Hashwini could tell that the relationship the two enjoyed was sweet and intimate. Teddy would yelp whenever he was surprised by a card she dealt, whine like a little boy into the mobile phone and spout a smile as he received the mollification he sought. He would at times gently protest against the incoming instruction, ask if she was sure she wanted another card, and break out in chortles and tease her when the next card bust the hand. Hashwini began to like the invisible woman too. It was obvious that she made him happy.

When the swing croupier arrived to release Hashwini for her break, Teddy cajoled, “Please don’t go! You mustn’t desert me! You’re my only hope to regain my losses from last month.”

Despite her bloated bladder, Hashwini hated to disappoint him. She turned to the pit supervisor and asked, “Can Jingxuan take the first break? I can continue dealing till she comes back.”

For a moment, both the pit supervisor and Teddy looked astonished. Then Hashwini heard the latter burst out laughing. “I was only teasing. I would never deprive you of your break!”

That made Hashwini like the man even more. As she sat in the staff cafeteria slurping on her bowl of assam laksa, Hashwini wished Euu Ki was around for her to gossip with. She looked around the cafeteria but could not locate anyone she knew. Although the casino employed more than 1,500 croupiers, Hashwini was close friends with only a mere handful from her cohort. The erratic shift patterns meant that she could go an entire week without bumping into any of them. It was a lonely job dealing table games at one of the biggest casinos in Asia.

By the time Hashwini returned to the Emerald Room, Teddy Toy Boy had left. There was no booking for the rest of the night, so the pit supervisor instructed them to tabulate the chips in the tray and do a table closing. While the pit supervisor was verifying the chip count at Gao Jingxuan’s table, Hashwini pinched the tracking card from atop the shuffle machine to steal a look.

Teddy Toy Boy’s real name was Quee Yu Chin.

It was way past 9pm when Euu Ki finally showed up at her flat. Rodrigo Santoro immediately sprang forth, purred amorously and begged for some canoodling. Euu Ki picked the Bengal cat up and whispered into his ear, “No male can resist me, not even you.”

Hashwini dragged him into the bedroom and closed the door. She knew her grandmother would disapprove but she didn’t care.

“Guess who I dealt for on my first day at the VIP lounge?”

“Teddy Toy Boy?”

“How did you know?” Hashwini exclaimed with incredulity.