Chapter 2 A Kitten Had Just Humiliated Me

• [KHALI]
• ~Flashback~
• "You seriously don't want to date that girl?” Steven, one of the Casino dealers and also my friend asked me. He's always nice to any girl, but he's a womanizer. This handsome blonde guy’s face and charisma always gets those girls on their knees. I just shook my head, ignoring his stupid questions.
• "Dude, that's a hot chick right there! You're dumb if you don't know she's hitting on you", he added. He keeps on insisting that I should date all the girls whose been hitting on me. For the love of god, promiscuity is not my thing.
• "Steven, I don't have a time for those things. Now let's just get back to work, shall we?" I left him standing by the poker table and walked back to my post.
• L Hotels and Casino is my kingdom, this is where I get all the fun but guess what? Girls are not part of the fun. I find cards, numbers, money, and the booze as fun and exciting for me. I like girls but I'm not the type of person who would just fall for someone whom I just met in the Casino, because I know people who come here just want a temporary fun in their lives, trying to escape their reality. I know that very well because I've heard enough of their stories over and over while they're trying to get some information about me, but I never gave them any. I just listen to them. Besides, I don’t think they will understand my preference when it comes to sex.
• Girls aside, majority of the people are here for the real fun and games. Some wins, many loses. Those who lost in the game, mostly come back, hoping to recoup. I've been working here for 5 years and I've seen lots of things. Illegal organizations, syndicate, politicians, high ranking officials in the government, they all come here. Many people got addicted to gambling. The extreme degree is that one has to sell his /her property, borrows money, so he/she can come back here and try again.
• Playing in the casino requires a tough decision making, if you let your emotions, and pride conquer you, you'll probably lose everything. If you're wise enough and you know when to stop and go, you can still save yourself from bankruptcy or even win the game without much losses.
• The table is always full whenever it's my schedule so it means it's a long game and we're going to use 6 decks of cards for this game. Everyone already placed their bets and I started placing down the cards on the table. Whenever I'm in the game, I always make sure I won't lose my focus because I don't like making mistakes. Funny, that all the players are girls. Not a surprise for me, but I noticed the brunette sitting in the middle. A new face.
• "Welcome to L Hotels and Casino ma'am", I greeted her. She was a bit surprised but eventually nodded in response. She’s wearing a black sleeveless dress that shows her smooth and milky skin. The neckline was showing a prominent part of her cleavage that I never failed to notice.
• "New here?" I asked.
• "Yeah", she answered briefly.
• "Hey Khali, give me a winning card, baby", the girl next to the brunette said. It's Mich. Ever since, she's been hitting on me and she's a regular here. She's the daughter of the Mayor and she doesn't care about the money she spends. Her mom is a Japanese so she probably got her features from her mom. Her smile is also cute but that's not enough to make my heart flutter.
• "Let's see baby", I smirked and she winked at me. I don't want to hook up with any of the girls here but it doesn't mean that I don't give them entertainment. I still need to be polite and nice to them because they are players who spend lots and lots of money.
• We're already in the middle of the game and I'm noticing the brunette who has been drinking often and also losing. Does she even know how to play? She's almost tipsy and this is one of the biggest mistake that a player shouldn't do. Never get drunk while playing, because there's a high chance you'll lose focus in the game.
• "Ma'am you're out of chips. I'm sorry, may I know your name?" I asked her.
• "You're talking to me?!" She almost shouted and I find it weird but amusing at the same time.
• "Yeah, I'm talking to you. Do you still want to bet?" I asked.
• "Of course! Here, a thousand dollars", she pulled out some cash and slumped it on the table. I raised my brows. It’s as if she’s trying to impress everyone with her money. I just nodded then changed her cash into chips.
• "Girl, you're already wasted. Go home!" Another player on the right told the girl.
• "No, you go home. I’m still having fun here", she snapped at the girl and I find her attitude a little amusing.
• Any person would appreciate this brunette’s beauty. She’s cute and her fluffy cheeks and seductive cat-like eyes were attractive enough to make me falter a bit. Wait. Did I just say seductive? I just ignored those thoughts and continued to observe her. Her outfit looks sexy on her, and I can tell she's not a typical woman. She's wearing Chanel earrings and her long hair was pony-tailed perfectly. As I eyed her more, I find her intimidating in a way, but that doesn't make me fret. Of course. I'm Khali Luciano, no one makes me fret. I can see her lips curling in annoyance to the girl who kept on telling her to go home. Cute.
• I started laying the cards on the table and she got 11. I have 10. She gestured to double down, and so I laid another card horizontally. The card is 9 of hearts so she got a total of 20. I was going to flip my card when she held out her hand so I stopped.
• "Wanna bet? If that card is a low valued card, you'll be mine", she challenged me. I furrowed my brows and I felt disappointed. I was expecting her to be different from other girls but I was wrong.
• "Hey bitch! That's not fair! Khali is mine", Mich shouted.
• "Excuse me? She's never yours!" Another girl shouted. The security was attentive and has been informed with the situation but I signaled them to wait.
• "Girls, calm down, please. Calm down", I told them. The exchange of insults continued, and I’m thankful that they all behaved after I told them to stop. I turned my attention back to the girl with feline eyes. Those eyes were indeed mesmerizing but I won’t let her deceive me.
• "Ma'am, I'm sorry but we only bet chips here", I told her, but then she held out her hand again, causing me to halt from flipping the card.
• "How about if that card is a high-valued card, I'll give you a million dollar cash", everyone gasped on their seats, nevertheless I wasn't impressed at all. I sighed and thought of considering her offer but I want to change the mechanics. She looks so wasted and I could use that as an advantage. I can convince her.
• "How about, you beat me in 3 rounds, and we’ll see", I smirked. She paused to think for a bit. I was hoping for her to accept my offer. There's only a small chance of me winning this round, and much smaller chance for this card to be a high-valued card.
• "Nah! Let's make it simple. If I win this round then you're mine", she challenged me again. I pursed my lips inwardly and suck in some air slowly before I exhaled sharply. Fuck!
• My card is 10. I'll be lucky if I got an A or a low valued card and, then I'll just keep hitting until I get 21. But there's a high chance I'll get busted if I do that. I can't risk my reputation on this bet.
• "No", I disagreed. Her insulting snort and laugh dragged my patience to the edge. I clenched my jaw as I find her laugh irritating yet attractive. How dare she make fun of me!
• "So you admit that you’re not the best in this game?" She’s pushing my buttons, and I’m falling for it.
• "Khali don't listen to her, just continue with the game. Can you call the security?" Mich shouted, already losing her patience. I gritted my teeth and ready to flip the card but uncertainty prevented me to do so. I was literally sweating, but I wanted to keep my cool. I am definitely in a precarious situation here. I breathed out and closed my eyes. My reputation is on the line.
• "Alright. If I win this round, you're not allowed to come back here ever again. And if you win, okay, I'll agree with your condition", I told her.
• "What? Are you crazy?" Another girl shouted. Steven was listening at the other table, probably laughing his ass off right now and that pissed me off.
• "Yes! That's the fun I'm looking for!" The annoying kitten cheered and I inhaled deeply before I flipped the card. It's 7. My hands were trembling and I felt like I ran a mile as I breathed out. No one has ever made me feel like this. I swear, I'll make her pay. When I realized that the card I flipped was 7, I unconsciously released a hiss and silently cursed. I should have agreed with her first condition. 7 counts as 0 in card points. She didn't give any condition about getting 0 value. Shit! I can see her smirk from across to where I’m standing.
• "I guess you want to hit?" She suggested teasingly. If only I can hit a kitten in the face instead. I took another card, and I was silently praying that it will be 3 or 4. I was holding my breath and I flipped it. I can hear the gasps and whines of the girls around me. I felt like my world crumbled into pieces.
• "Fuck!" I got 6. I lost. I fucking lost.
• "So, you're mine now", she stood up and placed a calling card on the table. I can only ball my fist, silently hoping that all of this is just a nightmare, and that tomorrow I'll be waking up, realizing that this girl with feline eyes and chubby cheeks is just a product of my imagination. That's what I wished for, but it's real! Fucking real! A newcomer had just humiliated me in front of these people.
• "Call me tomorrow. Don’t ever try to run away. I can still find you", she winked and blew me a kiss, then started to walk away from the table.
• "I can't believe this! I've been here for a year and that newbie got you in just an hour?!" Mich whined and walked out. I closed my eyes and massaged my temple.
• "Sorry girls! Khali is now taken!" Steven spoke beside me and swung his arm around my shoulder but I was quick to shove it away due to annoyance. I hate it when someone’s making fun of me. He just chuckled and tapped my shoulder.
• Tell me, this is just a dream! Can someone fucking slap me in the face?! I can't believe this!
• "This is so fucked up!"
• Steven took the calling card from the table and started reading it out loud.
• "Jane Terranova, CEO of JT Telecom. Wow! You got yourself a young, sexy, sizzling hot CEO!" He patted my shoulder again and I just shoved him away. I wasn’t even impressed at all. I don’t care if she’s the daughter of the Prime Minister or if she’s the most famous woman in the world. All I care is my reputation, and now my reputation has been tainted.