The troupe of Ryu and Arya soon went to the "Princ.i.p.ality of Monaco". Their tour guide was referring to Monaco as "The Rock" because there is literally a gigantic rock 203 feet tall monolith on the Mediterranean coast where Monaco was built."The Prince"s castle is surrounded by this rock which through the ages has been looked at as a protective force." explained by their tour guide.
Monaco has a very interesting history with 700 years rule by the royal family that was revealed to them on this trip.
"I knew it is an independent country and not a part of France- but I did not know it was the second smallest but most densely populated country in the world." Denise commented after hearing what the guide explained.
Their tour started near the aquarium of the House of Grimaldi, including the current Prince Albert II, and continued through Saint Martin Park which had a statue of Prince Albert the 1st looking out at the ocean.
"This is gorgeous…" Arya murmured pertaining to the park that was also filled with lovely sculptures and plants. Set on a cliff overlooking the sea.
"Do you want to try and play in the casino?" Ryu asked when they soon reached Monte Carlo that was one of the quarters that make up Monaco.
"Hmmm they said this is where the world famous casino exists- "Place du Casino". Denise murmured.
Arya smiled and nodded. This will be the first time she"ll try to play inside the casino as she never had tried one before.
The walkway leading up to the casino was filled with luxury stores and boutiques including Chanel. This country has the maximum number of millionaires and that can be felt by the people you see around.
The path in front of the casino was crowded with tourists staring at the opulence all around them.
Inside the casino, the three of them were escorted into one area of the casino with slot machines and a few tables.
Denise felt excited and said, "Wow it looks like the ones they show in the James Bond films."
Arya and Ryu laughed at the charming expression of Denise. Everything inside was about sophistication and attention to detail, to create an immersive experience in the casino world.
The gaming tables were crafted by artisans in the Société des Bains de Mer"s own workshops and obviously the croupiers ensured players receive world-cla.s.s service and benefit from their unrivalled know-how.
Arya noticed that Ryu"s face suddenly became gloomy and was focused on a particular table.
"The h.e.l.l? What"s this?" Ryu murmured irritably. Arya followed his eyes and saw an old man on a wheel chair was also looking at them with a smirk then he greeted Ryu.
"Do you know him?" Arya whispered with a curious look.
"Not personally sweetheart but that man is the one who is behind the SL Group." Ryu answered with a serious voice.
Denise who was busy feasting her eyes around the whole casino also looked at where the couple"s eyes been staring.
"Oh wait, he"s also here? I know that man; he"s the SL Group"s Owner and Chairman. He often visited my dad lately. That"s Mr. Lee." Denise blurted out.
A man that seemed to be a bodyguard walked towards them and said, "Good day Mr. Ken. Our Chairman would like to invite you for a table game if you wouldn"t mind."
Ryu jeered but he did not refuse the invite and agreed to play.
Arya became nervous suddenly and said, "Luv, maybe it"s better if we just go back now." Then she held Ryu"s hand tightly. She felt uneasy because she knew that SL Group was behind everything that happened between her and Ryu and all was done with a malicious intent to hurt Ryu and right now they were competing with the Ken"s business like eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.
Denise who wasn"t aware of what"s going on smiled and said, "Hey don"t worry Big Bro will not lose so much money on this game and I"m sure he will beat up Mr. Lee. Common Big Sis this would be an exciting and fun game to watch."
Ryu smiled at Arya and said, "Denise is right. Just watch me smash that old man back to his place where he belongs."
Then the group walked towards Mr. Lee"s table.
"Mr. Ken it was nice to meet you but pardon me if I won"t be able to stand up and greet you properly. You see a long time friend backstabbed me before thus, this leg became useless…" Mr. Lee said as he raised his hand for a hand shake.
"I would like to think that meeting each other today Mr. Lee was just coincidental." Ryu answered back as he accepted the old man"s hand with his sudden cold aura.
"This old man was just here to play child. So whatever is in your mind… I would rather not think about it you know. Why don"t you sit and grace this old man a good game… I bet my underdog had bitten you out last time… so show me how strong you"ve become after that. Well, I can well see now that you manage to flip the table already" Mr. Lee said full of meaning and glanced at Arya at the same time.
Arya arched an eyebrow as she met the stare of the Old Man.
Her eyes were telling him, "F*uck off or I"ll poke your eyes out..."
Mr. Lee laughed out hard and shook his head and said to the dealer, "Okay enough with this and let us enjoy the game and not ruin the honeymoon of these lovers. Let"s start… Are you ready Mr. Ken?"
Ryu smiled scornfully and said, "I"ve never been this ready my whole. I just hope this game was somewhat clean to play it and dirty tricks won"t be applied."
Mr. Lee laughed out hard once more and replied, "Don"t you think this game is just the same as in business? Dirty tricks did not matter. What"s important is winning… so it"s now how you play the game for my group. It"s all about nothing but WINNING whatever it takes."
Arya and Denise who settled for a bottle of sparkling wine looked at each other but chose not to talk and just observed the game.
They were seated beside Ryu and watching the table game under the warm glow of Bohemian crystal chandeliers.