Sofie handed over the 5,000 rims, her fingers trembling. It’s just luck, she told herself. It has to be.

  But the next round proved otherwise.

  The referee’s voice cut through the tense air:

  “Mr. Luke won again.”

  Round three. Round four. The words echoed like a hammer in her mind.

  Each time, she handed over another 5,000 rims, each loss heavier than the last.

  Fear gnawed at her — what if she lost again? What would she do next?

  Her heart pounded as she stared at the deck, barely able to think, barely able to breathe.

  Round five.

  Sofie couldn’t understand what was happening.

  A secret trick? Luck? Or was fate itself against her?

  Her thoughts swirled, clawing at her mind, unrelenting.

  The final round ended.

  She prayed, every fiber of her being begging for a miracle.

  But fate was cruel.

  She lost again.

  Everything. Her keycard. Her money. Her chance.

  The referee stepped forward, expressionless.

  Disqualification was about to be declared.

  But someone interrupted him.

  A voice — one the referee recognized instantly.

  His gaze snapped to the left.

  A man, wearing a mask, stood there.

  The referee’s eyes locked onto him, sharp and wary, and he muttered under his breath:

  “Not this guy… again.”

  The masked man spoke, calm but teasing, almost joking.

  “How could you do this to your best friend? You didn’t even tell me a gamble was happening here.”

  He turned to Luke (the thief).

  “You’re a genius. That game… it was awesome.”

  Then, his tone shifted, serious but playful at the same time.

  “Can you do me a favor? Play a game with me too.

  I’m ready to stake all my money… and my keycard.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  And… you put that girl’s keycard on the line too.”

  Luke (the thief) grinned to himself, mischief dancing in his eyes.

  Looks like god’s on my side — two fools in one day. Let’s finish this quickly.

  Then he faced the masked man.

  “Alright, since you’re asking so much… I’ll play a game with you.

  But on one condition: we play the same game.

  You put everything on the line at once… and I’ll do the same.

  Are you fine with my conditions?”

  The masked man replied quickly, excitement barely contained.

  “Yes! Yes! Yes! Please!”

  And just like that, the game began.

  Sofie watched, half scared, half confused, heart pounding at every move.

  The referee leaned slightly, muttering under his breath,

  “This guy… he annoys me.”

  The game began.

  Four cards were dealt to the masked guy.

  Three to Luke.

  Luke smirked.

  How dumb these people are… They’ll never learn the truth of my ability.

  I can see through the covers. X-ray vision. This is already over.

  The challenger (masked guy) now had only two cards left face down.

  It was Luke’s turn to draw.

  Through the cards, he saw them clearly —

  A Joker.

  An Ace.

  Without hesitation, he reached forward and picked the Ace.

  The referee checked.

  “No pairs.”

  Nothing around them changed. The open area buzzed as usual.

  But something inside Luke shifted.

  That meant…

  He picked the Joker.

  He quickly checked his hand.

  Aces.

  His confidence cracked for the first time.

  “Recheck,” he demanded.

  The referee checked again.

  Same result.

  Now it was the masked guy's turn.

  The challenger(masked guy) casually reached forward and picked a card.

  The referee looked down.

  “… The Challenger won.”