The air in the plush members-only lounge crackled with another energy than just the clinking of glasses and muffled deals. You, always pragmatic, nervously adjusted your glasses. A Monopoly board lay across the mahogany table.

Next to you sat Chloe, your friend.

"So, ladies and gentlemen, let the games...begin!"

The game began innocently enough. There were friendly jokes, lighthearted strategic plans. But as the evening wore on, the stakes, both real and perceived, began to rise.

You favored careful planning and careful investment, but the game was speeding up beyond your comfort levels. The atmosphere in the lounge grew increasingly tense. Polite mutterings gave way to sharp answers and thinly veiled accusations.

And then there was Chloe. She wasn't playing; she was betting. She bought the property without a second thought, mortgaged it at will.

Y- Chloe, do you even follow the rules?

Chloe waved her hand dismissively, her eyes glittering.

Chloe- Rules? Honey, I don't even know the rules.

She laughed, a high, ringing sound that seemed to echo in the increasingly tense atmosphere.