The whispers of the crowd swirled around them.


    Blythe''s face was a mask of strainedposure. She wanted to be as cool and collected as Calliope, to handle the loss with grace. After all, she was Blythe White, Jett White''s daughter, and her parents were watching. She couldn''t let them down.


    Gritting her teeth, Blythe stared at Calliope, herposure slipping. She took a deep breath and forced a casual tone. "You''re right. You got lucky this time, so I lost again."


    "Yes, I was just lucky," Calliope agreed with a smile, not bothering to argue. "Ms. White, do you want to y another round?"


    "Let''s go again," Blythe said, her eyes narrowing.


    She instinctively nced toward her parents. Both of them gave her a subtle shake of the head, a clear signal that she should stop. But having lost twice already, her pride wouldn''t let her back down.


    She was Blythe White. She had been trained by a gambling legend since she was a child, and everyone had always praised her skills. How could she lose to Calliope? More importantly, how could she lose to her in front of them?


    Blythe''s expression hardened as she turned back to Calliope. "Onest time."


    She shoved all her chips to the center of the table. "This is five million. If you win, it''s all yours."


    Calliope''s lips curved into a smirk. "Of course. If Ms. White wants to y, I''m happy to oblige. But should we change the game this time?"


    Blythe studied her, trying to determine if it was a trap. "You want to change it?"


    "I''m fine either way," Calliope replied, her rxed demeanor unshaken.


    "Then we won''t,” Blythe dered, refusing to be seen as weak by the onlookers. She motioned for the dealer to proceed.


    Calliope said nothing more. It didn''t matter. With Blythe''s mental state in shambles, there was no way she could win. She might have some skill, but it was nothing extraordinary.


    The surrounding crowd shook their heads.


    Once a yer''sposure was gone, staging aeback was nearly impossible. And it was painfully had obvious that Blythepletely shattered. Continuing the game in hopes of beating Calliope was a fool''s errand.


    "I''m afraid Ms. White is going to lose this round too."


    "Yes, her mindset is all wrong."


    "A bad attitude really affects your performance."


    “But maybe she''ll finally unleash her true power this time. Perhaps she wasn''t ying at her full potential before?"


    "Exactly! She''s Jett White''s daughter. She can''t be that simple."


    "I still think that Calliope girl is just on a lucky streak."


    "It''s not luck. Anyone with eyes can see she''s genuinely skilled."


    The crowd''s chatter filled the air, reaching the ears of both yers.


    Calliope remained cid, unaffected by the praise or the criticism. Blythe, however, visibly bristled. She


    couldn''t stand the thought of losing face in front of her adoptive parents. She had to give it her all.


    The memory of her two previous losses, witnessed by the people she most wanted to impress, gnawed at her. She knew they were good to her, only because


    but she believed it was ceased


    she was exceptional. If she ceased to be outstanding, would their affection fade?


    They were powerful people who valued strength. To belong with them, she had to be powerful too.


    "Let''s begin," Blythe said to Calliope, her voice firm.


    Calliope nodded and nced at the dealer.