"Give me a martini, please," Joel said with a charming smile to the bartender behind the counter. He leaned casually against the bar, one elbow resting lazily on the polished surface as he waited for his drink.
The others had already spread out to scout the area, but Joel?
He had made a beeline straight for the bar the moment they split up. As far as he was concerned, he'd already done his part.
Find the location, Joel.
Dig up their details, Joel.
Work your magic on that phone, Joel.
"Damn it. I still can't believe Nova convinced me to hack into boss Vincent's phone in the past, just so that he could have blackmail material."
Anyway, he figured he earned a moment to unwind. Besides, Nova wasn't the type to micromanage. Not unless someone really messed up.
Joel scanned the place with a pleased grin.
"Now this is my kind of place," he murmured to himself, rubbing his hands together.
The casino was alive in every direction. Elegant men in suits and sleek-haired women in dazzling gowns circled round betting tables.
Cards were shuffled, dice rolled, and digital betting machines chimed in rhythm with the clink of coins and glasses.
Golden chandeliers blinded the room in a soft glow, and rich burgundy carpets swallowed the footsteps of men burning fortunes with each casual flick of their wrists.
"Here you go, sir." The bartender slid a martini across the counter with practiced grace.
"Don't mind if I do," Joel replied, lifting the glass with a smirk. One sip, and the edge of his mouth curled higher. It was smooth as silk in the mouth, just how he liked it.
Drink in hand, he turned back to the crowd, eyes gleaming with renewed energy. Now he was ready to find something worth his time.
And what do you do in a casino?
Of course, you waste your money trying to win more. Gambling isn't really about how well you play the games. It's about how well you manage your money.
"And my money-handling skills are top notch... It's on!" he said, then walked toward one of the card tables in the far corner.
This area had private tables, each inside its own small room to give players some quiet and space.
The room that caught his eye had only two people playing.
One was a man in a neat suit, calm and serious. It looks like he had experience in gambling before.
The other was a young woman who looked like someone new to wealth, dressed in expensive clothes and acting like she didn't know much. Across from them sat the dealer, focused and quiet in handling cards.
Joel closed in and saw that the game they were playing was blackjack. That made Joel's confidence rise fast.
He was good at blackjack. His luck was strong with games like this.
The closer he got, the wider his grin grew. He pulled out a chair and tapped the back of it with his hand.
"Mind if I join?" Joel asked, grinning at the woman without even looking at the dealer or the man in the suit.
The dealer frowned for a moment but quickly fixed his face. He was a professional after all.
"The table is open, sir," the dealer said.
Joel nodded and took the seat next to the woman.
She gave him a quick glance, offered a polite smile, and nodded in return.
"Have you won yet, miss?" Joel asked, leaning in with easy confidence.
"Not yet. I don't really know this game," she said, her tone light but honest.
"Well, you're in luck!" Joel said with a grin. "I'm great at blackjack. I'll let you in on the secret so we can win together."
The woman smiled again, though this time she said nothing and turned back to the table. The dealer had just finished the last round and was now shuffling the cards for the next.
Joel tapped the table with his fingers. "Hit me!" he said, already looking forward to what he'd get.
When the cards were dealt. Joel checked his hand, eighteen. A strong number for starters.
The lady had sixteen. The man in the suit barely reacted as he glanced at his cards.
"See?" Joel whispered to the woman. "We're off to a good start."
The dealer flipped the next few cards. The dealer's hand was nineteen.
Joel sighed. The first was a lost. "Alright. Just warming up."
The chips slid to the man in the suit, who took them without a word.
Another round began.
Joel leaned a bit closer to the lady again. "Don't worry. That was nothing. This one's ours."
She nodded, though her face was harder to read now.
Cards were dealt again. Joel got a nineteen this time. The lady had a seventeen. The man in the suit had no reaction as always.
Joel grinned. "Now this is solid. We've got this."
The dealer played out the round. All of them stayed.
Then the dealer turned over his cards, twenty.
The man in the suit calmly turned his cards. It was a blackjack twenty-one.
Joel's grin faded. The chips slid once more to the man in the suit.
Two losses. Both to the same man. Joel's fingers tapped the edge of the table, just a little faster now. Irritation can be clearly seen on his face.
"Hehe, my luck is turning around," said the man in the suit. He turned to Joel with a smirk. "You are indeed great at this, young man."
Joel's face twisted like he had just taken a bite of something sour. He didn't even bother replying.
"Again!" he snapped, brushing off the man's words like they were trash.
The cards were dealt once more. Joel watched closely this time, eyes sharp, fingers tapping the table furiously.
The dealer moved with practiced ease.
The round ended.
Joel stared at his cards.
It was another loss.
But beside him, the woman gasped and smiled. Her cards won.
"Wow, we won!" she said, beaming at Joel with wide, innocent eyes. "Thank you for teaching me."
Joel, who hadn't won even once, forced a smile so tight it looked painful.
He slowly turned to the dealer. "Come on! Give me some good cards, man! Let's go again!"
This time, Joel leaned forward, eyes fixed on the table. No more small talk, no more jokes, it was time to focus.
"Lock in!" he said internally.
He prayed in his head like his life depended on it. Just one win. Just one sweet twenty-one.