But his eyes stayed locked on the screen a second longer than necessary… and when he looked away, there was a flicker of something else.
"Oh hey! That's Rae – Let's go talk to her," Kenji suddenly perked up and pointed towards the woman. She was walking towards the lounge area where they were at.
Lance looked at his best friend for a few more seconds before looking over to the woman.
"I think she just got knocked out. We can't just go over like this."
He quickly went over to the bar and bought a bottle of water and a small chocolate bar – the fancy kind that cost way too much for something so small but looked like something she would actually enjoy.
Kenji watched him with narrowed eyes. "You know, she's in her forties. Do you seriously think a woman of her age would like water and chocolate? What is this, a spa?"
As they walked towards her, Lance replied, "It's a peace offering. She just lost a match. I doubt she wants to be swarmed by flashy guys at the moment."
Lance slowed his approach, then stopped at a polite distance. "Ms. Johnson?"
She glanced up and frowned slightly. No sign of recognition, but at least she didn't dismiss him. "Yes?"
"Hi, I'm Lance. This is my friend, Kenji. We saw your match with Victor earlier. It's the first time I saw him react to anything."
"Do you know Victor?"
Lance shook his head. "I just started playing and saw him play once. I don't really know how to explain it, but… he made me want to challenge him someday. "
Rae chuckled. "Yeah, he has that effect on people."
She glanced at the chocolate and water on his hand and asked, "Are those for me?"
Lance nodded and gave them to her. "This is not much… Just something to reset the energy."
She eyed the items for a beat. "Interesting choice."
Kenji coughed awkwardly from behind. "I told him it was a bit weird. I wanted to bring tequila."
Rae chuckled softly. "Tequila is for wins. This," she held up the water, "is for not letting a loss ruin your game. Besides, I've got an early flight, so alcohol might not be a good idea."
She cracked open the bottle and took a small sip, her eyes flicking back to Lance with more curiosity now. "You play?"
"Not here…" He glanced around. "I just started poker recently. Not sure if I'm ready for the live scene yet."
She studied him for a beat longer—long enough to make him wonder what she saw. "So you're an online grinder," she said, more observation than question. "Then what brings you to a live tourney?"
"Curiousity."
A brief pause settled between them – almost awkward, until Rae tilted her head slightly, expression softening. "You said you want to challenge Victor someday?"
Lance scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah… Am I stupid to do so?"
"No…" Rae laughed softly. "It's good to be ambitious. Most of us started out the same – chasing someone bigger. What matters is whether you can keep that spark when the game gets cold."
Her smile faded, eyes sharpening as she added, "But if you're serious, you should know—Victor's not some prodigy off the street. I've played against him a few times. He's had training. Real training. Someone molded that kid, and it wasn't a casual Sunday-night regular."
Kenji sighed. "I knew it."
Rae looked between them, then back at Lance. "Having said that, in poker, no one stays at the top forever, not even the 8 Suits and Jokers. Remember, Pocket Aces can still lose to 7-2 off at the end of the hand. So, you still have a chance."
She paused, then smiled again – more personal this time. "In fact…"
Rae tilted her head, studying him again. The kind of look that made it feel like she wasn't just seeing him – but scanning; reading him.
She looked at the chocolate in her hand for a second before standing up. She leaned close to him. With one hand, she touched his chest lightly, fingertips brushing over his shirt. "In exchange for this, I'll coach you tonight. 3205. See you in an hour."
Then, turning to Kenji with a playful wink, she added, "You can come too, if you're brave enough."
Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked off—heels clicking softly against the marble, leaving two stunned expressions in her wake.
######
Room 3205.
"Ok, how do I look?" Kenji asked as he checked his clothes to make sure everything was clean.
Lance hissed. "Why are you here? You have a girlfriend!"
"Well," Kenji had a guilty expression, but he still said, "I just want to see if she'll actually go through with it. I will reject it of course."
"I'm telling Amara!"
"Snitch! Who's your best friend here?"
Lance looked at him in disgust.
"Don't act so high and mighty." Kenji knocked on the door. "I know you are hoping for a fun night. Don't worry. Once I made sure that she's interested in me, I'd leave."
A voice called out from the room. "Come in!"
The boys gulped before walking into the room.
For someone who just got knocked out of a high-stakes tournament, Rae Johnson's suite looked less like the aftermath of a loss and more like the prep room for a runway show. A laptop was open on the desk, a stack of poker chips sat next to a sleek travel case, and a designer robe hung from a rack like it'd been set out for a shoot. Dim, warm lighting bathed the space in gold, and soft jazz played faintly from the Bluetooth speaker in the corner.
Rae was already seated at the small round table near the window, wearing a loose black hoodie over leggings, her hair tied up casually—no glamour now, just game mode.
"Close the door," she said without looking up.
Lance obeyed.
"That's disappointing…" Kenji muffled to himself when he saw her clothes. It's obvious that it's not what they thought.
"Both of you sit," Rae said, shuffling a fresh deck of cards with one hand. "This isn't going to be a lecture. I'm not your school teacher. If you want textbook lessons, buy a course. What I'll give you tonight is better."
Lance pulled out a chair and took a seat. Kenji followed, still slightly in awe.
"What are you going to teach us?" Lance asked.
Rae smiled faintly. "First, I want to see how you think."
She flicked out two hole cards in front of each of them, then laid a mock flop on the table: 9♠️ 6♣️ 4♦️.
"You're both in position. You have $100 in your stack. Preflop, your opponent raised to $6 from middle position. You called. Pot is now $15. What's your move?"
Kenji peeked at his cards and shrugged. "I've got 9-10 suited. Top pair, decent kicker. I'd lead out. Maybe $10?"
"Good," Rae said without missing a beat. "That's an answer."
She turned to Lance. "You?"
Lance stared at his cards. 7♣️ 8♣️.
"I've got an open-ended straight draw and a potential flush. The pot odds don't quite justify a call if they bet big, but implied odds are decent. I'd check to let them lead. Then maybe raise the turn if I hit—or if they show weakness."
Rae's gaze lingered on him, then she nodded. "You're calculating range and future aggression. Nice."