Endless Evolution: Last Star

Alexia had already lost 2 million credits, so as was usually the case, it was Louis who had to restore their balance.

Previously, no playing skills were required to participate. Anyone could play the slot machines or roulette.

Now, when they went to the poker table where the dealer was waiting for all the players to gather, the situation changed.

Adam and Alexia exchanged glances. It just so happened that there had never been a situation in their lives where they could have learned to play poker. Sure, even poker could be played blindly and without knowledge, but then the player was doomed to defeat. Such a player could only win if they were very lucky, but even if that happened, it would not happen more than once.

Step.

Louis stepped forward and sat down confidently on the left side of the table. To his right sat a middle-aged woman who, judging by her appearance and jewelry, had enough money to play poker for a long time and stay in this casino.

"Oh, it looks like I'm in for some pleasant company this time..." She purred, leaning forward. She wanted to touch Louis's hand.

Before she could do so, Louis raised his hand, stopping her so she could get a good look at his wedding ring.

"I'm sorry, but I'm busy. And, for your own safety..."

Louis nodded toward Alexia, who was already tapping her foot in annoyance. If it were up to her, she would have thrown the woman out of the room just for talking to Louis.

"I would recommend that you don't go beyond a simple conversation. After all, we have an interesting game ahead of us, I'm sure of it."

The woman glanced at Alexia, flinched at her grimace, and smiled.

"I see. It's always fiery beasts like her who get all the handsome guys."

Louis shrugged.

"I'm completely satisfied with my choice."

The woman was silent for a moment before grinning as a question came to her mind.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to know which one of you decided to take the first step? I'm not talking about a relationship, but marriage. Which one of you decided that you didn't want to wait any longer and wanted to take your partner for good?"

"Hey! What kind of questions are those?" Alexia exclaimed indignantly, waving her fist, but the woman was not intimidated. She understood that touching Louis in Alexia's presence was dangerous for her life, but a simple conversation should not be harmful.

Louis sighed deeply, remembering that day.

"I think you already know the answer. Anyone would understand based on that moment. But I'll answer anyway. It was Alexia, my partner and now my wife. As you can understand, it was a situation where I had no choice but to say yes."

"Hahaha, I knew it!" The woman laughed while Alexia stared at her intently. She hoped that if she frowned even harder, she could incinerate the woman with her gaze, as if with two lasers.

Adam, who was standing aside, was surprised.

'Damn, I could have expected something like this from Alexia. She doesn't care about traditions and social norms; she does what she wants. But... she's much more jealous than Silvana, right? Hah, so I'm lucky.'

While Louis was talking to the woman, people were approaching the table, as there would soon be no more free seats.

He turned to Adam and Silvana, as he knew Alexia definitely wouldn't be playing. She would watch from the sidelines and support him. After all, if Louis lost, they would lose all the chips they had brought with them!

"What about you two? Poker is not an easy game, but since it's a game of chance, luck still plays a big role here, not just your skill. Maybe one of you would like to try?"

"Actually..."

Silvana stepped forward, awkwardly scratching her cheek.

"I think I want to try. I know the rules, I've played a few times, but only on my laptop, not in real life at a big table."

Louis waved his hand, pointing to the last free seat to the left of the dealer.

"Here you go. Just be ready, you'll have to make the small blind."

Silvana nodded as she hurried to take her seat. She didn't want to delay the others any longer.

Adam and Alexia exchanged glances as they thought the same thing:

'Small blind? What the hell is that?'

Tap.

Before Silvana had a chance to sit down, Louis threw a chip in her direction. It wasn't orange or black, it was the purple one.

"Consider it my contribution to an interesting game," Louis explained with a slight wave of his hand.

The woman's eyes widened for a moment as she stared at the purple chip.

"Hell... You came to play big, didn't you?"

Louis smirked while Silvana examined the purple chip. If one orange chip was worth 1,000 credits and one black chip was worth 100K, then the purple one in her hands was worth 50K. In fact, it was more than three times what Adam and Silvana had even after their successful game of roulette.

Silvana glanced at Adam, who simply nodded. He trusted Louis, and in their situation, 50K wasn't a lot of money.

Although...

'This is just the beginning, right?' Adam thought, looking at the dealer who was getting ready to start the game. '50K will be the small blind, but what about the big blind? Is there even one?'

A few moments later, the dealer, a young girl with long brown hair, looked at Silvana.

"Are you ready to make the small blind?"

Silvana nodded, putting the purple chip forward.

Then, the dealer looked at the next player, a burly man with a thick beard sitting to Silvana's left. Because of their positions at the table, they were the ones who had to make the first two bets, which would determine the level of play and further risks.

"Tsk, 50K? Are you serious? Tables like this will ruin me!"

Despite his grumbling, he placed two purple chips in front of him, 100K being the big blind and the second bet in the game.

The dealer nodded, accepted the bets, and began dealing the first cards to each player.

The game began, and it was unclear what would be more important this time. Skill or luck?