𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐄 | 𝘬𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘦 𝘣𝘺𝘦𝘰𝘬

𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈

Kai had a feeling that even if the girl felt like bursting from inside, her face wouldn't give anything away unless she wished it to. She seemed to have mastered the ability to conceal all emotion from her face.

That girl was so confusing. It appeared that no matter how hard Kai tried, 67 would just become more and more puzzling.

Dark eyes met hers, and Kai sucked in a breath. 67 might've felt Kai's gaze on her, but Kai had no clue about how she knew where to look. She had probably sensed her presence up above.

Despite everything, Kai didn't look away, she wouldn't until 67 did.

And to her luck, it didn't seem like 67 wanted to cast her stare elsewhere either. If anything, she appeared more intent to win this unproclaimed staring contest.

Though to Kai, it wasn't a contest. She enjoyed gazing into 67's eyes, no matter the coldness that greeted her back. In some moments, Kai would catch that coldness dissipating, but then in a blink, it would come back. Or maybe that was solely the product of her imagination, it was hard to tell.

67, if determined to win the game, was even more determined to keep herself looking distant and stony.

From what Kai had seen, she kept people at an arm's length and nobody had even tried to approach her, except Kai.

And despite everything, she had never told Kai to stay away.

Kai wondered why.

Looking into 67's eyes didn't give her the answer. And Kai didn't think it would anytime soon. Maybe not ever.

67 squinted at her with hardened eyes. Every muscle in her face was tense and without a word she communicated her mistrust and confusion. She looked at Kai as if she was trying to figure out her hidden motives.

As if I have any, Kai grumbled internally.

A question crossed her mind, leaving her narrowing her eyes at the girl down below, as if that would help in figuring her out. What had made her so distrustful? Why did she seem to think people were out to get her?

Before she could reach an answer, a loud noise rattled them both, coming from somewhere above.

Casting her stare up, Kai caught the sight of what she never expected she would in her life. An enormous piggy bank was descending from the ceiling. A golden glow illuminated it, like it had a sun of its own shining from within. It cast all the players and the room around them in a flaxen glow, leaving the sorrow on their faces accentuated underneath it.

A clattering sound, a hum of a machine, and then something started filling the bank.

Kai squinted her eyes, knitting her eyebrows in concentration as she tried to make out what was falling rapidly onto the round floor of the object.

A gasp had almost left her lips when she realized it was stacks of money. So many that it would be impossible to count.

Just when Kai had thought the piling of it would cease, more came until the piggy bank was filled almost to the brim.

She would've smiled had she not been so shocked. Kai had never seen even close to that amount of money. And though it was so far away, high up in the room, Kai felt as if she could touch it if she just reached out her hand.

The silence was still present, though now it was thick with shock and anticipation.

25.5 billion.

If she had attempted to guess the amount, Kai never would've been even close to the actual number, for such a digit was hard to imagine.