Chapter 195: The Dark Side  

Las Vegas. 

Luxury Suite. 

"This guy is tough. You need to be careful," Adam reminded. 

"I know," Juno replied with a smile. "But it doesn't matter." 

Adam was momentarily stunned, then twitched the corner of his mouth. 

He almost forgot—this Ben Campbell might be cunning, even willing to take legal risks for his future, but no matter how smart he was, how could he possibly compare to the person in front of him? 

It was like showing off an axe in front of a master carpenter—a rookie in the presence of a true expert. 

They chatted for a while longer before Adam picked up a tray of food and headed into the room. 

Heather had been amazing last night, so Adam planned to spend the entire day with her. 

Yep, doing absolutely nothing. 

Nightfall. 

Adam arrived at Chandler and the others' suite, exchanging a glance with Chandler. 

Chandler responded with a subtle wait a moment look. 

So, Adam shifted his focus to Monica and smiled. "How are you feeling?" 

"I was wrong! I won't gamble anymore!" 

Monica blurted out instinctively. 

"Hahahaha!" 

The group burst into laughter. 

"Looks like last night's intervention was a success," Adam chuckled. 

Monica's gambling addiction stemmed from her competitiveness and compulsive tendencies brought on by her perfectionism. 

Her brother, Ross, also from the fiercely competitive Geller family, had a much weaker gambling addiction since he lacked her obsessive traits and was particularly meticulous about money. 

Even when he gambled, he had a ruthless "no mercy" attitude, but he knew when to quit. 

For example, in the original timeline, the three girls in their friend group were upset that the guys wouldn't let them join their poker games, feeling discriminated against. So, they challenged them. After losing the first round, they even hired a gambling expert for lessons—only to lose again in the second round. 

Throughout this, Ross was ruthless. He stretched out his hand asking for money without hesitation, showed no favoritism even to his longtime crush Rachel, and threw out sarcastic remarks without restraint. 

But when Rachel later found out she had failed a job interview and was feeling devastated, Ross immediately took the hint and forfeited. 

If it had been Monica in his place? 

Forfeiting even when she could win? 

Not a chance. 

She would have won first and then done her best to comfort Rachel. 

Losing was simply not an option—ever. 

Just like in the original timeline when Monica told Chandler: "Honey, once you marry me, you'll never win again." 

However, unlike detestable gambling addicts, Monica valued relationships deeply. She was capable of controlling her gambling urges—or rather, her compulsions—for the sake of love and friendship. 

For instance, in the original timeline, she put aside her need for cleanliness and order to take Rachel to an eye appointment, even when Rachel purposely made a mess in the apartment to provoke her. 

Of course, Monica did instruct Chandler to clean up immediately. 

But even if Chandler hadn't been around to do her bidding, Adam believed Monica would have still prioritized helping Rachel over her own obsessive need for order. 

And the intervention proved it. 

It was obvious Monica was struggling to hold back, but she was holding back. 

"I hate Las Vegas!" Monica shouted. 

Adam turned to Rachel. "And what about you? Still mad at Ross?" 

"I don't have time to be mad at him," Rachel huffed, though her tone suggested otherwise. 

"What happened?" Adam asked with a smirk. "Ross isn't here—we can roast him all we want." 

"I don't even know," Rachel said, clearly frustrated. "I just feel like Ross doesn't care about me as much as he used to. He yells at me all the time now! Can you imagine him doing that before?" 

"Heh." 

Adam chuckled. "That's it?" 

"There's more!" Rachel leaned in, clearly eager to vent. "You guys won't believe this—he counts during… you know… And right before we left for Vegas, I overheard him doing it. When I confronted him, he denied it!" 

"What?!" 

Monica momentarily forgot all about resisting her gambling urges, completely stunned by Rachel's revelation. 

"298 times!" 

Rachel covered her forehead in exasperation. "What kind of failure counts that?!" 

"O—M—G!" 

Monica gasped, covering her ears. "I can't listen to this! I don't want to listen to this!" 

And with that, she quickly made her escape. 

"So," Adam asked with a smirk, "what do you think now?" 

He didn't comment further. 

There was no denying it—women's intuition was scary accurate. 

Ross before dating Rachel? Sweet, considerate, endlessly gentle. 

Ross after dating Rachel? At first, still the same—but as time passed, he slowly transformed into a walking rage machine. 

His museum eventually fired him for having anger issues, and that wasn't without reason. 

And that number—298—explained everything. 

It was like when Sheldon used pure math to determine whether Penny was a slut—numbers don't lie. 

The same logic applied to Ross and Rachel. 

Let's break it down: 

Ross and Rachel were officially together for about a year (365 days). Early on, they had missed opportunities due to circumstances, so let's deduct 5 days. 

Then, factor in Rachel's monthly cycle (7 days × 12 months = 84 days). 

And other interruptions like being sick, visiting family, vacations, work, or just not being in the mood (roughly another 7 days × 12 months = 84 days). 

That leaves: 365 - 5 - 84 - 84 = 192 available days. 

Now, 298 / 192 ≈ 1.6 times per day. 

Or, 298 / 52 weeks = ~5.7 times per week, nearly 6 times per week. 

Meaning, Ross barely gave Rachel a single day off each week. Whenever possible, it was constant, relentless "output." 

For comparison, an average couple has intimate moments two or three times a week—around 100 to 150 times per year. 

Compared to that, Ross's approach was practically "996 culture" in the bedroom. 

So, was it any surprise that, after a year of this, Ross no longer treated Rachel like a goddess? 

After all, when something becomes too abundant—like money—it stops feeling special. 

And let's not forget, Ross had complicated feelings toward Rachel. He adored her, but he also resented her. In high school, he even co-founded an "I Hate Rachel" club with her ex, Chip, and personally came up with the idea. 

Even guys like Leonard and Howard, known for being desperate, never kept count like that. 

Ross's behavior definitely pointed to some deeper psychological issues. 

Was he obsessed with making the most of the opportunity, fearing it would disappear? 

Or did his overindulgence lead him to emotionally burn out early? 

It was terrifying to think about. 

Of course, Adam wasn't about to say any of this out loud. 

Otherwise, Ross would probably never speak to him again. 

Phoebe once dated a psychologist who analyzed everyone so thoroughly that they all ended up furious. 

Nobody likes having their dark side exposed. 

And Ross was no exception. 

That didn't mean he wasn't a great friend—most people have hidden flaws, even ones they don't realize themselves. 

Besides, Adam had no right to judge… 

(End of Chapter)