LOVER MONSTER!
89. Demian Profession.

Back in the days after Demian met with Erthian, Demian sat down casually while enjoying a cup of Ethan-made espresso. Today, especially today, Demian gets a chance to hang out with Jessica's friends.

They were sitting in a circle at a table when the time showed at eleven o'clock in the evening.

Elixir was supposed to close that night, but instead of closing up and going home, they-Ethan, Elliot, Dania, Jessica and Demian also-decided playing cards.

Demian-as a pro in the game's world-shuffles the cards in his hand shrewdly. His movements made Jessica and Dania amazed. Only Elliot and Ethan are astonished.

"What the fuck?" Elliot voiced out his confusion which mingled with a feeling of gasp. "Have you worked as a dealer before?"

Demian chuckles. "Well, I have a dealer friend."

Speaking of a friend, Oscar, Demian has not revealed the identity of the cobra in front of Jessica and her flock. Demian did not want to be scolded by Jessica anymore. Demian prefers to pretend to be a moron about the existence of Oscar.

"Did he teach you the magician-like tricks of shuffling their cards?"

Demian shakes. "I just saw it."

"Eeeeh, don't trust Jessica." Elliot did not believe it, so he also incited Jessica not to believe it. "She just wants to look cool in front of you. He had definitely practiced over and over again to display his skills here."

"Elli, you're too pessimistic." Dania.

"I'm just revealing a man's secret. No human being is suddenly great at something they never try."

"That's right," Demian-strangely-agreed with Elliot. Elliot bullied him.

"I'm good at doing this because I used to play cards. I wasn't great last night, of course. Don't be fascinated by men who say they're prodigy without doing anything. Especially if the man who spoke was Jake, he must have been a morning night course for whatever skill he had right now."

"Why are you talking about Jake? He could choke somewhere!"

"Just give an example" said Demian. Not only an example, Demian wanted to protect Jessica from Jake just in case the man was about to spread charm in front of Jessica.

"Talk about Jake" said Dania. "How are you?" Dania asked Jessica.

"He's good" Jessica replied. "I'll see him the day after tomorrow."

"Didn't he get mad about a pest who ruined your show that night?" That's Elliot who said.

"He's not mad at me, but I don't know, he's probably mad at Demian."

Demian doesn't care. "He can be angry to old."

"For a guy whose girlfriend's been stolen in plain sight by another guy, Jake somehow seems pretty calm, huh."

"Who stole whose girlfriend?" Demian offended.

Demian won't accept the fact that Jessica is Jake's girlfriend. Because of that fact, Demian hanged Jessica. Demian's not even allowed to sleep in Jessica's room right now. Aside from Jessica not wanting to hurt Jake, Jessica wants her relationship and Jake to end up clean first before she starts anything with Demian.

Irritating!

"Jake might have a lot of complaints, so I'll meet him later."

"If I were in his position, Demian would have been buried yesterday."

"I want you to try, Elli. Are you gonna call the police to beat me up?" Demian is a bit cynical.

"I think we want to play cards, not a fight." Jessica said with a faint complaint. Jessica wanted Demian to blend in kindly with her friends, but as Jessica predicted as well, it wasn't easy.

Especially Elliot, he was still hostile towards Demian and treated Demian like a germ.

"We don't argue, just talk." Elliot defended himself. "All right, Demian?"

"Huh, that's for sure." Demian ogah-ogahan replied.

Demian did not want to support Elliot but, Demian also did not want to make Jessica uncomfortable. This was the first step Demian had to face with patience. If he wants to be with Jessica, he should be able-in some level-hold his patience. It's just Elliot. The guy's better than a rotten Oscar to the bone.

"Anyway..."

The card game continues. On several occasions, Jessica would complain about being constantly defeated. Dania - though never superior - never took the last position. Ethan and Elliot fight for a losing position with Jessica once in a while, and never, never in that round of play, do they beat Demian.

"You..., are you cheating?" Elliot again accused Demian.

"Where is it possible." Demian chuckles. "I was just born a winner, how else?"

"Oh, oh. her pompous." Dania shuddered after hearing Demian's reply. He threw a glance at Jessica and said, "Is she always the strings?"

"Yup. He's more narcissistic than you can see, actually. He couldn't, just a day, not praise himself."

"I'm surprised you like it" Elliot scoffed.

"I don't know why you're interpreting my honesty as a string." Demian leaned against his stool while grinning in a joke. "I'm just great. Accept that fact and you'll stop criticizing me."

Ethan glanced at Demian with a faint smile. "Demian, you're just making them thirstier to put you on the ground."

"Well, I think accepting reality is hard, right?"

Demian was about to collect another card at the table when he heard a question that suddenly appeared from Dania.

"I wonder, what's your day job, Demian?"

"Why your sudden question?" Demian turned his head towards Dania, somewhat astonished by the woman's question which was off track from their topic of conversation.

"Stop that..." Jessica, if Dania hadn't offended that topic, never would've thought of getting there. "I never questioned his work. I thought he was just unemployed."

"Waaaaah, did you choose unemployment over the famous Jake?" Elliot overheats Demian. "Very inappropriate, Jesse. You better rethink your decision. You don't want to keep a human version of a pest, do you?"

"Who do you call a pest?" Demian throws Elliot with a peanut shell on the table.

"Then what is your job, Mr. Bellamy?"

Demian propped up his chin on the table, before answering Elliot's cynical question, Demian downed his half-soaked coffee.

"I'm a good player in this city" Demian said later. His smile was full of pride.

"Girl-what?"

"I'm gambling," Demian replied back, this time more seriously. "Because in Vegas there are a lot of casinos, too many casinos, actually. I used it to my advantage."

"What does that mean..., you're collecting money from winning gambles?"

"Yup." Demian smiled widely, he was the only one who was proud of his skill there. The four comrades instead looked at him with frowns in disbelief.

"What's weird?" ask Demian back.

"Yeah, rather than weird, it's unique.., I guess." Jessica responded somewhat astonished. "I mean, this is the first time I've heard of people taking advantage of casinos. Usually casinos are utilizing people who are addicted to their games."

"Life like that.., did you just do that all year?"

"Not really..." Demian slicked his shoulders. "I only play a few times a year, maybe five or six times? I always win, so the money I earn in one night is enough to keep me alive for a few months."

"Always win?"

Demian nodded. "It's some kind of luck, maybe? I never lose when it's a card game, like right now. The goddess Fortuna may have supported me all the time."

"Waaaaah, that's surprising..." Ethan showed admiration. "How much did you earn last night?"

"Depending on the money I need, I usually earn $70,000 overnight. I didn't want to attract attention, so I was just chasing a small amount of wins."

"L-little bit? That little?"

Demian slicked his shoulders. "I guess."

Jessica guessed, since Demian was from a mafia family that definitely had a dynasty in his house, the man must have been rich. He's probably richer than Jake. Because of his wealth, he became less aware that $70,000 more than Elixir's net income in a year.

He did not realize his words had made the poor souls at the table rustle.

"I was wondering, did you really win every game you played?" Elliot is the only skeptic.

"If you're curious, you can come with me to Bronze. The owner is my friend..no, enemy, maybe?"

"Seriously, Bronze? Isn't it just people from the elite who can play there?" Ethan's stunned.

"Not really, if you bring in enough money, you can go in there and play against the boss straight away."

"..." - ".Again, the four herds stared at Demian in horror.

Elliot gulped.

After all, in their minds, when Demian described his work as a reliable gambler, the figure that was imagined in their minds was Demian who went in and out of cheap casinos that many lined up untidy in the strip area.

He might win a few hundred dollars overnight, but not thousands. Nor did they imagine that Demian would play all the way to Bronze.

Bronze is like the palace of Cleopatra in Vegas. The place was grand and luxurious, too intimidating for those who only had a few thousand dollars in personal accounts. No-one-among the four of them-had ever seen Bronze and been interested in stopping there.

That place was already like any other planet inhabited by moneyed monsters.

"I have one more question" said Dania.

"Yes?"

"If you were able to collect around $70000 overnight, why are you still breezing around with those cheap flannels?"

When her fashion sense was questioned, Demian's expression turned sour. "What's wrong with my shirt?"

Demian really likes her looks now, to be honest. Demian has no intention of going to branded outlets lined up in malls. Not because Demian was not interested in such expensive clothes.

Demian lived in Italy before, for God's sake. He was already satisfied to Milan and saw the fashion city in person. From the past until now, Demian's heart was not moved to buy these expensive items.

"I like how I look like this, so I don't want to change anything anymore."

Demian's answer at that time, again made Jessica thinly. Jessica was amazed at the many things Demian had told her tonight. Not only about his ability to shuffle cards that seem sexy, his work that can not be said work as well, his style choices, and most importantly, the way the man talked to his friends.

Demian is so charming. Jessica wanted to drag Demian into the room and lock him in the bathroom.

Demian's existence had already dominated the entire space in Jessica's heart, Jessica was afraid that she would not be able to let the man go again from her life. Jessica liked it so much.

Demians.

...****************...