“Mr. Osborne, it’s been less than two minutes, and you’re already back,” someone teased.
Marcus replied, “Shut up. I haven’t even started yet, but someone wants to give me money. I couldn’t stop them even if I tried.”
“What? Someone actually wants to gamble with you! They must have nerves of steel.”
“Exactly. They’re just looking for trouble, gambling against Mr. Osborne.”
The crowd nodded in agreement. Almost everyone here knew Marcus.
Since boarding the ship, Marcus had been dominating the gambling area, leaving opponents in their underwear-literally-after they lost their shirts to him. The stakes were even higher for young, attractive women who gambled with him; they often led to situations like Zia’s.
Zia hadn’t intended to gamble; she was merely exploring the entertainment options.
However, she saw a man lose his daughter to Marcus. Finding the woman pitiful, Zia attempted to win her back. However, she ended up losing herself in the process.
Marcus eyed Sebastian. “It’s still not too late for you to regret this now. Once the game starts, there’s no turning back.”
“Cut the crap. Let’s begin,” Sebastian stated.
“Fine, you’ve got guts! I’m not taking advantage of you, so pick whichever game you’d like!” Marcus was more confident than ever.
His biggest passions were gambling and womanizing. He started gambling at the age of six, and by eleven or twelve, he was practically unbeatable. He was also an expert in seducing
women.
In these two areas, he prided himself on being invincible. The word “lose” was not something he was familiar with.
“We’ll play dice. Whoever rolls the bigger number wins. We’ll decide the winner in one round,” Sebastian said.
“Fine.” Marcus didn’t hesitate. “Do you want to go first, or shall I?”
Sebastian gestured for him to go ahead.
Marcus confidently picked up the dice cup and performed a dazzling display of skillful shaking. In short, he was impressive. However, his actions seemed more like a performance, as he took a full minute before he finally covered the dice on the table and slowly lifted the cup.
“Triple sixes!”
“Wow, triple sixes! That is a total of 18. Mr. Osborne is really something.”
The crowd was not surprised at all; they only thought it made sense.
The pressure was now entirely on Sebastian. He had to roll the same number; otherwise, he would lose.
Joseph and Zia were both sweating bullets in their tension.
Sebastian, however, was unfazed. He picked up the dice cup, gave it a couple of shakes for show, and set it down.
The onlookers scoffed at this. Expert dice rollers used their skill and a keen sense of hearing to control the outcome, while Sebastian’s casual shakes suggested he was relying purely on luck. The odds of rolling three sixes were incredibly slim.
Zia watched in despair, realizing she had placed her hopes on someone who didn’t seem to have the necessary skills. She had thought Sebastian might be a master gambler, which could have given them a glimmer of hope. However, Sebastian seemed to be worse than Zia!
Joseph let out a long sigh. He, too, lost any remaining hope.
“You think you can beat me with that level of skill?” Marcus pursed his lips, his expression one of disdain.
“You haven’t seen what I’ve rolled yet. How can you be so sure I’ll lose?” Sebastian retorted coldly.
Marcus scoffed. “I’ve been gambling since I was six years old. I can gauge someone’s skill with a single glance. If you don’t lose, I’ll call you sir!”
