And so was Elysia.


    Though all three were silent, their expressions varied. Amara looked bewildered, Finnian remained impassive, and Elysia''s silence quickly morphed into anger.


    Dorian nced at Elysia, ignoring her stormy face as he tore the stic off the new deck of cards. "What should we y? Can''t y Fight the Landlord with four people. How about Go Fish?"


    Amara was speechless.


    Finnian was speechless.


    Elysia was speechless.


    "Are you a child?" Elysia finally exploded, her anger shifting from his audacity to his utter foolishness. "Go Fish is for five-year-olds! We might as well y Old Maid!"


    Amara bit back a smile. In her opinion, Old Maid wasn''t much of an upgrade from Go Fish; both were games of pure luck, requiring zero strategy. It was a ssic case of the pot calling the kettle ck.


    She kept quiet as Dorian finished shuffling. "If you want to y Old Maid, then Old Maid it is," he said, already dealing the cards.


    Now it was Amara and Finnian''s turn to be collectively exasperated. She couldn''t help but nce at him, and found him already looking at her. His gaze was as deep and intense as ever, and she felt a jolt, as if burned, quickly turning her head away.


    Elysia retrieved a small folding table she had bought for Amara''s meals and set it up on the bed. The four of them began to y.


    Old Maid was a game of luck, not skill, and Amara''s luck was good. She won almost every round. Finnian and Dorian were evenly matched, constantly vying for second and third ce. Elysia, on the other hand, had a terrible run of luck from the very first hand, ending up with the "old maid" every single time.


    Initially, Elysia hadn''t wanted to y. She had only gone along with it to break the awkward tension for Amara''s sake. She''d nned to y a couple of rounds and then kick the men out. But losing hand after hand ignited herpetitive spirit, and by the end, she was the most invested yer at the table.


    Seeing Elysia''s eyes practically glowing with frustration, Amara chuckled and patted her on the back. "Don''t worry about it. It''s just a bit of bad luck today. Maybe it''ll turn around next time."


    Elysia looked ready to chew nails. She was fiercelypetitive and hated losing to Dorian, especially while they were in the middle of a cold war.


    Just as they were about to start another round, her phone rang. The screen lit up with one name: Lucian.


    Before Elysia could react, Dorian''s eyes widened. He mmed his cards on the table. "What is he calling you for?" he demanded, reaching for her phone.


    Elysia pped his hand away and shot him a re. She took the phone and stepped out of the room to answer it.


    Fuming, Dorian threw down his own cards and followed her out.


    One minute, the room had been filled with the lighthearted sounds of their game. The next, it was silent. Amara and Finnian sat facing each other, cards still in hand, with nothing to say. The quiet amplified the awkwardness, and Amara, desperate for a distraction, began gathering the cards on the table.


    ***