"The thought did cross my mind." Sophia Sullivan lifted her gaze lazily, locking eyes with Amy. "Rumors say you rake in fortunes daily at Southeast Asian casinos, Ms. Amy. They claim you've never lost a single bet."
Amy's lips curled into a faint smirk. Between clever minds, unspoken challenges were always understood.
"Just exaggerated tales," she dismissed with a wave. "Good luck and friends humoring me—nothing more than entertainment. No need to take it seriously."
Yet everyone knew the shady dealings behind her operations.
The seasoned gamblers present understood perfectly. Amy's dominance in Southeast Asian casinos wasn't due to luck.
Those who'd beaten her had all vanished without a trace.
"Besides, who truly gets rich from gambling?" Amy scoffed, tapping the table lightly. "My ventures extend far beyond this. If you're interested, Crimson Serpent, you might find yourself on my transaction list someday."
The words carried a razor's edge.
Sophia recognized the veiled reference to Amy's illicit Southeast Asian enterprises.
Instead of retreating, she met Amy's gaze with a soft smile.
"No need for transactions. I'm merely curious about your secret to an unbeaten streak."
Leaning against the gambling table, Sophia idly traced a seemingly ordinary card.
"They say your accuracy exceeds ninety percent in memory-based games like this. They call you a prodigy with a photographic memory."
Her other hand picked up another unrelated card.
"My guess? One is the Ace of Hearts. The other, the Ace of Diamonds."
Her languid tone made Amy's brow twitch.
"You—"
Before Amy could finish, Sophia flipped the cards with a flick of her fingers.
—Ace of Hearts. Ace of Diamonds.
A perfect match.
The crowd held its breath.
"How did she guess that? Can she see through them?"
"Something's off. This game is getting eerie. Neither is making mistakes."
"Even if there's cheating, why force a tie? Amy and Crimson Serpent are neck and neck..."
Whispers of suspicion pointed to foul play.
Amy's face darkened. She stared at Sophia, mind racing.
How had this woman seen through the cards?
These were specially rigged—there was no way Sophia could—
A chilling realization struck.
Had she been found out?
No. Impossible.
No one had ever uncovered the trick in all these years.
As Amy's composure wavered, Chloe Evans timidly approached. "Amy, which card next? Tell me, I'll remember."
"Useless. One more mistake, and I'll have someone collect your corpse."
Amy's icy glare made Chloe tremble. "Y-yes, I'll do better."
Shaking, Chloe stepped to the table, palms sweating.
Regret gnawed at her, but there was no backing out now.
By the rules, she could only receive her partner's hint before flipping and had to rely on memory.
The more nervous she grew, the blanker her mind became.
"Ace of Hearts... Ace of... Wait, why is it the Ace of Spades?!"
Her hand jerked—wrong card.
Seeing the mismatch, her face paled.
"I'm sorry! It slipped! Can I try again?"
She begged the dealer tearfully. "I'm new, I don't know the rules well..."
The worst sin in gambling was being a sore loser.
Snickers erupted around her.
"If you can't handle losing, don't play. Pathetic."
"Even with Amy's guidance, you messed up? Brain-dead?"
"Wasting our time!"
The dealer shook his head. "Rules are rules. No redos."
Chloe stumbled back to Amy, eyes brimming. "Amy, I didn't mean to..."
"Oh? Made a mistake?"
Sophia's voice cut in. She pointed to a card in the southeast corner. "Did you misread? Isn't this the Ace of Hearts?"
Her finger landed precisely on the rigged card.
Chloe nodded instinctively. "Yes—"
Then froze.
Sophia hadn't missed a single guess all game.
Amy's calm shattered. Her pulse roared.
This was bad.
The woman had uncovered the trick.