Someone unexpected

Alphonse leads you through the casino floor to a pair of electronically locked doors, where he has to use his thumb print, do an iris scan, and key in a pin code to gain entry. After that, it's hallway after hallway as you enter deep into the inner operations of the casino, at 1 point walking past what looks like some sort of control center with hundreds of screens monitoring the activity in the casino. You thought that's where you were headed, but Alphonse continues walking for a quite a bit, taking left and right turns down the halls until you're not quite sure which direction you're walking in until you come to another set of locked doors.

Alphonse goes through the whole procedure of gaining entry again, this time bringing you into a small and plain room with 2 chairs and a ornate wooden door on the other side. It looks like some sort of waiting room. Alphonse turns around to face you. "They'll need to pad you down," he says to you, nodding at the security guards behind you. You shrug and raise your hands like you're at the airport, letting them do their thing. The guards are pretty rough, using their gigantic hands to pad and poke every inch of your body, even your crotch, to check for anything hidden. Once they're satisfied that you're not carrying any weapons or have anything hidden, they step away from you and sit down in the 2 chairs.

Alphonse then reaches for the handle on the wooden door. "I'll be waiting for you here," he says before pulling on the door and holding it for you to enter. You walk in and see that it's a big executive office. There are no windows, but to your left is a wall of screens like the control room you had seen earlier. As the door closes behind you, you look ahead at the grand wooden desk that looks like a world leader might enjoy. There are some papers and files on it, and the chair behind it is turned around, facing away from you.

Just as you wonder if the someone is about to swivel around and greet you like a villain in a movie, you hear a female voice to your right.

"Hello."

You can't help but be startled, not expecting someone to be to your right and you turn quickly to see who it is. It's a young Asian woman in a traditional chinese red gown. Not only does she look stunningly beautiful, the gown also shows off her thin yet enticing figure. Her lips are as red as her dress and she's wearing a red rose on her right index finger. She's standing behind a blackjack table, on the dealer's side, and there's only 1 solitary seat on the player side, which is unoccupied.

"Uh, hi," you say.

"Please, sit," the woman motions to the empty seat as she deals out a hand.

You go over to the table, glancing over to the chair by the office desk, which hasn't turned around. You can't tell if anyone is in it. You stare at her as she lays the cards out in front of you. With the luck ring still activated, you don't even bother to look at the cards and she looks at your curiously. You smile and flip the cards over. You glance down out of curiosity and see that you have 21.

"How did you do that?" the woman asks.

"What's it to you?"

"I want to know. I've never seen anyone do that before."

"And you know every trick in the book?"

"Yes," she says confidently. You guess she's in her late 20s, and she seems supremely sure of herself, a strange trait for a casino dealer.

"So, your boss there is just going to wait for you to find out how I'm doing it? You're some expert on tricks?" you ask, gesturing at the chair at the far end of the office. The woman looks in the direction of the chair, then back at you, her neutral expression not changing.

"Something like that," she says nonchalantly.

"And if you can't figure it out?"

"I will."

You chuckle, amused and aroused at the same time by this interesting woman. "What's your name?" you ask.

"Grace. What's yours?"

"John."

"Last name?"

You laugh. "Not so easy. If you can tell me how I'm winning, I'll tell you."

"It's Colins."

You pause, taken aback by Grace. You start to panic, wondering how she knows your identity, when she explains.

"This is a casino. There are hundreds of cameras that run facial recognition software round the clock. We know the identities of everyone who steps foot into the casino."

"Oh," you say, taking her word for it. "Well, I guess you have an advantage over me. What's your last name?"

Grace shakes her head with a mysterious smile. "Not so fast. You'll have to beat me first."

"Easy enough. Deal it," you say, slapping the table.

Grace proceeds to deal the cards and again, you don't look at them. It befuddles her and she does it again, and again, until the 8th or 9th try, with you winning every time over the dealer.

"So, what's your full name?" you ask finally.

"...Wang. Grace Wang," the woman mumbles staring at the cards on the table as she examines them, trying to see if somehow you had done something to them. There's no way she'll figure out how you're winning so easily. Eventually, she looks up at you, and you see the frustration and desperation in her eyes. "I need to know how you did it. Please," she begs you.

"Sorry, that's a secret. And, you can't prove I'm cheating, can you?"

After a long pause, Grace shakes her head in resignation. "No. I can't. I... I've never seen this before. It's almost... like magic. Better even. No sleigh of hand or anything, as if the cards conspired to help you win... Please, I'll do anything to know your secret."