Love Began with the First Meeting
Chapter 747 Could She Win (Part Four)

The man creased his eyebrows. He looked at his hole card again, thinking that Molly must be bluffing. The woman did not even look at her hole card, he thought. Clenching his teeth, he tossed three transparent rectangular chips which were valued at ten thousand each. "I The onlookers were excited by this. Molly smiled. She put her fingers on her card and turned it slowly. Under everyone's nose, under the monitor, what was initially a five turned into a Q.

call. Show your card." Then he turned his downward face card up and said, "I'm a full house. I doubt you're that lucky to have four of a kind."

"She really has four of a kind!" someone cried in joy. Everyone was amazed by the turn of events. Some people envied her good fortune, though, some were quick to be suspicious that she might have cheated. Nevertheless, everyone knew that cheating was forbidden in Grand Night Casino. If card sharps were caught, they would lose their hands for it before they could walk out of the casino.

The man cursed over his bad luck, and participated in the next round.

Time ticked by, and Molly won most of the rounds. Chips in front of her were starting to pile up. But she had begun to get the attention of more people behind the surveillance cameras.

Shane and Jason were watching the monitor in the supervision room. "Aim all the surveillance equipment at her," Jason demanded, "and I want all the data analysis, now!"

As Jason commanded, the staff adjusted the angle of the surveillance cameras. The woman was under watch omnidirectionally. Every move she made was being watched through the monitor.

A new round began. It was at this moment when the five card stud table was not only a game that the gamblers took interest in, but also one that had drawn the staff's full attention. The game went on fiercely. Molly won, yet again.

"What does the analysis say?" Jason asked. He drummed his fingers impatiently.

One of his men finally provided an answer, "That she's not cheating."

Jason frowned incredulously. He walked to the monitor, and replayed the surveillance footage. Nothing was found suspicious.

"She reminds me of someone," Shane declared. "Chester!" he added, as Jason turned his head to him in wonder.

"Chester?

That can't be." Jason was astonished. "Didn't he retire?"

"Just because he's retired, doesn't mean he didn't have a few disciples," Shane replied, his facial expression changing. "She got me hooked. Open the VIP room. I want to meet her," he said, before turning around and made his way towards the door.

*

Sitting on one side of the table with an indifferent disposition, Molly took a small sip of the sparkling wine. She let the drink linger in her mouth, before swallowing it, satisfied with the splendid flavor. "I hear that the people who win against you can meet Mr. Brian Long. Is it true?" she asked.

"Yes," Shane responded with a thin smile. "Is that what you want?" he asked, tilting his head at her. "A meeting with Mr. Brian Long?"

"Of course," Molly replied with a nod, her voice soft as a spring breeze. "Did you expect that I came this far without a purpose? Please. I'm not that bored."

Shane smiled wanly and remarked, "Then, I wish you good luck."

"Let's get started then. It's getting late. I like to sleep early," Molly retorted.

As soon as Shane gestured to the dealer, he began shuffling the cards and asked them whether they wanted to cut the cards. Both of the players shook their head. While the dealer was placing the cards in the card dispenser, Shane announced, "Since you've made your purpose clear, let's cut to the chase. The bet is your game with Mr. Brian Long. If you win, you can meet him. Otherwise, don't bother him ever again."

"Deal!" Molly readily agreed. It sounded like a fair bet. "Deal the cards, please," she said, unable to wait for the game to start.

On Shane's signal, the dealer started dealing the cards. Five cards each, all were dealt out.

Shane's upcards were a straight flush, starting from the seven through to the ten of Spades. On the other hand, Molly got four of a kind, sixes. Now they only had their hole cards left to be revealed, which was going to determine the winner of the game.

"To save both of us some time, I say we show our cards at the same time," she suggested with a smile, and turned her face-down card. Shane turned his card as well.

"I'm sorry. That Jack of Spades of yours is here among my cards. You lose," she declared, as soon as she saw the face of her card.

Staring at the Jack of Diamonds in his hand, Shane was surprised. His eyes turned grim, but he kept smiling. "I will arrange the VVIP room. You may begin your game with Mr. Brian Long in ten minutes." After saying that, he got up from his seat and turned around to leave. His smiling face disappeared. Only Chester had dared to cheat to his face. And now, there was this woman! The audacity! She had changed his hole card right under his nose, and he could not, for the life of him, figure out how she had done it. Once Shane was in front of Brian's office, he knocked on the door a few times before entering.

The entire time, Brian was watching their game on the monitor. Shane glanced at the screen, on which the woman wearing a white mask with a flower made of spun silk and feathers was sitting at the table. A faint smile lingered on her lips, revealing a sly look. "Mr. Brian Long," Shane began.

"What's the nature of the relationship between Chester and this woman?" Brian asked, his eyes never leaving the monitor. Somehow, there was a surge of dynamic emotions inside of him, but he was reluctant to face it. As he carefully looked at the woman, however, he did not know what it was, but she seemed to draw out inexplicable feelings from him, even if his only interaction with her so far was by watching through the surveillance feed.

"Judging from the same method they share, she might be one of his disciples," answered Shane.

"Oh?" For a brief moment, Brian was able to withdraw his eyes from the monitor, and looked at Shane.

"She came here to see you, Mr. Brian Long,"

If Shane were being frank, it was the woman's purpose that had him concerned, and not her identity. His boss, on the other hand, seemed to be more interested in the latter.

"So what's your point?"

Brian asked impatiently.

As Shane's mouth twitched inwardly, he stifled a grin.

No other woman had been so bold as to challenge Brian in so many years. There were only two reasons which Shane could think of that could explain this mysterious woman's appearance in the Grand Night Casino. Either she was bold enough to be fearless, or she had no idea that she had just knocked on death's door.

Checking his watch, Brian got up on his feet, and made his way to the VVIP room. "We shouldn't keep the guest waiting," he said, somewhat sarcastically.

The rule dictated that when someone was to challenge them, the casino must automatically play as the banker. As a person who was running tens of casinos, Brian was aware of the rules well enough, and had no plans of not following them.

*

Although Molly looked calm on the outside, nobody knew how nervous she was from within. Only by reminding herself repeatedly to contain her emotions, and to win this game to carry on her plan, could she manage to suppress her excitement to see Brian again. When a loud sound of the red wooden doors broke the silence in the room, Brian walked in with one of his hands in his pocket.

His face remained expressionless, his eyes cold and sharp, as he stared at her. Everything about him was just as she clearly remembered.

While Molly looked at him quietly behind her mask, she did not know that her eyes had reddened, until she noticed the small tears of joy that threatened to escape. As Brian sat down, she raised the wine glass quickly to hide her emotions which were about to go rogue. Apparently, he still had that effect on her.

When their eyes met, Molly sipped some wine and put the glass down. "I didn't expect it to be this difficult to meet the Mr. Brian Long."

Her soft seductive voice made Brian frown. It was not like he disliked it, which was what irked him. "Now you've seen me.

To gamble against me, you have to put something at stake that interests me," Brian said.

"But I don't have any," Molly responded.

Upon hearing her reply, Shane was astounded to a point where he almost suffocated on his own saliva. He looked at Molly incredulously, impressed by her boldness. "Then how do you expect to gamble against me?"

Brian asked nonchalantly. Bringing out a cigarette, he lit it up, and took a deep drag before blowing it in front of him. The air between them seemed foggy due to the smoke. "You're rich enough. Money doesn't interest you,"

Molly began, lowering her eyes pensively for a few seconds. Then she continued, "How about this? If I win, you sleep with me for one night.

And if I lose, I sleep with you for one night."

Unfortunately for Shane, he could not stop himself from choking after hearing her. Coughing violently, he wondered what the woman was thinking. Obviously, her proposition made no difference whether she won or lost. Both stakes were the same, according to what she said. Brian squinted, staring at Molly sharply. After a long moment, he finally spoke up. "Take off your mask," he demanded.

In the background, Shane wore an unreadable expression. He was right earlier. The woman's identity had caught Brian's attention.

"Eh? Is that what you want?" Molly wondered out loud.

"I have an idea then. If you win, I take off my mask.

If you lose, you sleep with me for one night, and do as I say. How does that sound?" Molly asked, smiling under her mask.

Brian's eyes dimmed for a bit. "Deal!" he replied simply.

At a loss for words, Shane stood there while looking at Brian, his mouth agape. Did he really just agree to such a simple, if not disconcerting, bet?

"Shane, you're the dealer," Brian said, his voice as flat as the streets outside.

That was when Molly first began to worry. Shane was the best dealer in the world, which she found out after she started taking gambling lessons from Chester.

Now that Brian had asked him to be the dealer, could she possibly still win? Molly wasn't sure, but there was only one way to replace out. 00000☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐