003. Just One Game, The Last Game!

As an agent born and raised by former Soviet intelligence officers, Black Widow had been trained in a wide array of skills from a young age. Now, as she watched John Doe, she couldn't help but be intrigued. There was something about him that didn't seem quite ordinary.

"Alright," Black Widow agreed, signaling to the croupier to deal the cards once more.

This time, the croupier, determined to ensure Black Widow's victory, decided to stack the deck in her favor, giving her a full blackjack. During the shuffle, they discreetly marked the back of five specific cards meant for Black Widow. The marks were subtle enough not to be noticed by the crowd.

Once everything was ready, the croupier gave Black Widow a confident nod. Black Widow took a deep breath, her mind focused on one thing: I have to win back the money I lost. That's my mission fund!

With renewed determination, she looked across the table at John and declared, "500,000."

John smiled, unfazed. "I'll match it." Then, as if on second thought, he added, "Oh, and let's throw in another $200 for fun."

Black Widow raised an eyebrow, the corners of her mouth curling up into a smirk. "Don't worry," she teased, "I'll let you keep your underwear."

She let John reveal his hand first. The crowd leaned in with anticipation as John flipped his cards. The total? 20.

The onlookers gasped in disbelief and began murmuring amongst themselves.

"His luck is unbelievable. Could he be cheating?"

"No way, he hasn't even touched the cards!"

"Maybe he's some sort of expert."

Black Widow remained unfazed by the chatter, wearing a playful expression. Slowly, she began to reveal her own cards, doing so one by one, as if drawing out the moment to toy with John.

She flipped the cards: Ace... 5... 4... 9…

John knew that one of Black Widow's greatest weapons was psychological warfare. Her reputation as a master manipulator was well-deserved. This slow reveal was her way of putting pressure on him, a tactic she often used to disarm her opponents.

In the past, this might have made him sweat, but now, John remained calm, observing her every move.

Black Widow didn't even glance at her cards as she continued to watch John intently, her confident gaze unwavering. Finally, she revealed the last card and raised her eyebrows. "So, how's that?" she asked smugly.

John frowned, looking as if he was troubled. He took a deep breath, then said, "What a shame... just a little too much."

Black Widow's expression faltered for a moment as she processed his words. Confused, she looked down at her cards.

The sum of her first four cards was 19. If her last card had been a 2, she would have hit blackjack, no question. But to her dismay, her last card was a 3, pushing her total to 22—just over the limit.

"Impossible!" Black Widow and the croupier exclaimed simultaneously.

Black Widow's expression became tense as she turned to the dealer. The croupier, too, looked bewildered, checking the cards again. The marks were still there—each card had been correctly marked as planned.

There were only two explanations: either they had made a mistake, or the marks had failed.

The croupier silently cursed. A mistake? Impossible! I've been an agent for years, running these kinds of operations in casinos around the world. There's no way I'd make such a rookie error!

Could the marking have failed? That would be an amateur mistake too!

The croupier glanced nervously at John, feeling as though a herd of sheep was stampeding through their mind, unable to figure out what had gone wrong.

Meanwhile, John casually gathered his winnings, smiling as he remarked, "Wow, what a lucky day! I just turned $200 into a million."

Black Widow, who had initially planned to stop, seethed at his words. Fury flashed in her eyes as she took a deep breath. "One more round," she said sharply.

John looked at her, feigning hesitation. "I don't know… gambling is fun when it's small, but big bets can hurt your wallet—and your health."

Black Widow knew exactly what John was doing—he was playing hard to get. She smirked, undeterred. "Don't worry about me. I'm not scared. Are you?"

John nodded, giving in with a smile. "Alright then, just one more round."