I placed my bet and then glanced back.
Indeed, the somewhat rotund man in his fifties, known for his nine fingers, stood beside me.
Upon noticing my gaze, he offered a slight nod, a casual greeting.
I offered no response, turning my head away indifferently.
The last time we met, he had appeared similarly amiable, with a harmless demeanor. Yet, beneath that facade lay a ruthless figure capable of deadly actions without shedding blood.
The game progressed.
The eyes of the Nine-Fingered Remnant remained fixed on my hands, much like the shadowy observers that surrounded us, eager to catch evidence of any foul play. But as the rounds continued, I noticed a shift in his expression—from relaxed to increasingly tense.
He couldn't discern how I was cheating; or perhaps even if he suspected, he lacked the proof.
My deception depended solely on card cutting.
The pile of chips before me grew ever higher; I had already won over a million.