1 CHAPTER 1

A stylish woman in a black dress blends in among these celebrities, carefully observing her surroundings. So far she hasn't seen any problems in her immediate vicinity. Seeing this, she relaxed a bit and got her drink. The woman can see everyone having fun tonight. In particular, that's because the Six Aces Casino is hosting an event to celebrate its upcoming anniversary.

Suddenly, she heard a loud cheer from the table in the middle of the room. Curious, the woman approached the table to see what was going on. Looking at the poker table, the woman could see a man in the middle of the crowd, who was also accompanied by shady men who were probably his bodyguards. Or his friends? Many high-value chips piled up on the table too. He seems to be winning every round.

"This is bad! At this rate, the house will surely lose money," cried one of the onlookers.

'Hey. Looks like someone got too lucky tonight.'

"Are you playing nice tonight?" the woman suddenly asked as she approached the man at the table.

"I'm so lucky tonight, that's all," he replied to the woman, collecting chips on the table.

"Okay, I want to try playing with you tonight." the beautiful woman replied, sitting on the vacant seat in front of him.

"And what exactly is your reason?"

"I just wanted to make my first match here unforgettable," the woman replied to him, taking off her fox fur coat, so she could sit comfortably. "Don't worry, one of my friends once told me that I wasn't good at poker."

"Then why are you challenging me now?"

"I want to spend all my money tonight."

The man stared at her in silence. The people behind him whispered something in his ear. She suspects they are debating whether to accept her challenge. Suddenly, the man smiles at her with his businesslike look.

"Okay. I accept your challenge, young lady."

"That's what I am talking about!"

The woman speaks to the pit boss and he walks away. When he returned, the pit boss had a box containing many special gold chips.

"I'll use it tonight," the woman in black explains to the man in front of her and shows them the gold chips.

When the man saw the pieces of gold chips, she could see the sheer shock in his eyes.

"How much are these chips?" he asked.

"Two million dollars each," the pit boss told him.

"Two million dollars!?" he yelled in surprise.

Because a lot of money was at stake at their table, a large crowd of onlookers gathered around their table.

'Good. Now there are many spectators.'

Then the woman moves a little to make sure she's comfortable in her seat.

"Shall I explain the rules to both of you?" asked the banker.

"We don't need that. Let's get started!" The man excitedly exclaimed.

"Okay, this is an unlimited game." The woman said with a shrug.

Then their game of poker began.

First, the woman won every round. It's because the man will fold his cards before she can have a chance to place her cards on the table. It's not that she cares too much. However, it is also impressive that he keeps smiling even after repeating the losing streak.

Just then, as if the tables had turned, it was the woman who kept losing. The chips she earned from her previous wins are now on the men's side. When she drew a total of five cards from the deck, the man suddenly spoke to her.

"Would you like to bet all your money on this round so that we can leave early tonight?" he asked.

"Okay." The woman simply replied.

Then they all push the chips on their side in the middle of the table. Whoever wins will bring all that money tonight. Eager to win, the man placed the card he was holding on the table.

Royal Flush.

"I win! I win!!!" The man suddenly cheered.

The people standing behind that man are all congratulating him. Everyone can see on their faces how happy they are about the result. But soon, they all stopped cheering when the woman in the black dress suddenly laughed. The people present around them thought she was getting crazy after losing a lot of money that night.

"Why are you laughing?" the man asked.

"I'm laughing at your stupidity, mister." The woman replied.

But before the man can show a reaction, the woman places the cards she's holding on the table.

Five of a kind—Four Aces and one Joker.

"H-How…"

"It's my win tonight." The woman said with a delighted smile on her lips.

The man looked at the banker with mixed anger and shock on his face.

"What is this?! Why is there a wild card on the deck?!"

The banker quickly explained that it is a special effect that is activated every time a player enters the casino to play for the first time and makes them feel comfortable.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! IT IS NOT MY FIRST TIMEㅡ"

Once he noticed the woman sitting in front of him, his mad shouting suddenly stopped.

'I guess he still has a brain, after all.'

She had already mentioned earlier that it was her first time playing at Six Aces Casino. Automatically, their special effects are activated for their game tonight. She already knows the rules of this casino, but the woman never played there in the past. After all, she was just here to do some business before.

Raging, the man suddenly climbs from the table and grabs the gun he always keeps in his breast pocket. His friends are also throwing havoc and throwing and flipping everything they see like chairs and tables. Because of this chaos, the guests are now screaming and running outside the establishment to save themselves. The man points his gun at the woman while glaring at her. However, the woman didn't respond. She is still sitting on her chair, calmly watching the unfolding scenes right before her eyes.

"He asked us if we wanted to hear the rules, but you were too quick to say no," she replied in truth.

"Shut up! You're a liar!"

"Why? Because I told you that I'm a loser when it comes to poker? Well, it's just a joke. So you actually believe it?" She mockingly asked him.

"You'll pay for that!"

"Is this the signal for me to interfere?"

The woman glanced at the man who was now standing behind her.

"You had better do a great job tonight or else, I might accidentally throw your body into the deepest part of the ocean."

As he heard this, Akito, one of her closest friends as well as a member of her organization, immediately called her men. They were just waiting outside this room for their signal. They quickly dealt with those guys, and while watching them, she could tell that it was just a child's play for them. No need to use much force to defeat those pests.

After some minutes, Akito is now holding the man in his arms. He can't even bulge a bit under his strong grip. When she gets bored with these scenes, the woman gets up from her seat and puts on her coat again. Before the woman can walk past them, the man suddenly calls her.

"Who the hell are you?!"

Facing him, the beautiful woman gave him a small smile that made him shiver a bit.

'That's right. You should be shivering in fear now that I have you in my hands.'

"I-I'm a-asking you! W-Who are you?!"

Instead of answering him, the woman raised her right hand enough for him to see the details of the ring she was wearing on her thumb. As soon as he saw the ring, his face turned white.

"T-The F-Fujimoto's... T-The S-Silver T-Tigers... S-So y-you're t-their... N-No... I-It can't be...!"

"So you are aware of my identity." The woman said. "That's right. I am that person you are thinking about right now. Thank goodness you didn't notice that my group was watching you. As expected, you made this task so easy for me. Well, instead of wasting your time asking me a lot of questions, why don't you start praying for your useless trash life now, yes?"

She gave him a sweet smile and walked out of the casino. The woman elegantly steps out of the hotel. A black car is already waiting for her outside. Seeing their boss, the driver quickly opens the back door of the car. Before she can get inside the car, her smartphone rings.

Fishing out her phone from her purse, the woman raised an eyebrow, seeing a familiar name flashing on her phone screen. Nevertheless, she answered the call.

"Hi, Ace!" She chirped in a sing-song way.

(Still calling me that?)

Even though she can't see him right now, this woman can still picture the famous smirk plastered on his face.

"Why? Want me to be so formal with you now? I guess I need to practice calling you by your full name."

(Don't bother. It will just be a waste of time.)

She softly laughed when she heard his explanation. This prideful man will never admit it, but he likes it whenever she calls him Ace. After all, his ego is higher than any building in the whole wide world.

"So why do you suddenly call me? Don't tell me that you missed me?" She teased.

She heard him scoffing on the other line before answering her.

(Don't be silly. I'm calling you because I want to offer you a job.)

"A job? What is it?"

Because it was getting chilly, she decided to ride in the car, and the driver carefully closed the back door. Her interest is piqued as they discuss the job he wants to offer.

"Hmm... Maybe I should go back to our city, so we can discuss it better in detail?"

(It's better that way. So when are you planning to fly back here?)

"Tomorrow. Besides, my business is finished right now, so I have nothing to do here in New York. I can say that your call was a blessing in disguise."

(...What business?)

"I will tell you when I arrive there. Okay?" She said, avoiding the topic nonchalantly.

(Fine. Just tell me when and I'll fetch you.)

"Sure. I need to leave now. See you in a few days, Ace. Or should I say... Mr. Lim?"

She heard him sighing softly, which made her giggle. He really hates it whenever she acts formally with him. She ended the call after a few minutes. She leans her back on the leather seat of the car before sighing.

"Maybe it's time for me to go back to that place, huh?" She whispers to herself as she watches the moving scenery through the window.