“And what is with all those pretty China girls hanging on to him? Don’t they have any pride?” Hashwini was not done venting her disgruntlement. “He goes through them like tear-away calendars; one new girl each month!”

Euu Ki waited till the last zombie was decimated by a pea shooter before he looked up from his game of Plants vs Zombies on his tablet and glared at Hashwini.

“What?” Hashwini returned the glare.

“You are such a snob!”

“Now, where did that come from?”

“You think you’re better than those China girls who sponge off their sugar daddies.”

“At least I work hard for my money. I stand on my heels eight to twelve hours a day dealing table games. I don’t sponge off anyone.”

“That is your choice,” Euu Ki said. “But those China girls chose differently, to enjoy a lifestyle of spas, shopping and fine dining while you sit on your high horse and nurse your sore feet from standing all day long. But heh, at least you got your bigly self-pride.”

“Shut up!”

Euu Ki’s analysis left an imprint. Hashwini found herself looking at the string of China girls who accompanied the Beast to the casino in a different light. She now saw them as smart young women who engineered a lifestyle for themselves they could not have otherwise afforded. If nothing else, she admired them for their incredible threshold of tolerance. Anyone who could tolerate the abusive behaviour and noxious personality of the Beast deserved her respect.

Hashwini herself could not. Every time she dealt roulette for the Beast, she prayed that he would soar high on a winning streak; that was her only chance of escaping his verbal abuse. But it appeared that today was not one of her lucky days. For five consecutive spins the Beast had bet heavily on the zero sector but the ball refused to comply. Hashwini did not understand the volley of Chinese expletives hurled at her but the ferocious scowl on his face was clear indication that the Beast was fast approaching the point of meltdown.

“I will give you one more chance!” the Beast spit as he threw two $10,000 chips onto the table. “You better spin me a good one or I will make you lick my balls.”

Hashwini flushed. She looked down as she swept the heap of betting chips into the sorter so that no one could see the fury in her eyes. She wished she could grab the ashtray and indulge in her bloodiest fantasy. The pit supervisor must have sensed her anger, for she casually informed the Beast that the swing croupier would be arriving to relieve Hashwini for her break any time now and that he might want to consider continuing his game at the adjacent roulette table. The Beast took her advice, but not before pointing a finger at Hashwini and hissing, “Nasty woman!”