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121. People Analysis

last update Last Updated: 2025-08-28 00:45:52

The casino was as loud as usual. Adrea and Aris moved away from the tables and up to the private balcony that he used to watch over the room. He could not help but think of the significance of this place. From here he had spotted her walking to the tables. From here he had seen her first game ever since her father died.

He leaned on the railing, watching the swirl of bodies below. Chips clattered, cards snapped against felt, and laughter broke against the steady hum of tension. But when she came to stand beside him, it was as though all of it dimmed.

“Do you know what I love about this place?” Aris asked her, his voice low then answered without waiting for her to reply, “It’s so alive… like it breathes.”

He turned his head, the corner of his mouth quirking.

“Every table, every hand, every bluff—it’s the pulse of the people playing. Once you learn to read that pulse, you’re already halfway to winning.”

Her eyes flicked back to the floor.

“So, you’re going to teach me how to read people
Anotida Mandemwa

Hello! A little about myself: most call me Ano. I started writing gibberish while growing up under the tutelage of my parents (I get it all from them). My first experience with MS Office was in 2003, when I could barely read, and I have been tapping away ever since. This is not how they want me to make my main income (I'm a scientist at heart), but this is where they found a way to be proud of my various arts. This is where I find peace, and it is where I am learning to stand on my own feet and not starve (because there is no way I would call them for food after all they do for me). You, dear reader, have made it possible for me to find peace and for my family to be proud of me. Thank you. Truly.

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  • Condemned Wife's Compliance   123. Not Every Day

    Aris easily caught up with Adrea and he guided her towards the tar mark. Security took a look at their passports and visas and helped them get on the plane. Adrea watched as Aris handed over her luggage to their flight attendants and then guided her into the private jet that was waiting for them.Adrea slid into the leather seat with an easy grace, adjusting her coat before setting her cap aside.“Well, this is grander than the first-class I imagined,” she said lightly, her tone edged with amusement.Aris sat beside her, leaning back as though he owned the cabin. “You think?”She arched a brow at him, the corner of her lips tugging into the faintest smirk. “It’s nice, but not exactly shocking. I’ve seen better.”His laugh came deep and genuine, echoing faintly in the spacious cabin. “Better, huh? I’ll take that as a challenge.”“You take everything as a challenge,” she shot back, crossing one leg over the other. “Though I’ll admit, this is comfortable enough. You might just be forgive

  • Condemned Wife's Compliance   122. Playing Bellboy

    Felix did not know what he had expected but it was not the news of Adrea flying out with Aris in the coming days. Aris getting a private jet to fly them both to the European Poker tournament. Not only that. The man had personally given her a walk around the floor of his casino. Some people had taken candid photos and they were floating around social media.He had to give it to Aris. He was harder to shake off than Rafael. The same trickery that had worked on Rafael was not working on him.No worries. He could always try again. This was fate’s way of testing his loyalty to her. Well, he would prove that he deserved her. He just needed to work a little harder.“You are taking your holiday leave now?” the head of HR asked incredulously.Felix leaned his hip at the edge of the woman’s desk and nodded at her with a charming smile.“I feel this is the right time for it, don’t you think?” he asked.“But,” she began and then stopped.Felix never took time off unless it was on specific Holiday

  • Condemned Wife's Compliance   121. People Analysis

    The casino was as loud as usual. Adrea and Aris moved away from the tables and up to the private balcony that he used to watch over the room. He could not help but think of the significance of this place. From here he had spotted her walking to the tables. From here he had seen her first game ever since her father died.He leaned on the railing, watching the swirl of bodies below. Chips clattered, cards snapped against felt, and laughter broke against the steady hum of tension. But when she came to stand beside him, it was as though all of it dimmed.“Do you know what I love about this place?” Aris asked her, his voice low then answered without waiting for her to reply, “It’s so alive… like it breathes.”He turned his head, the corner of his mouth quirking.“Every table, every hand, every bluff—it’s the pulse of the people playing. Once you learn to read that pulse, you’re already halfway to winning.”Her eyes flicked back to the floor.“So, you’re going to teach me how to read people

  • Condemned Wife's Compliance   120. Details, Belinda

    Belinda had her hand in Rafael’s as they left the boutique, but the ghost of Adrea’s face lingered in her mind. The smile that girl had given her companion—soft, almost trembling at first, then bright like sunlight after rain—had assured her that she was happy where she was. She had moved on. Adrea was irrelevant now. She had left Rafael to Belinda. Belinda had what she wanted. She had won.Yet something about the way Rafael had gone quiet, his gaze stuck on Adrea long after she and Aris had disappeared into the crowd, needled her.Belinda knew what she was supposed to feel: triumph.She was holding his hand, not Adrea. She was the one Rafael sought out now, the one he trusted with his easy smiles, his laughter. Still, a tiny crack of guilt gnawed at her. Adrea had once stood where she stood now. And though Belinda had never cared much for the girl, she couldn’t help but wonder how much of Rafael’s warmth was genuine love for her, and how much of it was simply escape from the mess Fel

  • Condemned Wife's Compliance   119. Men On A String

    Rafael’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, the faintest clench that most would not notice, but Belinda, who had learned to read him quickly, felt it in the way his fingers stiffened around hers. She followed his gaze and her stomach coiled. There was Adrea — looking delicate, vulnerable, and radiant in a way Belinda could never be… At least not unconsciously. And beside her was a man who stood tall and proud. His handsome dark hair falling in lush waves around his face. He was not someone she could easily dismiss. He was carrying himself with a quiet confidence that told her he was at home in this world.For a second, Belinda forgot to breathe. Adrea had always seemed so misplaced, so unwanted within the Nikolaidis world — yet here, in this luxury mall, she looked like she belonged. Dressed in soft neutrals, her hair falling effortlessly around her face, and with that smile she turned toward her companion, she seemed untouchable.Belinda bit down on her lip, reminding herself of Fel

  • Condemned Wife's Compliance   118. So Happy, So Quickly

    The mall stretched upward like a cathedral of glass and marble, polished floors gleaming under chandeliers that glittered as though dusted with stars. Every surface shone, from the golden railings that framed the escalators to the endless rows of display windows reflecting wealth and privilege. Designer boutiques lined either side of the wide atrium, their names glowing in elegant lettering. The air was perfumed faintly with expensive colognes drifting out of fragrance counters, mingling with the warm scent of roasted coffee wafting from the café that overlooked the central fountain.It was the kind of place Adrea used to visit only when Rafael’s family needed her to look presentable at an event. Each memory here was tied to expectation: buying gowns she would wear once to a gala, jewellery she was reminded she had to wear, shoes picked less for comfort than for the image they projected. She hadn’t enjoyed those visits; they were duties, not pleasures. But today—walking alongside Aris

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