Love Began with the First Meeting

"If you had wanted Edgar Gu to win the game, then I would've let him win the game. I swear!" He answered Molly's question slowly right after he came back from his earlier train of thoughts. Looking at her incredulous expression, he sneered,"Edgar Gu is too conceited. He thinks the sun comes up just to hear him crow. True, he made a good record during his time in the military. Hitting all the bull's-eyes of moving targets, one kilometer away, during wild gusts of wind is no mean achievement. That I agree. Nobody may even come close to his record in the foreseeable future. But believe me, when it comes to cards and street-smarts, Edgar doesn't know shit from Shinola. He thought that he had seen the sequence of the cards the dealer had shuffled."

With a little more thought, Brian added,"Well, he might have seen the cards, so he didn't cut the deck." Talking about that game with Edgar earlier that night, Brian squinted, as if adjusting to light. Strong, scornful emotions showing on his face as he picked up his line,"But, Edgar forgot one important thing. That is, every casino plays its own game!"

With every word of his, Molly's heart sank as she considered the truth of it all. The winner of the game had already been determined. That Brian was the winner and Edgar was the loser. Despite the fact, Molly felt like the game hadn't been over yet while she was listening to Brian's explanation of the game.

A gambler would probably lose nine games out of ten bets.

That was how every casino played the game.

All the gamblers were well aware of that, but they always had a fluky mindset, thinking that they'd be lucky in the next game. They didn't realize the fact that luck was always on the casino's side.

Looking at Molly, who was now apparently immersed in contemplation, Brian grinned with delight. Sometimes, Molly was smart. 'She isn't dumb. She can gather the whole picture from those little details easily, ' he thought.

Suddenly he drew close to Molly, kissed her on the face and briefly got excited when he sensed her body stiffen in fear. Cold beads of sweat started to form on her now pallid face as she considered this invasion of her personal space. But Brian just stood there, an insulting playful look in his eyes. Not in the slightest way minding how his actions got Molly terrified, he whispered in a husky, attractive voice,"Molly, you said that you wanted me to win the game, so... I dealt off the bottom. I cheated!" At those words, he stood there, neither moving nor touching her. He breathed like an asthmatic bulldog who couldn't find his inhaler.

warmed Molly's neck. But, it was drowned out by her shock at Brian's admission of dealing off the bottom.

your chance as a cardsharp in any other casino, except the Grand Night Casino. If anyone dared cheat there, as sure

Brian in the slightest. Instead, he just stood there, grinning like a Cheshire cat with eyes still

Molly's ear again,"Well? Are you worrying about me? Are

stared at Brian's teasing face. She clenched her fists and roared in anger,"Are you crazy? Aren't you worried

easily read all her thoughts and emotions coursing through her mind. Without a shadow of doubt, he could tell that she was honestly worried

be better for you if I were dead? Then you would be able to leave and claim your freedom earlier. Right?" he said in a playful, flippant voice, yet a hint of coldness was perceptible from

at Brian, she said coldly,"I won't get my freedom and

did you mean that... I was getting my happiness through your sufferings?" The smile on his face fizzled out like a fade-out at the movies, bringing back the now all too familiar cruel aura, mean and piercing like a

suddenly realized that they had drifted far away from

to warrant putting your life on the line?" Shifting her

the panic he sensed all over her poor soul. Watching the wretchedness of other mortals gave him that exhilarating feeling. But now with Molly, it was somewhat complicated. He sometimes felt a tinge of inexplicable sympathy towards her. That mixture of feelings was something he couldn't quite