Maurice gave a slight grunt of acknowledgment. He didn't think Felicia possessed the nerve to act against him during treatment—unless she had a death wish. To be safe, however, Caesar reviewed every prescription she provided. He also observed each acupuncture session from a discreet distance, posing as a butler.

For four consecutive days, Felicia had been compliant, showing no hint of ulterior motives. Maurice casually picked up a nearby tablet. The device displayed a live feed from Felicia's room and the activity on the laptop she'd recently been given. He could monitor everything in real time, regardless of her online contacts or activities.

Soon, the laptop powered on. A smug smile spread across his face—the look of someone anticipating leverage over their prey. He wondered who Felicia would contact first. Stephan?

Maurice watched intently, his sharp eyes narrowing. On the tablet, he saw Felicia lounging on the bed, engrossed in what appeared to be a card game. He raised an eyebrow. The unmistakable sounds of a game app echoed from the tablet: "Bet! Fold! All in! Raise!"

Maurice's lips curled in disbelief. He switched to the surveillance feed, confirming Felicia was sprawled on the bed, completely absorbed in a card game.

When a teammate made a bad move, she yelled angrily at the screen, "Are you serious? We're on the same team, and you're sabotaging me? Do you even know how to play this game?"

Maurice's face darkened. "There's no way she asked for a laptop just to play poker," he muttered, tossing the tablet to his men. "Keep an eye on her. I refuse to believe she's wasting my time on a game." "Yes, Mr. Glovers," his subordinate replied with a nervous salute, clutching the tablet.

Hours passed, yet Felicia remained glued to the poker app. She even took the laptop with her to the bathroom—the only area of the suite not under surveillance. Even Maurice had limits. Muffled game notifications drifted from the bathroom: "Flush! Straight! Full house!"

Inside, Felicia sat on the toilet with the laptop propped up. While the game ran, she typed furiously, executing several programs to briefly disconnect the laptop from Maurice's network. She contacted Carmen first.

Felicia had used the game as a cover because she knew Maurice was watching. Open contact would have given him leverage. But she couldn't remain silent; she couldn't let Carmen, her only friend, make reckless decisions out of worry. She made the call. Hearing Carmen's voice was far more reassuring than a text would have been.

On the other end, Carmen's heart raced when she saw the untraceable incoming call. Without hesitation, she answered.