Rudy reached out. He didn't touch the wheel. He touched her hand, his fingers brushing against her knuckles.
ZAP.
A spark jumped between them. It wasn't static electricity, but a resonant pulse of soul energy. Ruby gasped, jerking her hand back as if she'd been burned. Her heart hammered against her ribs.
'What was that?'
For a split second, she didn't see a stranger in a stolen suit. She saw a flash of a different life—a warm car, the smell of rain, a man laughing as he handed her a winning ticket. She felt a phantom weight on her ring finger.
"Who are you?" Ruby whispered, her voice trembling. "Why do you feel... inevitable?"
"Focus on the game, Ruby," Rudy smirked, his eyes glowing faintly. "The ball is dropping."
Click-clack-click...
The mana sphere slowed. It bounced over Black 20. It skittered past Red 14.
Ruby forced herself to look down. She activated her ocular ability, The Dealer's Eye. She could see the trajectory. It was going to land on Green 0. The House wins.
