete with him in assembling? Do you even

know guns?”

She was testing him.

Maverick’s dark eyes held a faint smile. “I’ve had the fortune to use them a few times before. Although I’m not very

familiar with guns, he provoked me first. I’m a man, so of course, I have to give it a shot.”

“Gwen, this is a game between us men,” Charles chimed in.

Gwendolyn let out a cold snort. With her arms still crossed, she leaned against the back of the couch with an icy

countenance.

“Since you don’t care about your lives, I won’t stop you. Go ahead. Let’s see who will get shot in the head first,” she

uttered heartlessly.

Charles’ subordinate from earlier was dumbfounded to hear that.

“Ms. Shalders, I thought you’re here to persuade them?” he protested.

Gwendolyn’s expression remained indifferent as if she was just there to watch the show.

Charles glanced at his subordinates and ordered, “Get out. No matter what you hear and no matter what happens

later, do not come in.”

“Understood.”

As soon as Charles’ people left and closed the door, the atmosphere inside the room turned extremely tense.

Charles looked at Maverick with a grin. “We’ve signed an agreement to waive the liabilities. Whoever finishes

assembling first can shoot the other. There will be no regrets. Are you really willing to gamble?”

Maverick had a light and carefree smile on his face as he responded, “I’ll play with you till the end.”

Gwendolyn tightened her fists, her breath slightly heavy.

Charles was more ruthless than Maverick. If the former won, he would definitely pull the trigger.

However, since Maverick dared to gamble, it must mean that he was prepared.

Firearms were strictly controlled in Chanaea. Even in the case of wealthy families, not many members had ever

handled them. Yet, Maverick claimed to have used them a few times.

She was quite curious to see Maverick’s understanding of firearms and how fast his hands were.

Just as she was deep in thought, the men on both sides of the coffee table sat up straight, an intense aura of

murderous intent surrounding them.

Charles started with the countdown.

Then, the game began.