An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori

Crystal frowned as she met Miles's intense gaze. "Miles, you should call it quits. If you continue to gamble, it'll only lead you deeper into trouble."

Gamblers often found themselves trapped in a cycle of addiction, and they were never content with their winnings.

Their insatiable desire for more drove them to risk everything. Hence, it often led them to stray from the right path.

At that moment, he appeared to be showing signs of addiction. If left unchecked, it could lead to disaster.

"Just one more bet, Crystal. I promise. If I win this time, I'll quit for good," Miles pleaded earnestly.

"Yes, I'm with him. I've even wagered my sword. I need to win it back," Ruby chimed in.

Their hopeful eyes bore into Crystal's.

"Have you considered the consequences if you lose?" she countered.

"It won't happen, I swear. I'll be cautious this time and only bet when I'm confident. I won't lose again," Miles assured.

"Yeah, we were led astray before. If we had trusted our instincts, we'd be winning by now," Ruby added.

"Don't you get it? Gambling never ends well. If you keep going, it'll only end badly," Crystal said sternly.

"Crystal, just one more try. If we break even, we'll quit for good! I promise," Miles pleaded.

plenty of celestial stones. Just lend us some. We'll pay you back

so stubborn? Can't you

before. What happened earlier was just bad luck. If you lend us some celestial

want to get our swords back. Please, give

won't lend you any celestial stones for

helpless glance. They knew Crystal's resolve and that lending

hoped to recover the celestial stones they had lost in the bet. Unfortunately, they

the betting table

swords. No more gambling." She tossed the swords back to Miles

sigh escaped from them as they looked at their swords. It

the celestial stones lost

right. If you keep gambling, you'll only dig yourselves into a deeper hole," Dalen chimed

of celestial stones. Obviously, you can afford to walk away. But we haven't gained

to walk away. But you? You win once, and suddenly, you're hungry for more. How do you expect not to lose? Your insatiable greed is what's blinding

and Ruby exchanged a glance and

gambling scheme continued. With her enthusiastic urging, another batch of new

the cycle began

would allow the gamblers to win a few rounds. Then, she would let them savor success and gradually get addicted. Then, by manipulating the outcomes, she

could win the celestial stones, while the

could still be on their side. One defeat didn't dampen their optimism. They remained determined to keep going, fueled by the chance of a