Page 1 of Lost Room Lawyer
1
–––––
Nico
It’s all just research,I reminded myself.Look at it objectively. Someday, you can use this experience in your next book.
But no matter how hard I tried to distract myself from the cards in my hands, they were simply out of this world.
Okay! Stay cool!
Maybe you’ll win back your chips.
“Last chance, Rossi,” Mick, my roommate, said beside me.
It was the last chance to get my money back, so I went all in without hesitation. I had no other choice but to win this round because I wasn’t planning on going home. I was here to scoop up the entire pot.
At least, that’s what I kept telling myself because greed wasn’t really my thing, and I’d never been particularly ambitious when it came to competitive games. But the seriousness of the play was contagious, so I wasn’t going to give up easily either, especially since my money was on the table.
Focus! You can do this!
Unfortunately, my photographic memory couldn’t keep up with the constant shuffling of cards. Still, a few players laid their cards face-up when folding, giving me some valuable insight.
At least I knew Mick to my right well. His real name was Dominic, and he’d been my roommate for eight years. Despite experimenting with countless styles over the years, today he looked downright conservative in his buttoned-up black shirt. Even his brown hair was carefully slicked back. Only his nose piercing hinted that he wasn’t as harmless as he appeared. No matter how much of a show he put on for the others, I could tell from the slightest twitch at the tip of his nose when he had a strong hand. He couldn’t fool me—no matter how hard he tried.
All the men at the table were old, at least nearing fifty—except for the guy to my left. I guessed he was in his mid-thirties, maybe thirty-seven at most, no more than ten years older than me. I didn’t mind that Mick and I lowered the average age. In fact, I found the older men easier to read compared to the guy next to me.
It was now his turn in this round. He took a sip of cognac and placed the glass back down. As inscrutable as he was, I’d long since given up trying to figure him out and instead just enjoyed looking at him because he was hot.
“I’ll see,” he said in his deep, smooth voice that sent a chill down my spine.
He called himself Corvo, but that wasn’t his real name. None of the people here used their real names. While Dominic called himself Mick because he was a big Mick Jagger fan, I had introduced myself as Rossi. Also at the table were DaVinci, Papageno, Bruce Lee, Yakuza, and Pestalozzi.
“For safety reasons,” as Bruce Lee had communicated upfront. “After all, we’re not exactly playing within the law here.”
To my surprise, everyone else had folded. I turned my head to Corvo, who was staring at me with his light hazel eyes, raising his eyebrows expectantly.
He resembled a lawyer—or at least how I imagined one. I wasn’t trying to make fun of lawyers since soon I’d be walking around in a suit and tie at a law firm myself.
The suit fit him perfectly, enhancing his worldly demeanor. His dark brown hair was lightly gelled and combed back, complementing his slim build and strikingly handsome face. A faint shadow of stubble accentuated his chiseled chin, while a subtle smile played at the corner of his mouth.
I couldn’t quite read him—was he bluffing or holding a great hand? Either way, he was eager to see. So, I laid down my full house.
“No way!” Dominic explained as he leaned forward and blinked in awe at my cards. “How did you manage to stay so cool?”
“Well,” Corvo said, sounding amused as he placed his cards face down on the table to conceal his hand from my view. “You’ve definitely earned this round.”
It was the first time that Corvo had smiled that evening, and I was instantly captivated. He did it with his lips pressed together as if trying to avoid showing his teeth and revealing too much about himself. For a moment, our eyes locked, and I couldn’t look away. There was an undeniable elegance about him.
If I had to guess, we were sitting here with bankers, lawyers, or some other big shots because all the men—except Dominic and me—exuded power and wealth.
But Corvo had something more. It wasn’t just his attractiveness but the air of mystery about him. When he turned away and reached for his cognac with a graceful movement, my breath caught for a moment.
Oh yes, this man was hot and interesting. That made him my biggest opponent at this table. Corvo only needed to wink at me, and I’d be…
Wait, what?
Did he just wink at me?
