Ethan Wu stood up, adjusted his clothes, and put one hand in his pocket. Isabella got up as well, helping him straighten his collar before slipping her arm through his.
Tyler watched the whole scene unfold, and by now he had no doubts. Ethan Wu was genuinely the man his sister had chosen. Not a single trace of doubt remained in his mind.
A group of bodyguards followed them as they exited, heading toward the staircase.
The Crown Entertainment Club might not have been the largest in East China, but it was certainly the most luxurious. The eleven-story building wasn't particularly tall, but it covered an expansive area, giving each floor a vast, opulent layout.
The first floor was the largest bar and KTV in Sea City. Floors two through seven housed a sprawling sauna and massage parlor. The eighth floor was for employees, while the ninth and tenth were dedicated to the casino and luxury suites. The top floor, the eleventh, was the exclusive core area.
Though the sauna and massage business was the Club's main public-facing operation, the real revenue came from the casino on the ninth and tenth floors. However, the casino only accepted regular patrons and kept a strict secrecy policy. New clients could only join through trusted referrals.
The group entered an elevator, and after the bodyguard swiped a card, they pressed the button for the ninth floor, the casino.
"Brother-in-law, how did you know it was Mr. Shen from Fortune Aluminum?" Tyler finally asked, unable to keep quiet.
"He arrived in Sea City yesterday," Ethan replied, "and brought a gambling expert from Macau with him to try and win back what he lost before."
Tyler's recent troubles hadn't started because the Club was too flashy or due to blackmail attempts. The root cause lay in the casino.
Tyler's partnership with Hunter Xie involved luring wealthy business owners to the Crown Entertainment Club. Tyler's people would allow these clients to win at first, then have them lose back everything and more. Tyler didn't need advanced cheating techniques; his team had highly skilled gambling experts on retainer. Most of these wealthy patrons were businessmen who believed in luck over skill and didn't realize that every win and loss was meticulously planned.
Tyler made sure never to target the truly powerful elites but instead focused on affluent "new money" types with a lot to lose.
Unfortunately, not everyone knew when to quit. Grant Shen, the owner of Fortune Aluminum, was one such person. After losing 200 million, he wanted to keep playing and lost another 100 million before finally stopping, as Tyler didn't allow credit or IOUs. But Shen's financial losses brought his company's cash flow to a halt, causing immediate operational problems.
While Shen didn't dare confront Tyler, he did talk about his losses while trying to raise funds, only to discover that he wasn't the only one who had lost vast sums at the Club. This information eventually reached the Wei family, who saw an opportunity to bring down Tyler Li and, potentially, the entire Li family.
Ethan had spent countless hours investigating Isabella and Tyler Li and was familiar with the situation in Sea City. So when Tyler received the call about a big incident at the casino, Ethan guessed that Grant Shen had shown up, possibly with some assistance.
Normally, Grant Shen would never dare bring a gambling expert to the Crown Entertainment Club—it would be seen as a direct challenge to Tyler. But now, Shen probably knew that Tyler wouldn't be a threat for much longer and was hoping to win back his losses before the Club faced any legal consequences.
…
The elevator doors opened with a ding.
They had arrived on the ninth floor, where the casino's extravagant decor glittered under the lights. Although it was early in the day, the place was already bustling with activity, as some guests stayed overnight and continued gambling into the morning.
As Tyler entered, a middle-aged, heavyset man in a black suit hurried over, sweating and dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief. "Boss, they're in the Royal Suite," he reported, nodding at Isabella and addressing her as "Miss Li."
This man was Wayne Bao, the casino's manager and one of Tyler's trusted lieutenants.
After nodding to Isabella, Wayne Bao noticed her holding Ethan's arm. He hesitated, uncertain how to address the unfamiliar young man. Without saying much, he led them to the suite.
A bodyguard opened the door, and Tyler entered first, his booming laughter echoing through the room. "Hahaha! Mr. Shen! It's been months, and you're looking well!"
Ethan and Isabella walked in to see Tyler shaking hands with Grant Shen, who had a wry smile on his face. Despite shaking hands, Shen's expression made it clear he wasn't here for pleasantries.
Ethan glanced around and focused on the gambling table.
There, a bespectacled middle-aged man with a refined demeanor was handling the chips. He was the gambling expert Shen had brought in from Macau. Across from him was a middle-aged man with a hooked nose, sweating profusely as he examined his cards. He was Tyler's top gambling expert, but from the look of things, he was down to his last few chips.
Tyler's man glanced at his cards, muttered a curse under his breath, and threw them down in defeat.
Ethan took in the situation with a single sweep of the room, then walked over and said, "Move over. I'll handle this."
The hooked-nosed man looked up, startled, unsure of who Ethan was but recognizing Isabella. He immediately made room, though he threw Tyler a questioning look.
Tyler, still feigning friendliness with Grant Shen, was also taken aback.
What was going on? His brother-in-law could gamble?
He shot a questioning look at Isabella, who gave a slight shake of her head, as she had no idea whether Ethan had any gambling skills. She was as surprised as anyone.
"Oh, switching players?" Grant Shen remarked, raising his voice with a laugh. "But why bring in a young one this time?" He then called out louder, as though to Tyler, "Mr. Li, you've already lost over two hundred million to me today. Sending over an amateur just seems like handing me money! Haha!"
His tone was laced with sarcasm, making it clear that he doubted Tyler had anyone left who could face his expert.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。