Chapter 270

Zero's first action upon boarding the cruise was to meticulously survey the ship's layout.

His silver mask glinted as he moved through the crowd.

He brushed past another masked figure—Vivian Laurent—without recognition.

Two steps later, Zero froze.

He whirled around, scanning the sea of faces.

A strange familiarity prickled at his senses.

"Master, there are more people than expected," Finn Deross whispered, close on Vivian's heels.

His voice held tension as he eyed each masked guest like a potential threat.

Vivian's gaze swept the room, her expression unreadable behind the mask.

A commotion erupted at the entrance.

Mr. Golden made his grand appearance, surrounded by admirers.

"Mr. Golden, tonight's grand prize is yours for the taking!"

The gambling king waved a dismissive hand. "With so many experts here, the outcome is unpredictable."

Finn leaned in, eagerly recounting Mr. Golden's rise to fame.

Vivian gave an approving nod at her disciple's thorough research.

Unlike the flashy gambler, Ethan Roscente boarded at the last possible moment.

He'd cycled through three suits before settling on the navy blue with subtle patterning.

His stylist had spent thirty perfecting every strand of hair.

Standing on the deck, Ethan's searching gaze failed to locate Vivian in the throng.

He headed straight for the second-floor observation deck—the vantage point superior.

The ship's horn blared as it departed the harbor.

The signal that tonight's high-stakes game had begun.

Guests exchanged cash for chips, the air thick with greed and ambition.

"Will you play, Master?" Finn murmured. "I brought five million—it's all yours."

A fortune elsewhere, but here? Mere pocket change.