Over the next three rounds, the atmosphere at the table had changed.

It started small.

Players who had been making standard decisions began hesitating, glancing at Neville before acting.

Not because he told them to, but because his ’hunches’ seemed to match all the time.

When Neville implied that the shoe was running hot, it ran hot. When he implied caution, the next card was always a high card.

Bryan was no fool; he noticed it too. His eyes began flicking between Neville and Lilianna.

He didn’t say anything and simply began following Neville’s not-so-subtle suggestions without being asked.

Julius, who was the first one to notice, narrowed his eyes. He looked at the shoe, at Lilianna’s hands, then at Neville, who was abruptly stopped by Grayson’s glare.

He quickly turned away and said nothing, waiting.

Even Ciel, who was obliviously playing like a madman, paused mid-sip of his drink and glanced around.

Helena played on, seemingly oblivious.

The tension built, prickling against the skin.

And then Neville suddenly stopped playing nice.

In the next round, Neville was dealt a ten and an ace.

A natural Blackjack.

The table paid out, but Lilianna’s smile looked strained. Her dealing hand paused for a beat too long before sweeping away the cards.

She turned over her own hand.

A king and a queen.

Twenty.

"Nice pull," she said, her voice light.

The round after that, Neville split a pair of aces and drew a ten on each.

Two blackjacks from one hand.

The odds of that, with a newly shuffled shoe, were high.

Lilianna dealt herself a ten and a jack. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Twenty.

Bryan’s eyebrow twitched.

Ciel laughed out loud and slapped the felt. "Is this guy serious right now?"

Lilianna’s jaw tightened.

Her inner voice said, don’t bite into the obvious trap!

Her pupils dilated slightly, not listening to anything it says anymore.

The next round came, and Neville looked at his first card.

A six.

His second card slid across the felt.

A five.

Eleven.

Neville doubled down without hesitation. "Double."

The double-down card came face up.

It was a ten.

Twenty-one.

Another Blackjack.

Lilianna stared at the card.

Then at the shoe.

Then at Neville.

She turned her own cards.

A ten and a ten.

Twenty again.

Twenty for the third time in three consecutive rounds.

The table had gone quiet.

Lilianna stood behind the dealer’s station, her manicured fingers curled into the green felt so tightly that the tendons in her wrists stood out.

’Calm down. Be patient. We still have to do our mission!’

Her inner voice sounded urgent as it called out to her. She even agreed with it somewhere in her rational mind.

But it was too late.

Something had snapped; her smile was gone.

Lilianna leaned forward and slammed the table, making it glitch.

"How dare you cheat on my table!" She shouted, eyes bloodshot.

Pete, who had just come back, was talking with Chronos and Iris, and looked up.

Thiago paused halfway to pressing the message his wife had sent.

Even Sarah, who had been dozing against the plush armrest after having too many cocktails, snapped upright. Her bleary eyes widened, the cocktail haze burning off in an instant.

Chronos raised an eyebrow, thinking, finally snapping?

Every eye in the room turned to the blackjack table.

Ciel looked around with startled confusion. He glanced at the faces of the other players, then at the spectators, then back again, his face scrunching.

Is there something else going on that I’m not aware of?

He turned to Julius for clarification.

Julius looked at Ciel, and without a word, he raised one finger to his lips and made a sharp zipping gesture across his mouth.

Shut. Up.

Ciel’s mouth clicked shut.

As the person in question, Neville blinked. He looked at Lilianna, whose chest was heaving in anger.

Then, he calmly swiveled in his chair and looked up at Grayson, who stood behind him.

Neville’s eyes went comically wide. One slender finger rose and pointed at his own chest.

Who, me?

The gesture looked so real that Grayson almost believed it.

But his baffled expression made Helena hesitant to take action.

Bryan, who could see everyone at the table from his seat, pressed his lips together so hard they turned white.

Whether he was suppressing a laugh or bracing for the drama was anyone’s guess.

Lilianna forced air through her teeth, calming herself.

"Grayson, seriously?"

She didn’t look at Neville. Her gaze locked onto Grayson standing behind Neville.

"Are we actually doing this? This is a blatant, disgusting insult to everyone in this room. And you know it too."

Neville tilted his head. His gaze drifted from Lilianna to Grayson and back again, a furrow appearing between his brows.

I am the one you’re accusing of cheating. Why are you calling out to Grayson?

Grayson did not look at Lilianna as he said in an indifferent tone, "Careful with your words, Lilianna Gringer."

Meaning: I am choosing to remain silent, and you should be grateful for that choice.

Neville’s brow twitched.

Full name basis? That’s... weird.

When Neville looked up, he met Grayson’s soft gaze. Then he felt Grayson’s hand come up and land on his head. His fingers threaded through the hazel-brown strands tenderly.

His actions made Bryan raise one eyebrow, and Ciel, who was close to them, made a comical face of disgust.

Then, Grayson leaned down. His lips brushed the shell of Neville’s ear, his warm breath brushed against the shell of his ear.

"Go ahead." He whispered.

But to Neville, it felt like he had finally been given permission to bite the cake that was presented in front of him for a long time without being able to eat.

His wide eyes sparkled in mischief. His lips curved into a Cheshire smile.

When Neville turned back to the table, it was all gone. He reached up and adjusted his glasses with his middle finger—a gesture so casual that only someone who was paying close attention would notice he used his middle finger.

He settled into his chair, crossed one leg over the other, and restrained himself from appearing like someone who was about to enjoy himself.

Time to put on a show.