Captivated by the Ruler of the Underworld

Unbeknownst to Lela, her every move was scrutinized from below, Lela raised her right hand, signaling to the official, "We need a written agreement, don't we?"

"If Yaz doesn't honor the bet later, this will all go to waste." No sooner had she spoken than the crowd began to chant, louder and louder, "Agreement! Agreement! Agreement!" Yaz, eyes bloodshot, glared at Lela. "You think I'm scared? Just don't chicken out if you lose."

Lela scoffed indifferently, "I'll return those words to you."

Watching the live event on screen from backstage; Lily felt her nerves stretched taut, her heart in her throat.

She knew Lady Phoenix was seeking vengeance on her behalf, but they were gambling with something invaluable — a pair of eyes.

She had asked Turd to dig into Yaz's background. After providing the public with sufficient evidence during a royal dispute, he had left, only to be discretely sent on missions by Charles or to frequent the casinos around the world. Unlike Lady Phoenix, who made appearances exclusively at the Grape Casino, Yaz had practically conquered the world's top ten casinos without a single loss on record.

He didn't change his name; too many Yazs existed worldwide, and altering it would only draw more attention.

"No, this can't happen!"

She had to intervene.

As she approached the door, a message from Lady Phoenix buzzed in her pocket - a timed message Lela had set up, knowing Lily's concerns would be kicking in. The text urged her to stay calm, wait, and keep out of sight.

Taking a deep breath, Lily's slender fingers gripped the doorway tightly. She pondered for a moment before brushing her hand against the sharp knife strapped to her thigh, and with determined resolve, she stepped outside. The night before, upon entering the casino, they had surrendered their weapons.

A staff member approached with contracts in hand, one for each, and without hesitation, they took the pens and signed their names.

The match was on the edge of ignition.

Outside the stands, the spectators were losing their minds with bets flying some on the reigning queen, others on Yaz, with the stakes growing by the minute.

Lela executed a neat spin of her pen, pocketed it, and rose from her seat. She fetched two briefcases from a nearby security cabinet, flipped them open with a flick, and gestured to the dealer. "Come verify the funds." This was Lily's doing.

All eyes from the stands were trained on Lela's performance, their frenzy cooling into curious silence, unsure of the champion's next move.

"But isn't it a no-cash bet? Why the on-site fund verification?"

"Who knows."

Yaz was equally perplexed. "Champ, what's this about?"

Lela arched an eyebrow, wordless.

A dealer and a team with currency counting machines stepped forward to authenticate every bill totaling ten million euros.

Then Lela, mic in hand, approached the railing, facing the crowd with thunderous arrogance. "I'm betting on myself to win."

With that, she spread her arms wide, cocked her head, and swaggered back to her seat, the eyes beneath her mask burning with wild pride.

The stands erupted with cheers and screams, some waving their arms, others straining their voices.

"Champion, champion, champion!"

Of course, there were scoffers, too, thinking the champ was too arrogant, always playing to the crowd.

Back in her seat, Lela leaned forward on the table, tilting her head as she regarded Yaz. "Yaz, let's ditch the theatrics and settle this with a single round."