Chapter 67: You Don't Know Me Yet
Upon entering the gambling hall, Le Chiffre, the organizer of the game, approached William with a smile. "Welcome, Mr. Devinshire. If I had known you were so interested in poker, I would have sent you an invitation personally."
"As it is, you had to join through the bank. That is my oversight, and I apologize. Should there be a next time, I will be sure to send you an invitation directly."
William shook Le Chiffre's hand, inwardly scoffing at his confidence. *A next time?* he thought. *Let's see if you survive tonight first.*
He had no interest in making small talk with the man, but he smiled politely. "Thank you, Mr. Le Chiffre. I certainly hope there's a next time."
Le Chiffre knew that everyone present was influential. These wealthy individuals were well-informed, so he understood the veiled threat in William's words. Nevertheless, he remained supremely confident in his own skill at cards.
He replied confidently, "Of course, Mr. Devinshire. I'm certain we will have the opportunity to continue our game next time. Of that, I am very confident."
"Then I wish you good luck," William said.
"Thank you, Mr. Devinshire. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must greet the other guests."
Le Chiffre then extended a hand to Bond. "This must be Mr. Bond, replacing Mr. Bruce. Welcome, Mr. Bond."
Bond, however, ignored the outstretched hand. "I doubt you're truly welcoming me in your heart, Mr. Le Chiffre," he said coldly.
Bond walked directly to the bar. He glanced at William and then gave a subtle nod toward a man standing nearby, a man William recognized as Mr. Church, indicating they were allies.
William watched Church, a man who shouldn't have been there. In the original movie, it was Felix Leiter, an American agent.
Mr. Church walked over, sat down beside William, and asked in a low voice, "Mr. Devinshire, I hope that the next time you visit our country, you won't feel the need to bring an AWP."
William feigned ignorance. "I'm sorry, what are you talking about, sir? Do I know you?"
Church held his wine glass, a mocking expression playing on his lips. "William Devinshire, I know exactly who you are and what you've done. I just hope that the next time you have an operation, you'll inform us. And that you won't interfere with ours."
He finished by raising his glass in a mock toast. "Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Devinshire."
So, William thought, this guy had replaced Felix Leiter. This wasn't good. Clearly, he was also after Le Chiffre and was using this opportunity to warn William not to operate on US soil.
"Well, since our countries had a common interest that day, you don't need to thank me. I'm not one to do good deeds and seek recognition," William replied coolly.
"However, I don't appreciate being investigated."
"And I especially don't like being spied on. Mr. Church, you may know far too little about me. By the way, what did you say your real surname was? Oh, right. I believe it's Willis, isn't it, Mr. Willis?"
Church looked at William, stunned. He couldn't believe that William knew his real surname on their very first meeting. Was his intelligence network that powerful? Or had MI6 penetrated their agency so deeply?
His identity was highly classified, known only to senior special services personnel.
"You're right," Church said, recovering his composure. "It seems we need to get to know one another better, Mr. William Devinshire. Perhaps we can find a place to sit down for coffee and have a proper talk."
William met Church's gaze with a smile. "If you want to talk to me, you go through Gareth Mallory. If he agrees, then I have no objection."
He knew Mallory would never hand him over to a foreign agency for questioning. Even if Mallory suspected William of something, he would handle the inquiry internally.
Of course, Church knew who Gareth Mallory was. He also knew he'd never get authorization from the British government to interrogate the scion of a family that had served England for centuries, especially not one who had just achieved a major success for them.
At that moment, the voice of the tournament director echoed through the hall.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome. As you know, the game is No-Limit Texas Hold'em: five community cards, two hole cards. Mr. Mendel, representing the Basel Bank of Switzerland, will be securing everyone's funds. Let's welcome Mr. Mendel."
Mendel, from the Basel Bank, stepped forward. "As you all know, each of you has deposited ten million dollars into our bank, with the option for a rebuy. The bank will hold the funds until the game concludes. The winner will enter their password into this encrypted device. Afterward, the funds can be remitted to any bank account in the world. Now, if we can have Mr. Devinshire first."
When it was his turn, William thought for a moment and then entered the pinyin for 'Chen Mo,' his name from his past life.
Once everyone had entered their passwords, they took their seats at the table. William was in seat 1, Le Chiffre in seat 7, Church in seat 9, and Bond in seat 11. After everyone was settled, the tournament director and notary announced, "Today's game is No-Limit Texas Hold'em. We will now deal for the button."
After the cards were dealt to determine the order, the notary said, "Mr. Gadola will be the dealer. Mr. Kamilov will post the small blind of five thousand dollars, and Mr. Fukuda will post the big blind of ten thousand dollars."
After the two men placed their blinds, the notary announced, "Okay, the game officially begins. Good luck, everyone."
The dealer dealt two hole cards to each player. The action started with Fukuda, who had posted the big blind.
"Check."
"Check."
"Check." The first few players clearly had poor hands, so they checked, waiting to see what others would do.
When it was Le Chiffre's turn, he glanced at his hole cards, thought for a few seconds, then tossed out two chips. "Fifty thousand."
The player after Le Chiffre folded. Church glanced at Bond with a smirk, then looked at his own cards and folded as well.
Bond stared at Le Chiffre, making him visibly uncomfortable. Bond smiled slightly, a hint of confidence in his eyes. He suspected Le Chiffre was trying to steal the pot. The players before Le Chiffre had all checked, signaling weak hands, and the players after him had folded. Le Chiffre's bet was designed to push everyone out.
Bond, however, was holding a pair of threes. The community cards were 5-8-9. He called the fifty thousand.
Now it was William's turn to act. "Raise," he said calmly. "One hundred thousand." He was holding a 9 and a 2, giving him a pair of nines. He wasn't going anywhere.
After William's raise, the remaining players in the hand quickly folded.
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