Vinson Elliott and Randell were grinning smugly,pletely oblivious to the sly look Effie and Nita exchanged-a shared glimmer of amusement in their eyes.


    Then Vinson turned to Lyman. "Lyman, you''re not allowed to get involved. Go do some work, will you?"


    That move was ruthless. Imagine making someone work when they''re supposed to be on vacation, just to keep them from interfering.


    Vinson turned to Nita and said, "You probably think I''m being harsh, but honestly, work is the only thing that guy actually enjoys. He''s a total workaholic-if he''s not working, he''s thinking about work. Nothing else interests him."


    "That''s not true. There''s one thing he likes," Nita replied.


    Vinson and Randell perked up, instantly nosy. "Oh? What''s that?"


    These two were absolute gossip hounds.


    Nita grinned. "Our Effie, of course."


    For a moment, Vinson and Randell were stunned, then both burst outughing. "You know, that actually makes a lot of sense."


    Effie''s cheeks flushed pink. She squirmed in her seat and tried to deflect. "Oh,e on, don''t tease me. Let''s just y the game already."


    "Oooh, Effie''s blushing," Vinson teased, grinning wider.


    Effie shot a shy nce over at Lyman, who was wearing headphones and looked deep in conversation-his expression serious, probably working. She decided not to disturb him.


    The first round ended. As expected, Effie lost spectacrly.


    "Effie, this is hopeless. With skills like that, people will think we invited you just to gang up on you," Vinson said.


    Nita couldn''t help thinking: Isn''t that exactly what we did?


    Effie apologized, cheeks still pink. "Sorry, sorry, I''m just not used to it yet. Give me a little time—I''ll get better."


    Really? As if someone''s skills could magically improve in a snap.


    But since Effie had said so, Randell and Vinson yed along. "Alright, we''ll wait. Take your time."


    They had been looking forward to an easy win, but after a few more games, something changed.


    "Wait a second, Effie... are you... counting cards?" Vinson asked, suspicion dawning on his face.


    Effie nodded. "Yeah, I''m not great at strategy, but I do have a good memory." Just a good memory? That was underselling it—her recall was almost uncanny. Vinson shot Nita a look, clearly annoyed. Nita avoided his gaze, looking sheepish. Hmph. And to think he''d been trying to cheer her up, only for Nita to set him up like this.


    Nita protested, "You can''t me me! You two wanted to pick on my best friend. It''s fine if you bully me, but you''re not allowed to bully her!"


    Vinson and Randell could only stare at each other, speechless. At this point, who was bullying whom?


    Just then, Lyman strolled over, his earlier tension gone, brow finally rxed.


    "They''re giving you a hard time?" he asked, casting a pointed look at Randell and Vinson.


    Bullying her right in front of him? Unthinkable.


    Vinson raised his hands in protest. "Come on, man, we wouldn''t even dare!"


    Lyman snorted. "Don''t even think about it."


    He sat down beside Effie, his tone gentle. "Here, let me teach you."


    Randell waved him off. “No need—she''s already wiping the floor with us. If you join her, we might as well just surrender."


    Lyman ignored Randell, turning to Effie as if seeking confirmation. "Are they giving you trouble?"


    Effie replied, "They say it''s bad that I''m counting cards."


    Randell forced augh, shooting her a pleading look. "No, it''s great, really! Please, have mercy on us, princess."


    Lyman, unfazed, asked, "So, what were you guys ying for?"