I kept walking, even though I didn't know exactly where I was headed—but that didn't stop me. Before I leave this city, I intend to explore every nook and cranny of Vegas.
I slowed when something to my right caught my attention.
A casino.
And I know what you're thinking—this is Las Vegas, the land of casinos. But this one… this was different.
It was the biggest I'd ever seen. Bigger than anything I'd seen in movies.
I stopped in my tracks, taking in every detail, completely stunned.
I immediately pulled out my phone. Raymond would love this—probably more than I did. I filmed a quick clip of myself, then switched to the rear camera.
The building looked like a palace—dramatic and grand—the kind of place designed to make people feel like royalty the moment they stepped inside.
It carried an ancient, luxurious presence. Magnificent and impossible to ignore. Above it all was a massive sign that read CASINO, glowing through layers of light. The letters blinked red and blue—C in red, A in blue, and so on. You get the idea.
As I moved closer, the entrance felt oddly inviting. The doors were glass with gold-trimmed patterns, sliding open automatically.
Just as I reached them, a man walked out hurriedly and passed me. For some reason, he stopped.
He turned, smirked at me, then continued walking.
Okay… weird. But I really didn't care.
Before stepping inside, I stared around one last time and caught sight of two naked statues—a man with his hand resting on a woman's waist. They weren't huge; portable statues, actually. Maybe I didn't notice them earlier because I was too focused on the casino itself.
Nearby, a group of young girls were giggling and taking pictures in front of them. Luxurious cars filled the parking area, and more kept arriving.
After enough admiring, I finally stepped inside.
My biggest mistake.
The place wasn't just big—it was crowded. Not just young adults like me, but children, teenagers, even mothers with crying babies filled the space.
Still, I slowly got used to the noise and began exploring corner to corner.
I wandered toward the slot machine area. Machines of different sizes lined the floor, lights flashing endlessly. A long queue nearby suggested where people paid to play.
Moving on, I reached the table game area. Different tables hosted poker, blackjack, craps—every game imaginable. The players' faces were serious, focused.
Suddenly, one man rolled the dice clumsily. It fell off the table and rolled straight to my feet.
"A three! A three!!" the clumsy man yelled.
"It doesn't count if the dice fall on the ground," another man said calmly. He wore a black hat and a long fancy coat—the type you'd see in those good-cop-bad-cop shows. Okay, fine, I've never seen one; I'm just guessing.
"Here you go," I said, dropping the dice back onto the table.
"I believe there's a reason the dice rolled to your feet. Wanna join us?" the clumsy man asked.
Gosh, I really needed to learn their names.
"I'm actually taking a tour. Just stopped to watch a little. I'm a fan of craps," I admitted.
"Our friend just left, so there's space if you want to try a round." the man in the black hat added.
There were five of them already—four men and one woman.
"Okay, fine," I said, taking a seat. "I'm Aubrey Everhart."
And that started the introductions.
The reckless dice roller was Jonathan Greener, wearing a casual shirt, blue jeans, and geek glasses. The man in the long jacket was Quinn Hood.
The only woman was Abigail Franklin. Serious-looking, with a cute afro. A Black American in a sharp suit and elegant pants—and honestly, she was really pretty.
Next was Derrick Brown, ridiculously fashionable. He wore a classy Louis Vuitton shirt and shorts that showed off his overworked thighs. A silver Rolex Submariner gleamed on his wrist.
The last man, Michael Skyler, looked calm and composed. Long-sleeve shirt, perfectly ironed trousers. Quiet, confident type.
"Now that that's over, I gotta ask—you don't live here, do you?" Quinn asked.
"Nope. Just moved in yesterday for a vacation," I announced proudly.
"Damn, nice. But why Vegas? This place is loud and crazy," Derrick asked.
"Exactly. I guess that's what I was looking for. Plus, I've seen so many movies about Vegas—I wanted to experience it myself," I said.
They nodded.
"Now onto the game. Aubrey, you know how craps work, but we have one rule: once the dice fall on the ground, it doesn't count. No matter the number. Got it?" Quinn asked.
"Yeah, I got it."
Jonathan clapped his hands.
"So… let the game begin."