As the game went on, Blake and Rose continued to win each round.
What set Rose apart was her ability to make Blake shine. Every strategic move, every successful play, she credited to him. It was as if he were the virtuoso, and she, the silent conductor guiding his brilliance.
Rose's nods of approval, subtle touches on Blake's hand, and the occasional whispered suggestion all played into this artful charade.
The men at the table, initially perplexed by Rose's quiet dominance, began to underestimate her influence. They failed to recognize the invisible threads she wove, manipulating the outcome in their favor.
The more Rose directed the game, the more Blake's prowess stood out. It was a delicate dance of control, where Rose held the strings but allowed Blake to bask in the spotlight.
Even when they won, Rose didn't gloat. Instead, she gracefully acknowledged Blake's skill, letting him revel in the accolades. Her gestures were calculated, creating an illusion of Blake's individual brilliance while she remained the silent force behind their success.
Whispers went on around the table about the new duo.
The guy in green Shirt leaned back to talk to his partner, he whispered; "This guy is unbelievable. How does he keep winning?"
"And the lady? She's like a silent storm" his friend, red Hat guy said with a grumble.
Green Shirt guy then muttered to Red Hat guy, " I don't get it. We used to run this table!!"
Red Hat guy l whispered back "Look at her. She's got some kind of hold on him,"
Just then, another round had been won by Blake and Rose. The frowns on the faces of the men mirrored their annoyance at the sudden turn the game had taken.
Rose with a sly smile said; "Luck favors the bold,"
As the tension thickened, Rose's whispers continued, and Blake's success at the table became even more apparent. The other players exchanged puzzled glances, grappling with the mystery of this unexpected duo.
The two friends, one in a green shirt and another in a red hat, had been dominating the blackjack table before the arrival of Blake and Rose. Their popularity dwindled as the newcomers consistently outplayed them.
Green Shirt whispering to red hat guy said " This is ridiculous. We used to own this table,"
Grimacing, the red heart guy whispered back " Yeah, who are these two?"
Rose, seemingly impervious to their murmurs, continued her unflinching gaze at the cards. Blake, on the other hand, felt the weight of the growing tension.
" Lucky guy. Having a lady like that by your side," the green shirt guy initiated a conversation in a rather sarcastic tone, this time he was no longer whispering with his friends.
But it made little difference anyways, Rose had heard all their conversations, even the tiny whispers.
Blake awkwardly smiling said, "Yeah, she's good at this," he didn't find it right to take any of the credit when he barely did anything.
He knew the right moves but with the amount of times Rose had turned out to be right while they played, he was inclined to now consult her before he made a move.
A third guy on the table that had been biting his nails since said, "Good? You two are cleaning up,"
"I bet he's cheating with her or something," the green shirt guy said to his friend who nodded in agreement.
"Probably. No way they're this lucky," the red hat guy said.
Rose, overhearing the comments, shot a cold glance at the friends. Her silence spoke volumes, a subtle warning not to underestimate her.
Green Shirt now more audacious said ," How about a little bet? Winner gets a dance with the lady," he said with a sly grin.
His friend was quick to jump in to support the brilliant idea, "Yeah, put your money where your mouth is," he said, tapping his friend as they both chuckled.
The elaborate plan was to take both Blake's money and his woman, the beautiful mask wearing Rose.
The ultimate insult it would be had that been the case.
Rose remained stoic, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly, as if daring them to proceed.
Blake trying to diffuse the situation said "I think we should just stick to the game,"
Green Shirt guy completely ignored Blake and went on to say, facing Rose only, "Come on, sweetheart, what do you say? A dance with any of us if we win??"
Rose without blinking her eyes said " If you're so eager to lose more money, go ahead,"
The tension reached its peak, and the atmosphere grew charged with a mix of competition and underlying hostility.
The game was on and this time the friends and other men on the table were very serious. Too much was on the line. At the moment, both men had just maxed out their credit already. So they were basically relying on this one game to get back something.
As the cards continued to be dealt, Rose's quiet dominance and Blake's rising success only fueled the discontent among the friends at the table.
The subtle power play unfolded in every move, with the friends becoming increasingly desperate to reclaim control over the game and the attention of the strange woman in red.
Green Shirt guy came with yet another proposal, "Double or nothing?!" Desperation in his voice. Blake was going to pull out but Rose looked at the two men, sensing their vulnerability and tapped Blake to give in and entertain them.
"Humor them a bit, mmph?" Rose said to Blake.
Blake at this point was already confident they couldn't lose. Not with Rose doing all the work, "Sure, why not?"
The game unfolded with a mix of dread and frustration. The men were now biting their teeth with every turn. While Rose's subtle maneuvers continued guided Blake through.
Red Hat guy already exasperated said next ; "I can't believe we're losing again,"
Green Shirt eyeing rose said "There's something off about her. It's like she's controlling the whole game,"
The whispers of discontent grew louder, but Rose and Blake remained unshaken.
After lots of failures and everyone quitting the game to avoid losing all their money, Blake felt super happy about the big win they had tonight.
He couldn't believe how crazy these guys were to gamble so much.
He saw Rose give a little nod to the dealer, an older guy with really white skin who packed up his cards and cleared his table, smiled back at Rose, making Blake wonder if the two knew each other.
'We've won so much we even made a fan out of the dealer,' Blake thought, observing Rose and the dealer.
Rose turned to him with a look like, "Come on, admit it, I was right," or maybe he just couldn't read her again.
"You were kinda right. Taking risks can be worth it sometimes," Blake admitted.
Deciding the night was over, Rose signaled it was time to leave. They left the casino the same way they came.
It was way past midnight, and it was freezing outside. But Rose seemed totally unbothered by the cold.
Back inside, towards the end of the game, Rose had sensed things getting tense and called her personal driver to pick her up.
Surprisingly, the driver was already around the corner when they stepped out. This time, it was the familiar Rose Royce, with the usual driver behind the wheel.
But strangely, when they got in the car, the driver just stared at the road without moving.
"My lord, there seems to be a problem," the driver said to Rose.
"Fuel?" Rose asked, but before she could figure out what was going on, gunshots started hitting the car.