Matryo-ress (Volume 2)

Chapter 3 - Taking a Risk

My name is Klover Demetrus. I am 32 years old, I am a very successful man and own one the most popular casinos in the country named Greed's Gamble. I'm one of the richest people in the state because of my casino and I take pride in it. My buddies Marshall and Dom keep me occupied while I beat drunk businessmen who stay at my casino to get away from their wife, and I don't blame them. I know from experience, a wife can be a lot of trouble.

After many matches and sucking out all of the money from the pockets of my customers, I looked to Marshall who looked lost in thought.

"Hey, what's up with you?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing, boss."

"You looked like you were spacin' out there, what's the deal?"

"It's nothing, boss."

I know when this fool is lying, and this is one of those times. Marshall and I have been in some conflicts, but he's learnt his lesson every single time. I call him by his last name because it feels wrong calling him King in my territory when we all know that I'm the king around here. Dom's full name is Domino Lumiere, but I call him Dom for short. Let's just say for legal reasons that I met Dom through some back-alley business.

Tonight, the casino was packed to the brim with drunks, rich men and women, and tourists. I was seated at my personal table and my boys were sitting beside me. Just when I was about to call for a waitress to get me a drink, my lovely assistant Lulu came over to my table and set down a glass of wine in front of me. Lulu has been my assistant ever since I opened up my casino in this city, she's been a huge help for me and my boys and loves her job, despite drunk men trying to get her attention every night.

"Thank you, Lulu."

"You're very welcome, sir."

Lulu was soon called away by a man at a distant table asking for a beer and she quickly headed over to him to get his order. No one seemed to be asking me to gamble tonight, though I have played many games with many losers tonight, so I suppose I've enough losers' money for one night. I sat back in my red velvet chair and took a sip of my wine while admiring the casino I spent so long to build up into the successful creation it has become. What more could I want?

Soon, I heard a woman's laugh coming from a table nearby.

"That was such a fun gambling match! Thank you for such a wonderful game."

"You drained every last cent out of our pockets, how did you even win?!"

"You're so insane...are you addicted or something?!"

"My wife is gonna be so mad at me when she finds out a girl like you put me in debt over a single game of poker!"

I looked over to the table that all of the chattering was happening at to see a girl in a red skirt and ponytails with such a beautiful smile on her face. I recognized the men she was gambling with, they've come close to beating me on multiple occasions and destroying my undefeated record on wins. Just from the looks of it, this woman is either an excellent cheater or a very skilled gambler. How come I have never seen her in my entire life?

My gaze was drawn away by Dom, questioning, "Ay, uhh...boss? You're pretty red, you got a fever or something?"

"My face is red? Oh no no no, I feel just fine. No need to worry."

Why does my stomach feel so strange? And why has my heartbeat increased significantly? I have to gamble with this woman, I have to see this skill for myself.

I walked over to the table filled with disappointed men, who looked up at me with expressions of surprise, and tapped the lady on her shoulders.

"Excuse me, miss, but may I have your name?"

"Oh, you're Klover Demetrus, right? It's such an honor to meet you! I'm Rime Kakebami, I come to your casino quite often and have lots of fun gambling with everyone here."

Rime Kakebami...I felt like I've heard that name before, but from where? If she comes to my casino regularly, then how come I've never gambled with her or seen her before? She filled my head with so many questions, and I needed her to answer them for me.

Pushing my questions aside, I replied, "Rime, hm? What a lovely name. Have I heard of you before, or am I crazy?"

"I don't think you have. Despite coming here almost every night, we've never gambled together before."

"Then how about we change that, dear?"

As soon as I challenged her to a gamble, the broke men at the table gasped with disbelief at my offer. Was she really this powerful? Of course, there's no way she could beat me. This is my casino, and I'm the one who makes the rules here.

Rime looked up at me with a devious smile and said, "I'd love to!"