Felicia's fingers tightened so hard her nails dug into her palm, pain blooming beneath the skin.
But she didn't feel it.
Because what she had just seen—
She knew that look.
That gaze Evan had just given Riley… it was fascination.
She was all too familiar with it.
And yet now, the same man who had been courting her was looking at Riley like that.
A surge of anger and jealousy twisted in her chest.
If Riley weren't a fool… would I have ended up as her shadow instead?
Even as a fool, she still had that face. That natural charm.
It was infuriating.
"I don't know," Felicia replied coldly when Evan asked his question. "I'm not that familiar with her."
On any other day, Evan would've noticed the shift in her tone.
But today—
He didn't.
"Oh," he said absentmindedly, his gaze drifting back to Riley again.
Felicia's insides churned with fury.
***
Because they had taken over the central table, a crowd naturally gathered around them.
Victor and Xavier swallowed nervously.
This had gotten way bigger than expected.
Originally, he had just wanted to casually join a table and play a simple round of high or low with Riley.
But somehow, she had gone to the front desk, said something, and ended up getting an entire table reserved just for them.
Now they were the center of attention.
Victor glanced at Riley, who sat there calm and composed, and forced himself to straighten his back.
He sat down, picked up the dice cup, and began to shake.
The rules were simple.
One person shakes. The other guesses.
They go until one side admits defeat.
At first, with so many eyes on him, Victor felt a bit tense.
But the moment he heard the crisp clatter of dice inside the cup—
He relaxed.
This is my game.
He had practiced this countless times.
His control over dice was nearly flawless.
There was no way he'd lose to a fool.
After shaking for half a minute—
Thud.
He slammed the cup onto the table and smirked at Riley.
"Guess."
Riley's gaze flickered briefly to the edge of the table.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Then, without hesitation—
"One. Low."
Her tone was light. Casual.
As if she didn't even need to think.
The moment she spoke—
Victor's expression changed.
Impossible.
That was my signature move.
How could she guess it instantly?
I had even planned to crush her confidence right from the first round.
But—
Beside him, Sophia and the others leaned forward impatiently.
"Victor, open it already! Did that fool get it wrong?"
He didn't respond.
His hand hesitated for a split second—
Then he lifted the cup.
The table fell silent.
Six dice.
Stacked perfectly on top of each other.
All showing one.
A perfect stack.
A perfect one.
The crowd shifted.
Expressions stiffened.
She got it right.
Again.
But when they looked at Riley—
She didn't even seem interested.
She lounged there, expression lazy, as if this was nothing more than a passing game.
Sophia's face tightened.
"She must've guessed!" she snapped. "Victor, stop holding back. Get serious!"
Victor nodded, his expression darkening.
This time—
He would go all out.
He reached for the dice again.
But just as he was about to start—
A voice from the side reminded them,
"The loser should show some sincerity."
It was a rule of the table.
Even if they claimed it was "just for fun", everyone had placed money down.
Except—
Victor and Riley.
Their match had been all talk so far.
Now, under everyone's gaze—
Victor's face stiffened.
He reached into his wallet, pulled out a card, and handed it over to the staff.
The attendant swiped it.
"Balance: one hundred and eighty thousand. Accepted. Please continue."
Victor's face went pale.
Wait…
He had handed over the card—
But he never said he was putting all the money in as the first bet.