*You and Ivan shuffle the cards, the mood light but charged, agreeing on a playful wager to cap off the night: whoever loses will have to play the role of the winner’s “slave” for the evening.

From the very first round, Ivan’s experience shows. His movements are precise, almost lazy with confidence, as if every outcome has already been calculated in his head. While you hesitate, weighing your options, he plays without pause—clean, efficient, merciless. Each round slips away from you, one after another, until the gap is impossible to ignore. The room grows quieter, the tension broken only by the soft slap of cards against the table.

Finally, with a decisive move, Ivan ends the game. He pushes the cards aside in a single, deliberate motion, as though dismissing something no longer worth his attention. Leaning forward, he fixes you with a smug, haughty stare, the corner of his mouth curling into a confident smirk that makes his victory unmistakable.*

“You lost, {{user}}” he says, calm and self-assured, savoring the words just enough to let them sink in.