After entering the gate, there were lush green lawns on both sides, wide enough for playing golf without any issues.
Continuing straight ahead for a short distance, a large French-style fountain appeared in front of them.
Seeing the fountain, Leo knew it was definitely the work of a geomancy master.
Before entering the gate, Leo had noticed a river directly opposite the villa’s entrance.
Water represents Yin energy, especially flowing water, which carries a slight negative energy.
The villa was located in the north, and negative energy tends to flow towards the north. There was a straight and wide road from the gate to the villa.
The road acted as a conduit, facilitating the flow of negative energy towards the villa, creating a negative geomancy formation.
Staying in such a geomancy formation for a long time would accumulate more negative energy, which could affect the health and even the lifespan of the villa’s occupants.
However, if a fountain was built in front of the villa, it would dissipate this negative energy.
As they approached the fountain, there were directional signs on both sides of the lawn. Leo briefly glanced at them. The left side had a golf course, a soccer field, and a bowling alley, while the right side had a parking lot, a racecourse, and a hot spring, among other facilities.
They first drove the car into the underground parking lot, then took the elevator directly to the villa, accompanied by Coral, who led them to the third floor.
To Leo’s surprise, the third floor turned out to be a tea house.
Inside the tea house, several tea masters were performing tea ceremonies, while a few beautiful women accompanied some middle-aged men with big bellies, engaging in tea tasting and discussions.
Guided by Coral, the two of them entered a semi-open private booth.
Inside the booth, there were two men and two women enjoying their tea and engaging in lively conversation.
When the two men saw Coral walking in, they quickly stood up from their seats, while the two women tactfully exited the booth.
“Coral, you’re five minutes late,” one of the slightly bald middle-aged men extended his hand to Coral, teasingly saying.
Coral shook his hand and smiled, “Mr. Hampton, I didn’t mind when you were ten minutes late last time. You’re not being petty now, are you?”
“If it were a man doing that, I might not feel so good about it, but it’s different when it comes to Coral,” Brice Hampton looked at Coral with an admiring expression on his face.
Coral ignored the expression and smiled, extending her hand to the well-built man next to Brice, “Mr. McKenzie, long time no see. It’s an honor to have you here this time.”
“Fancy words, Coral,” Finnegan McKenzie replied simply, but his gaze fell on Leo, “And who is this?”
“This is my assistant, Leo. I brought him here today to accompany you for some fun,” Coral emphasized the words “some fun,” and Brice and Finnegan immediately understood the meaning behind her words. Their faces showed anticipation, and their gaze toward Leo was filled with interest.
After shaking hands with the two men, Leo, who still had no idea why he was here, looked a bit bewildered.
The four of them took their seats, and tea servers came over to brew tea.
Coral engaged in a conversation with the two men across from her, mainly discussing business matters, but Leo wasn’t very interested.
All Leo could do was sip his tea and admire the beautiful women, occasionally engaging in small talk when there was an opportunity.
Coral reached an agreement with Brice and Finnegan regarding their business collaboration. Many of the discussions involved specialized topics that were beyond Leo’s understanding, but he could tell that the three of them were having a pleasant conversation.
After reaching a consensus, Brice and Finnegan shifted their attention to Leo.
“Mr. Bloomer, I heard from Coral that you have exceptional card skills. Today, I must witness it myself,” Brice said with eagerness written all over his face.
“Card skills?” Leo was taken aback and couldn’t help but glance at Coral. She subtly gave him a signal with her eyes, and Leo understood. He modestly smiled and said, “Mr. Hampton, you flatter me. My card skills are nothing remarkable.”
Leo wasn’t lying, but his modest words didn’t come across that way to Finnegan.
Unlike Brice, Finnegan was a bit reserved and didn’t smile much. He looked deeply at Leo and stood up, saying, “Since you were recommended by Coral, there’s no need for pleasantries. As the saying goes, if someone claims a donkey is a horse, you should take it for a walk. Let’s go.”
The four of them arrived at the elevator and went directly to the top floor of the villa.
When they entered the elevator, Leo noticed that there wasn’t a button for the fifth floor. However, Brice took out a card, swiped it, and the elevator started ascending automatically.
After the elevator doors opened, the fifth floor wasn’t as open as the third floor.
After entering through a door, they found themselves in a classically decorated hall.
The hall had several gambling tables, but there were very few players. There were separate private rooms on both sides of the hall, making the entire fifth floor much quieter than the floors below.
Apart from a few male staff members in uniforms, the beautiful female dealers Leo had anticipated were nowhere to be seen.
After the four of them entered, a man who appeared to be the supervisor approached them.
“Mr. Hampton, Mr. McKenzie, greetings to both of you,” the supervisor bowed slightly with a smile on his face, greeting the four of them.
From the supervisor’s words, it was evident that Brice and Finnegan were regulars here.
Brice glanced at the supervisor and said, “Give us a VIP room. Also, let Nia be the dealer.”
“Alright, this way, please,” the supervisor extended his hand and gestured for them to follow.
As they followed the supervisor, Leo felt somewhat puzzled. He couldn’t believe that Coral had brought him here to gamble.
Coral turned her head and gave him an encouraging look, with a hint of anticipation in her eyes.
They entered a spacious and luxurious VIP room, with a large stone-made gambling table in the center.
Soon, a beautiful woman dressed in a black professional outfit entered the room. She must be the “Nia” Brice mentioned. Leo couldn’t help but take a few more glances.
This woman surpassed the tea ceremony beauty on the third floor in terms of elegance.
After giving a few instructions to Nia, the supervisor exited the room and closed the door behind him.
The four of them took their seats, and Nia placed the deck of cards from her tray on the gambling table. She crossed her hands in front of her abdomen, slightly bowed, and nodded with a smile, indicating the start of the game.
Brice sat at the head of the gambling table, Finnegan sat on his left, while Leo and Coral took the seats on the right.