Chan was driving up to the Grand Lotus Casino and Resort, his eyes focused on the glamorous building in front of him.
Granite pillars stood there, proudly holding the weight of the roof of the entrance. Banners hanging every 2 feet, their burgundy fabric glowing in the sunlight, gleaming with opulence and elegance.
The glass domes to the sides of the Akropolis-style roof were reflecting the sunlight and blinding him as he drove colder to the entrance stairway.
The building looked like a mix of a giant old greenhouse and the white house.
As he finally pulled up to the entrance, he was greeted by a valet in a wine red uniform.
"Good Day sir, may I see your invitation?"
"Yes, of course, just... hang on a second."
Chan's nimble fingertips reached into the inner pocket of his suit, pulling out a thick paper card with gold letters. He handed the card to the obviously younger man, who eyed the card for a second.
"Name and code word, please, sir?"
"Christopher Bang, the code word's 'Lure'."
The valet briefly nodded.
"Welcome Mister Bang, if you'd be so kind to step out the car."
"Just call me Chan, please."
The black haired male got out the car and handed the valet the keys.
"Alright, Mister B- I mean Chan. Your luggage will be delivered to your room in an instant. Have a nice stay."
He just thanked the young man and walked onto the stairs. He approached the doors, hearing his car door close.
Two men in blood red suits stood next to the doors, nodding and opening the doors for him.
As soon as he stepped in, he noticed the temperature shift in the air. The entrance hall was cold, in a refreshing way. Soft jazz sounds wavered through the air, along with quiet chatter and the soft clinking of cocktail glasses.
8 sitting areas consisting of grey leather couches and marble tables, plants in gold pots and about 10 people each surrounded him.
The main hall was huge.
He looked around, noticing replicas of world-famous paintings that adorned the walls, til he noticed the reception on the other side of the room.
A brown haired women in her 30s at the receptionist's desk waved him to her.
"Hello, Mr...."
"Christopher Bang."
"Ah, yes, Mister Bang. Your room number is room 4419", she said, handing him a room key.
"I hope you've been informed that you share a room with Mr. Seo."
"I have not, actually."
He smiled warmly at her.
"Oh, I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but the host insisted that two people share a room."
"And who might that be, if I'm allowed to ask."
"I'm afraid the host doesn't want us to tell you. But you can surely find out at tonight's masquerade ball. We've already prepared the costumes and masks, they will be brought to you and Mr. Seo after lunch."
He just nodded.
"So, Mr. Bang, i was also told to inform you, your presence is mandatory at tonight's ball. Lunch is at 1 pm, dinner at 7 pm everyday. Tonight's masquerade will replace dinner today, it starts at 6 pm.
Oh, and Mr. Seo already arrived, I assume he's still in your room.
Any further questions?"
He still had a shit amount of questions on his mind, but he only managed to shake his head.
"Alright, then we're all set."
She hit the bell next to her. After a short while, a short latina with a black bob and the red uniform appeared next to him.
"Esmeralda will guide you to your room, Mister Bang."
"Thank you, Ms.-", he read the tag on the receptionist's uniform, "Ms. Hanson."
Esmeralda, the girl just took off, without a word. He almost had to jog to keep up with her.
The passed a long hallway, the walls white, the carpeted floor red.
At the end of said corridor, two golden elevator doors opened up, as if they knew they arrived.
Esmeralda walked right in and pressed some buttons.
The doors closed and he stood right next to her. She seemed tense, anxious even. She mumbled something along the lines of:
"Get out of here as soon as possible. Be careful; The walls have eyes and ears."
He cleared his throat.
"Um, excuse me, can you repeat that please? I didn't quite catch that."
But as soon as she opened her mouth to repeat, the doors opened and an old man stepped in.
"Ah, hello Esmeralda, I've been looking for you."
"Hello Mr. Amalvi, how can I help you?"
She looked surprised, scared even.
Chan raised his eyebrow at the man.
He was short, but lanky. He also smelled like mothballs. The man spoke up again.
"It's something I'd rather discuss privately."
All color left Esmeralda's face at that answer.
The doors closed again.
The rest of the elevator ride was uncomfortably silent.
After what felt like an eternity, the elevator doors opened again.
"Mr. Bang, your room is at the end of this corridor. I'd stay here if you don't mind."
He just smiled at her and nodded.
"Thank you, Esmeralda."
He stepped out and adjusted his black suit. The corridor was rather short compared to the others and was illuminated by golden lamps.
The crimson carpet underneath him swallowed the sounds of his steps as his shadow wandered alongside him on the wall.
He reached his room door and pulled out the key.
This Mr. Seo was supposed to be in his room, so he knocked before entering.
"Oh, hello, I suppose you must be Mr. Bang."
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The Cards | ChanBin
FantasyShuffle the cards and they'll tell you what already was, what is, and what'll happen. But don't forget, once the cards are shuffled, there's no turning back. TW: - Violent Death - Gore - Hate Speech (As in, there will be hate speech inside the sto...
