Chapter 23
For a couple of seconds after the dice had stopped. There was a brief silence, the only sound in the room was the collective breaths of different people. Then suddenly, the crowd exploded into cheers.
"Twelve! A perfect twelve!
"Now that’s the legend for you," a man standing next to Damian sneered, while his eyes darted toward Alex with mockery.
"Everything Damian touches turns to gold. He is just too good."
"I know right? That pretty face doesn’t stand a chance at all, he is way out of his league. I an just look at him, does he seriously think soone like him can beat a person like Damian Cross? That’s impossible!"
"You’re right, Howard. Honestly, I doubt he would even be lucky enough to hit a six, let alone match a master."
Various comnts from the crowd continued to ring out from across the room, all praising Damian while mocking Alex. From their expressions alone, it was easy to see that they had already written Alex off as a lost cause.
Damian appeared indifferent to their praise, but the faint trace of a smile on his lips showed that he was quietly enjoying the attention. Next to him, Marcus was already grinning from ear to ear, completely convinced that they had it in the bag.
Nyx’s face remained unreadable but the gloom hidden within her eyes revealed that she was clearly disturbed by this.
anwhile Alex simply smiled as he heard the crowd’s words. Their mockery didn’t bother him in the slightest, if anything, it only seed to invigorate him even more.
He found their rants and mockery almost funny, the way they were so eager to bury him before he’d even reached for the dice. He couldn’t wait to see the dumbfounded expression that would mar their faces when he won. Most of all he wanted Marcus to choke on that grin.
Alex stepped forward and reached for the dice resting on the table. The ivory cube felt cool against his fingers as he picked them up, their smooth surface reflected the soft light of the chandelier hanging above the room. For a couple of seconds, he simply held them there, weighing them lightly in his palm.
Around him, the noise from the crowd had gradually died down, as everyone finally realized that it was now his turn.
The atmosphere that had been full of laughter and ridicule monts ago had begun to shift into sothing more attentive. Even those who had mocked him earlier leaned forward with curiosity, to see how this arrogant young man intended to respond to Damian’s perfect throw.
Damian himself sat back comfortably in his chair with a relaxed posture. His amused eyes remained fixed on Alex as if watching a fool try to touch the skies.
Marcus on the other hand, made no effort to hide his amusent. He folded his arm across his chest and spoke in a tone filled with mock-encouragent.
"Well then? What are you waiting for, kid? Go ahead and roll, or are you already regretting your decision?"
So people from the crowd laughed, but Alex ignored them. There was no need to respond to them, instead he will let his actions do the speaking.
He activated the profit instinct and felt the familiar presence stir within him.
Ever since discovering that strange ability, Alex had slowly begun to understand how powerful it truly was. It didn’t simply guide him toward profitable decisions. Sohow, it also seed to nudge luck into his favor in anything that involves profit.
Letting out a quiet breath, Alex shook the dice and instantly released it the mont he felt a nudge hit his mind.
The dice landed against the table with a sharp clatter, bounced once, then again, striking the edge before spinning rapidly across the glossy surface.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
The two small dice spun wildly, colliding with each other fiercely before separating again as they continued tumbling down the table. Their black dots flashed repeatedly under the lights, making it impossible to tell which number would eventually appear.
Everyone watched with anticipation, eager to see what the final result would be. Nyx was the most eager of them all. Though it didn’t show on her face, her emotions were all over the place. After Damian’s easy start, she had almost lost all hope, but now, against all odds, there was a tiny spark of hope that was fighting desperately to stay alive.
Soon, the dice began to slow down. Their chaotic spinning had gradually turned into small wobbles as friction and gravity slowly drained montum. One of the cubes struck the edge of the table and tipped onto its side before settling completely.
This ti, everyone in the crowd froze with shock. Damian’s relaxed posture stiffened with shock. Marcus’ face had turned a sickly shade of pale, like a person who had just been forced to eat shit.
And for the first ti in Alex’s life, though it was brief, he saw Nyx the domineering underworld queenpin break out into a warm genuine smile. It looked like the most beautiful thing in the world. Alex remained stunned by her beautiful smile, before snapping out of it as soon as her face went back to normal.
He felt a twinge of regret, such a beautiful face and smile was wasted on a cold ruthless woman like her.
"Impossible, how could this kid also manage to get a twelve?!" Soone hissed from behind.
"Maybe it might have been... A f-fluke." A voice responded, but it seed like even the person sounded unsure.
Across the table, Damian stood up from his seat. The confidence that had been on his face earlier on, had now completely disappeared. His eyes left the dice toward Alex, and for the first ti since he had entered the room, Damian looked genuinely interested.
"A tie. In over ten years of gambling I have never t soone who could manage to tie with . I’ll give you credit, kid. You’ve got more than just a pretty face."
Alex simply shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? Luck seems to be on my side tonight."
Marcus scoffed loudly.
"Luck? What a bunch of crap. Don’t get ahead of yourself, kid. You only managed to tie so that doesn’t an anything."
Alex glanced at him with a faint smile. There was no need to respond. Only when he crushes the so-called undefeated champion will Marcus’ spirit finally die.
...After the little outburst, Marcus slowly took a deep breath. For a mont he had allowed himself to be carried away by the emotions of the crowd. But now he had regained his composure.
The people standing closest to him instinctively lowered their heads. Though Marcus could look normal at tis, no one dared to forget who he was.
He was Marcus Gordon, one of the most powerful figures in the entire underworld, whose influence stretched far beyond the city. Marcus rested his chin against his hand as his observing eyes moved towards Alex again. This ti it looked like he was viewing Alex as sothing of a threat that needed to be studied before being eradicated.
Damian, who had noticed the subtle shift in Marcus’ behavior, beca serious now. For years he had secretly worked for Marcus in many high stake gas without the world knowing about their relationship. And he knew best how terrifying a man like Marcus could beco if soone managed to disappoint him.
"Let’s end the gas kid, I want to see whether you can manage to survive a second round."
After saying that, Damian picked the dice on the table and shook it with precise control, making the audience stunned by his hand movent. Even soone with little experience in gambling could tell that Damian was not shaking the dice randomly.
Every movent seed to carry a strange rhythm. Now Damian’s expression was no longer arrogant and relaxed, instead it beca filled with sothing more focused. Then he flicked his wrist.
They spun rapidly across the table, colliding against each other with equal force before separating again as they tumbled across the glossy surface.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
Soon their movent began to weaken. The first die struck against the other one before settling completely, revealing a five...
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