Golden Stars / Scarlett Johansson

Chapter 57: Game of Schemes

The Monopoly game hadn't even started yet, and Scarlett and Chris were already deep in an argument over which pawn to pick. Y/N sat back, shaking her head with a small smile, watching the playful bickering unfold.

"I'm taking the dog," Scarlett declared, clutching the silver canine figure in her hand.

Chris groaned, leaning over the table. "But I always take the dog! You know this!"

Scarlett smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, well, too bad. The dog's mine this time."

Chris crossed his arms, a fake pout forming on his face. "Fine, but I'm taking the ship then. Don't come crying to me when I sail past you to victory."

Calie chuckled from her spot on the floor, already holding the top hat as her pawn. "You two argue like an old married couple."

Y/N blushed lightly at the comment, but stayed quiet, fiddling with the car token she had chosen. Scarlett flashed a mischievous smile at Chris and stuck her tongue out before setting the dog down on the board.

With all the pawns decided, the game finally began. They all took turns rolling the dice, making their moves around the board, and buying properties with the fake Monopoly cash. 

An hour passed, and the intensity of the game had ramped up. The tension in the room wasn't the kind of heavy, emotional weight Y/N had felt in the kitchen earlier, but rather the kind that came with competition. Each of them had managed to buy up several properties, and the alliances and rivalries were forming quickly.

Y/N found herself in a bit of a tough spot, standing on Scarlett's hotel, which towered ominously over the board like a miniature fortress.

"Alright, you landed on my hotel," Scarlett announced, her eyes gleaming with victory. "You owe me rent, sweetheart."

Y/N reached for the fake money, ready to pay up, but then noticed Scarlett watching her with an odd glint in her eye. Before she could hand over the bills, Scarlett leaned forward, her expression suddenly shifting to something more... devious.

"Wait," Scarlett said, holding up her hand. "Let's make a deal."

Y/N tilted her head, curiosity piqued. "A deal? What kind of deal?"

Scarlett's smile widened as she got up on her knees and crawled across the floor toward Y/N. Calie and Chris exchanged glances, but stayed quiet, clearly interested in what Scarlett was up to.

Y/N blushed slightly, her heart skipping a beat as Scarlett came closer. Scarlett leaned in, her warm breath brushing against Y/N's ear, and whispered, "If you give me your orange property... I'll forgive your rent. And maybe I'll give you something else too."

Y/N blinked, her eyes widening as she felt the heat rise in her cheeks. She didn't even care about Monopoly deals at that moment—Scarlett's whisper had completely thrown her off.

"Uh... deal," Y/N said softly, not fully processing the terms of the trade but unable to say no.

Scarlett leaned back, her eyes sparkling with mischief. She sat back down in her spot, looking far too pleased with herself. Y/N, still flustered, handed over her orange property card without a second thought. Calie and Chris watched the exchange, both raising their eyebrows.

"What was that about?" Chris asked, his voice filled with suspicion.

Scarlett waved a hand dismissively. "Nothing you need to worry about. Just a little business arrangement."

Y/N's blush deepened, but she didn't say anything, focusing on reorganizing her money and cards. Calie let out a dramatic sigh, shaking her head.

"This game always turns into some kind of weird negotiation," she said, rolling her eyes. "Can we just play?"

And so the game continued, filled with the usual arguments over who landed where, who owed what, and constant whining about bad rolls of the dice.

"I swear, this game is rigged," Chris groaned after landing on Calie's property for the third time in a row. "How do you have all the best spots?"

Calie grinned wickedly, stacking her money like a tower. "Skill, my dear Chris. Pure skill."

"Skill my foot," Scarlett muttered as she handed over rent money to Calie. "I'm starting to think you're hiding extra cash somewhere."

"I resent that accusation," Calie said, but her smirk gave her away.

Y/N quietly played along, smiling at the banter but staying out of the arguments. She was still trying to process the deal Scarlett had made with her earlier, her heart fluttering every time she caught Scarlett glancing at her. 

Eventually, after another hour of back-and-forth property swaps, rent payments, and fake cash exchanging hands, it became clear that one person was pulling ahead. Calie had managed to snag most of the valuable properties and was charging astronomical rent.

"I can't believe this," Scarlett groaned, throwing her hands up. "How are you winning? I was supposed to be the dog's lucky charm."

Calie grinned triumphantly, holding up her stack of money. "Well, it looks like I'm the new Monopoly queen. Bow before me!"

Chris rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine, you win. I think I'm done getting ripped off."

Y/N laughed, shaking her head as she watched them all playfully grumble and complain about losing. The tension that had filled the kitchen earlier had melted away completely now, replaced by laughter, teasing, and lighthearted bickering.

Scarlett stood up, stretching her arms above her head. "Alright, that's enough Monopoly for me. I need to walk around before I flip the table."

Chris nodded, standing up as well. "Same here. Let's take a break before we end up in a real war."

Y/N leaned back, feeling content for the first time in days. The heaviness of her thoughts had faded, at least for the moment, replaced by the warmth of being with her friends. Even though she couldn't shake the memories of the party or the guilt that still clung to her, this—being here with Scarlett, Chris, Calie, and even Rose—felt like a small bit of peace.

As Scarlett walked by, she playfully ruffled Y/N's hair. "Next time, I'm going to beat you fair and square, deal or no deal."

Y/N smiled up at her, feeling her heart flutter again. "We'll see about that."

Scarlett winked at her before heading toward the kitchen. Chris and Calie followed, leaving Y/N alone with the now-abandoned Monopoly board. She looked down at the game, chuckling to herself. This might have been the most intense Monopoly game she'd ever played, but at least they were all together again.