Round 7
A hush seemed to descend over the oak-panelled parlour as Jonathan meticulously squared up the deck in preparation for what was sure to be an epoch-defining hand of their pinochle joust. His rousing performance in the previous round had not only regained him the coveted lead but utterly demoralized his esteemed opponents through sheer, clinical excellence.
Still, both Sarah and Victor were fiercely proud warriors of the baize in their own eminent rights. As the cards were ceremonially re-dealt, each warrior studied their newly gleaned holdings with the practised intensity of champions steeling themselves for one final, climactic confrontational melee.
