Having lost every last chip, David was utterly exhausted, his face ashen, as he leaned against the gambling table. His previous arrogance and obsession had vanished, leaving only deep despair and helplessness.
The bank was about to foreclose on the house, but they didn't even have the money to get back. In desperation, he suddenly remembered Collard, who had always kindly advised against it and helped Diana out of a predicament.
" Diana!" He grabbed Diana, who was silently weeping beside him, his panicked eyes filled with a last glimmer of hope.
"Go... go find that person! That Collard!"
"... What?" Diana didn't react for a moment.
"Go find the man who helped you!" David repeated. "He's a good man. Go find him and beg him to help us, even if it's just to lend us some money to keep the bank afloat!"
Upon understanding, Diana's face turned even paler.
Go to Draco to borrow money? In the casino? To continue gambling? The thought filled her with a strong sense of shame.
"No... we can't... we can't bother him anymore... besides, he advised us against gambling before..."
"I beg you, Diana," David pleaded, seeing Diana back down and their last hope slipping away. David could no longer care about his male pride and collapsed to the ground.
"We're desperate. Only Collard can help us. Please, I'm begging you, go find him, okay? I promise I'll never gamble again," he pleaded with Diana.
Looking at her husband kneeling on the ground, pleading incessantly, Diana felt as if her heart was being cut by a knife, and her tears flowed even more fiercely.
On one side was a strong sense of shame, and on the other was her husband's desperate pleas and his last shred of reluctance to leave the family.
She was struggling internally...
In the end, thinking about the home she might soon lose, the fragile defenses in her heart crumbled.
Maybe... maybe this really is the last time?
Perhaps Mr. Collard would genuinely sympathize with them?
Even the slightest hope...
"Okay... I'll give it a try..." Diana nodded, her heart softening.
"Great! We're saved!" A glimmer of light rekindled in David's eyes, and he hurriedly tried to stand up.
"But!" Diana had just turned to leave when, as if suddenly remembering something, she abruptly turned back and stared intently at David.
" David, listen to me. I'm going to find him. Whether I can borrow the money or not, and no matter how much I get, you wait here until I get back. Absolutely, absolutely do not touch loan sharks!"
She trembled as she recalled the terrible consequences Draco had described, and pleaded with him, "Promise me!"
David was taken aback by her unusual firmness. He knew what usury meant—it meant utter ruin.
At this desperate moment, his wife's warning was like a bucket of cold water, slightly clearing his feverish mind.
"I promise, I won't go to loan sharks. I'll wait for you here," David patted his chest firmly in assurance.
Upon hearing this, Diana felt uneasy, but she could only turn around and go to find Collard, each step she took feeling incredibly heavy.
Diana left, leaving David alone in the dice area. He seemed to have lost his soul, staring blankly at the empty area on the table.
The air conditioning in the casino was blasting, but David's forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat. As if possessed, his gaze once again fell on Bellatrix's thick, glaring pile of chips.
Bellatrix was sipping champagne brought to her by the waiter, counting her newly won chips, looking completely unhurried.
A thought, like a venomous snake, crept into his mind: Bellatrix... she's rich and generous.
Perhaps... perhaps I could borrow some from her? I'll pay her back as soon as Diana returns, or as soon as he wins!
David swallowed hard, his heart pounding. He stood up abruptly, walked to Bellatrix, and abandoned all his pride.
" Bellatrix..." David pleaded humbly, "Um... you see, we're friends from the same game, but I'm having really bad luck... could you... could you lend me some chips?"
"Borrow money?" Bellatrix put down her champagne glass, looked him over, and could tell that David was at his wit's end; the regret on his face was impossible to fake.
"Yes," David nodded eagerly, "I was so close! I just had bad luck! Lend me some money, I'll bet with you, and I'll pay you back as soon as I win! I can even give you interest!"
" David, I know you're having a tough time right now, but lending you money would be like pushing you into a fire."
"Why?" David's face fell instantly. The last glimmer of hope he had been holding onto was shattered by Bellatrix.
After saying that, he took a step back, swaying precariously, his lips trembling, almost bursting into tears.
"Why can't you help me? Just a little bit, just a little bit is enough... I'll even mortgage my house to you!"
"Because we've played together, I understand better," Bellatrix said earnestly. "Your current state isn't suitable for gambling anymore. I don't want this little bit of money to ruin my mood, nor do I want to see you sink deeper into this mess."
Why not lend it? Because David is like a gambler who's lost everything, utterly untrustworthy. In Bellatrix's eyes, a seasoned gambler, he's a drowning man.
If you reach out to pull them in, you'll likely be dragged down with them.
Being rejected so directly, David felt an unbearable humiliation, but despair often breeds a more humble attitude, and he was unwilling to give up his chance to turn things around.
" Bellatrix..." David no longer hid his distress, "I beg you... You don't know, we... my wife and I, we really have nowhere else to turn..."
He told Bellatrix about his and his wife's predicament.
By the end, David's eyes were red. "I was greedy, I wouldn't listen to advice, and I deserve to end up like this, but Diana is innocent, and I don't want her to be homeless with me."
After David finished speaking, Bellatrix remained silent for a long while, as if the noise at the gambling table had nothing to do with them.
Finally, she sighed softly.
His once resolute gaze gradually softened.
She wasn't a cold-hearted person to begin with. She hadn't lent him the money before because she was afraid David would continue to gamble. But now that she knew they weren't just after quick riches, but were trying to protect their only home, her compassion was completely touched, and she finally softened.
"I know you're in a hurry, I'll lend you this money, no interest required." Bellatrix counted out a small, thick stack of chips from her pile and pushed them in front of David.
" Bellatrix, I really don't know how to thank you!" David clutched the chips in front of him tightly, his palms trembling.
This unexpected help was like a ray of light in his desperate situation, rekindling a glimmer of hope in him and making him feel even more guilty about his previous impulsiveness and stubbornness.