The man's grip tightened even more as she struggled, and his smile became even more unsettling.
The woman was anxious and angry, and the pain in her wrist combined with her fear made her voice tremble with tears.
"You... you let me go!"
The casino was noisy.
The electronic sounds of the slot machines jingled and clanged, while from the distant card table came the clatter of the dealer shuffling cards and the hushed conversations of the gamblers. Champagne glasses occasionally clinked together, producing a crisp, tinkling sound.
These sounds blended together and drowned out most of the noise.
The two were arguing, which still attracted a few glances.
But most people only glanced at it before getting back into their own betting or simply not wanting to cause trouble.
The woman was both ashamed and afraid. In this situation, she dared not make a loud noise, for fear of attracting more attention, and also for fear that her husband might come home and see this embarrassing scene.
The pain in her wrist and the man's oppressive aura left her feeling utterly panicked and helpless.
In her panic and helplessness, she instinctively turned her head away.
Just when she was at her wit's end, she subconsciously turned her head sharply and looked at the stranger who had been sitting there not far away, the one who had seen through her little schemes, brought her bad luck, but had also handed her a tissue.
The woman's eyes were filled with a pleading look.
Draco initially thought it was her husband, but seeing the woman's pleading look, he stood up and went over.
The distance of a few meters was quickly covered, and Draco reached out and precisely grabbed the man's hand that was gripping the woman's wrist.
"Sir," Draco said forcefully, "Can you let go?"
The man was gloating over his success when a sudden, sharp pain in his wrist made him gasp.
He winced in pain and released his grip, turning around impatiently. Seeing Draco's displeasure, he immediately snapped:
"Who do you think you are? Mind your own business! Get out of my way!"
Ignoring the woman's rebuke, Draco used his other hand to shield the still trembling woman behind him.
"I... am her man," he finally said.
The man's gaze swept over Draco.
Looking at the noble and aloof air emanating from him.
Then it became clear that this was not an ordinary person, but someone from the same social class as him, or even someone of a higher social class.
He glanced at the woman again.
She was already partially shielded behind Draco, rubbing her wrists with her head down, her body noticeably leaning towards Draco, a dependent posture that needed no words.
The man immediately lost his arrogance.
He muttered "bad luck" under his breath, turned around, and slunk away quickly into the noisy crowd at the casino.
The woman was still somewhat shaken after being rescued.
She rubbed her wrist, which was red from being gripped so tightly, and looked at the tall, straight back blocking her way, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
"Thank you," she said sincerely.
Draco turned to face her, his gaze falling on her slender wrist marked with red marks, and he frowned slightly.
"Are you alright?" he asked in a relaxed tone.
"It's nothing." The woman lowered her head, not daring to look at him.
The way the woman was rubbing her wrist with her head down at this moment, her obedient demeanor with a hint of pitiful vulnerability, was completely different from her previous cold and aloof appearance.
"Now... it's not my fault, is it?" Draco's lips curled up, deliberately teasing, "When I was around, at least I could shield you from other... perverts."
As soon as he said that, the woman suddenly raised her head!
Her eyes widened, and she was momentarily stunned, as if she hadn't quite grasped the meaning behind Draco's words, but then she understood.
This refers to her previously childishly blaming him for her bad luck.
However, the other party repaid evil with kindness.
The woman's face turned completely red!
She was so embarrassed. She had been avoiding him like the plague, and now he had saved her. Her face was practically swollen with embarrassment.
"... That's not what I meant..." the woman stammered, her tone filled with deep embarrassment.
At least, at this moment, she no longer dared, nor felt comfortable, to secretly associate him with bad luck in her heart.
After all, bad luck won't protect her from thugs.
That naive idea seemed so ridiculous and insignificant in the face of his earlier teasing remark and act of helping.
However, perhaps to cover up his embarrassment, or perhaps because he still harbored a reluctance to completely "admit defeat."
"Before... my husband and I even won nine hundred!" She tilted her flushed cheeks and argued softly, trying to prove with facts that her previous good luck was not an exaggeration.
To make her argument more convincing, she even moved the khaki canvas bag she was carrying closer together, discreetly opening it only a crack to show Draco: "Look..."
The movements were somewhat furtive.
Draco followed her movements, his gaze falling into the gap. Sure enough, there were quite a few coins piled up in the bag. Although he couldn't see them all, a rough count showed that there were probably more than two hundred left.
For a woman who doesn't seem like a high-stakes gambler, this is indeed a considerable windfall.
"So lucky?"
Draco's face showed just the right amount of surprise.
The woman seemed encouraged by his question, but then she immediately remembered something, and her face stiffened again.
She quickly closed her bag, hugged it tightly to her chest, and whispered, "Yes... when you came later..." She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning couldn't be clearer.
Before she could finish speaking, her voice abruptly stopped, and Draco's face visibly darkened.
His smile vanished instantly, replaced by a look of annoyance as he glared at the woman, inwardly laughing with rage: So, after I saved you, you're still that jinx?
The woman panicked the moment she saw his expression change!
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," she waved her hand quickly, her face full of apology. "I didn't mean to, please don't be angry!"
Seeing her flustered apology, Draco's initial annoyance inexplicably dissipated, and he sighed.
"Is it possible that... your husband is lucky, and you yourself are not so lucky?" He was using her own logic against her, refuting her with the same theory of luck.
Upon hearing this, the woman immediately shook her head, refuting the argument earnestly, her tone even tinged with urgency:
"No way!" the woman shook her head and explained, "After he left, I played more than ten rounds and even won a little!"
Now it was Draco's turn to remain silent.
His gaze became somewhat subtle as he looked at the earnest woman before him, and the little confidence he had suddenly wavered.
Am I really just born with a "bad luck aura"?
Am I really that unlucky?
Or perhaps I possess some special magnetic field that can counteract other people's gambling luck? This is a talent he never even considered.
I don't believe it.
Draco, of course, couldn't admit that he was a jinx.
At this moment, the woman, not knowing where she got the courage, said...
"Then you give it a try." With that, she moved aside, making room for the slot machine she was sitting in.