Just then…
Adrien rises from his seat.
With him, his entire team stands up.
And then…
they walk straight toward us.
Inside the casino bar, everyone else automatically moves aside.
As if they all know—
when these men walk, the path clears itself.
Adrien stops right in front of me.
His eyes lock onto mine.
No smile.
No words.
Just a heavy silence.
And within that silence…
two empires are measuring each other.
I give a faint smirk and say,
"Looks like Monaco wasn't just here for business."
Adrien speaks for the first time,
his voice low, dangerous—
"And it looks like… the game is about to get interesting."
Mina leans close to my ear, her voice almost like a breath of air.
"Mansi… these are the ones we have the weapon deal with.
We came here for this business."
A slow, confident smile appears on my lips.
Puzzle complete.
I look straight into Adrien's eyes—
no hesitation, no backing down.
"Oh… so you're the undercover mafia boss?"
I say calmly.
"Nice to meet you."
A brief pause.
"I'm Mansi. Weapon dealer.
We had a contract."
Adrien looks at me.
For one second…
just one second—
a small smirk appears on his lips.
A smirk he probably has never given to anyone before.
He speaks, his voice low but commanding—
"Oh… now I remember.
So you're the one… the Weapon Queen."
His eyes scan mine,
as if weighing my power.
"Half the underworld knows you.
Nice to meet you too, Mansi."
Then, with a faint teasing tone—
"Nice name."
I reply without overreacting,
"Thanks."
Then I get straight to the point.
"So let's talk business now.
I don't like wasting my time."
A slight tension spreads across the casino bar.
My team goes alert.
His team stays silent—but ready.
Adrien suddenly laughs—
a short, dangerous laugh.
"Right," he says.
"I don't like wasting time either."
His eyes narrow slightly.
"Private room.
Deals aren't done in public."
I nod, calm as ever.
"Lead the way, boss."
Adrien turns and walks ahead.
His team follows.
I give my team a single look—
Mina. Liwa. Maria. Sakshi.
All ready.
As we move toward the private casino corridor,
only one thought runs through my mind—
* This isn't just a weapon deal.
* This is the first collision of two empires.