Phobia - A Levi x Original Character Story

Chapter 10

I step out of the carriage, my knee exposed through the slit in my dress. The black lace on my dress shimmers in the sunlight as I look around. I notice Levi standing beside the carriage, waiting for me. I put on a smile and nod at him. In my peripheral vision, I see my squad members stationed at their designated place. Perfect.

Ahead of me is a large, posh establishment. Definitely not what a normal casino looks like. For a casino that's been around for about 2 years, they've really bedazzled the place. There were tall, pale pillars at the entrance with several other people standing outside.

I look forward and whisper to Levi, "You should smile more." Levi doesn't reply so I glance over at him, just to see his face looking as blank as ever. I refuse to let my smile falter and instead walk over to the entrance, "Thanks. I appreciate that." I mutter to him.

A bouncer at the entrance stands ahead of us. We stop at him and he smiles, "You're name, Sir and Madam."

"Ernst Biehl, and Annalise Biehl." Levi courtly replies, "First time."

"First time yeah? Have a great night!" The bouncer replies in a friendly manner.

"Thank you." I reply with a smile and the bouncer gestures for us to enter.

We walk in and I nearly gasp at how beautiful it is. The high ceilings with hanging chandeliers that cast a golden glow over the room. The rich women in their alluring gowns and men in their suave suits chatting amongst themselves. On the left side of the room, there was a bar and some tables. People were eating and drinking alcoholic beverages. While on the right side of the room there were two double doors. One labelled 'Smoking' and the other 'VIP' Against the back wall, there were several tables with ongoing games of cards. But in the left and right corner, there were single doors. One was labelled 'Restroom' while the other labelled 'Kitchen'.

I instantly noticed the lack of security around the casino. I'm guessing the staff must be trained to deal with problems.

I'm about to take a step forward when a lady comes over to us and hands us crackers that have some sort of spread on them. She winks at us, "Starters. Let me know if you want anything else."

"Thank you." Levi curtly replies, lifting the hors d'oeuvre. I smile at the lady and she walks away with a giggle.

I discreetly sniff the cracker. In my peripheral vision, I see Levi eat the cracker. I hand the small dish over to him and he raises an eyebrow. "I don't eat meat."

"Why?" He asks, then proceeds to plop the cracker in his mouth.

"No reason." I say and look to the left, "Lets head to the bar."

"Can you hold your liquor?" Levi asks me as we walk over.

"Pretty well. I won't drink much." We reach the bar and take a seat at a table for two. It doesn't take long for someone to notice us.

"Hello." The man smirks, "Haven't seen you guys here before and I come every night. Are you new?"

"Yes." I smile at him, "We heard great things about this place." I lie smoothly.

"We're trying to find a good place to have a good time." Levi adds.

"Yeah? You found the right place." The man gestures for us to sit at his table, which is larger with nearly 10 seats. "My name is Tobias Von Kurt. You?" He extends his hand to us.

"Ernst Biehl." Levi replies and gives him a firm shake.

Tobias looks over to me, his hand still extended. I wink at him and giggle while covering my mouth, "My husband gets jealous. My name is Annalise Biehl." I say, completely avoiding any physical contact.

Tobias sits back and erupts in a belly laugh. "Can't blame him, could you?" He smirks, "Sit with us. Wanna get to know you."

I smile but feel disgust fill in my stomach. I carefully grab a bunch of my dress and lift it up a little as I stand up, as not to step on it. We sit at the table with Tobias and several other men and their wives.

Everyone at the table introduces themselves to us. Peter and Clara Muller, Jacob Steen, Nicholas Klein, and finally Tobias' wife; Greta Von Kurt. It became obvious quickly that these were the richest and most popular guests who regularly come to the Casino.

"So, tell us about yourselves." Greta says, resting her hand against her cheek. Her bright red nails illuminating her pale skin.

I look over at Levi and throw on a fake smile, "Well... We've been happily married for about 5 years now." I look over to the group again, "My husband is a lawyer, but on the side we both sell properties. We lived nobly, but recently we sold a large plot in Wall Sina and it put us in a great place."

"So you're new money?" Clara asks, a suspicious smile on her face.

"In a way." Levi starts.

"We sold the plot several months ago." I continue, "We've been investing wisely and making even more. We bought more properties as well and even a construction company. We own a lot of the land surrounding this establishment actually."

"Oh?" Tobias comments, "I own a big alcohol company. The very same alcohol they serve here is made by me. Its called 'Wolf Kurt'

"Really? Wow!" I look over at Levi shocked. "My husband loves your beer!"

"I do." Levi continues, "A good way to end a hard day."

Tobias laughs and slaps Levi's back, "Let me know if you ever need some."

"I actually own an interior design company." Peter says, "We should partner up if you have any upcoming projects. We did up this Casino and everyone loves it."

"This place is really beautiful." I gush.

"I like how you think Muller." Levi comments, crossing his arms as if he's thinking about something, "We have one coming up in Stohess. Construction is done in about 8 days."

"Well, that leaves us. Steen and Klein Power." Jacob rubs his hands together.

"We actually provide power to the Casino." Nicholas points to the chandeliers, "Few places around here too." I smile at him and nod.

It's starting to make sense. The reason why Casino Ringstar is making a lot of money is because they barely pay for anything. The people at this table are their investors, their VIPs. Alcohol, Power, and decorations are all covered by these people. Levi and I have established ourselves as realtors who have invested in the past. Now, all we have to do is convince the owners to want to expand the casino into the surrounding land.

All in exchange for access to their VIP and backroom.