Arseniy Popov

The city had long been divided between two powerful organizations. Their leaders hated each other so much that even a casual glance in the wrong direction could spark conflict .

One of them was Arseniy Popov, a man whose name was known even to those who had never met him in person. He was cold, calculating, and always thinking several steps ahead. For him, people were like pieces on a chessboard: each had a role, their weaknesses, and their worth. His enemy was Anton Shastun.

But there was one place where all the rules changed. Monarch Casino.

Here, enemies could sit at adjacent tables, drink the same whiskey, and pretend there was no war between them. It was the only place in the city where even the most dangerous men observed a truce.

Arseniy wasn't there that evening on business. He simply wanted to forget for a moment about the endless power struggle. But one man caught his eye. Sitting at the poker table was the man the entire casino was talking about. The cheater.

No one knew his real name. No one knew where he came from or who he worked for. Everyone knew only one thing: he always won.

He'd been caught dozens of times. They'd checked his cards, changed tables, studied the security footage. But every time, the impossible happened. On video, he played completely fair. No substitutions. No hidden moves. No cheating. And yet, he won.

"It's funny," Arseniy said calmly. "Everyone calls you a cheater, but no one can prove you're cheating."

The stranger only smiled slightly. The game began. Arseny was used to spotting lies. He noticed the slightest changes in voice, movements, and glances. But the man sitting across from him was impossible to read. And then something happened that no one expected. The sharper lost. For the first time in many years. The casino fell silent. He looked at the cards, then looked up at Arseniy and smiled.

• Finally. These two words made Arseniy wary. For the first time in a long time, he felt not victory, but interest.

A mysterious masked swindler made Arseniy interested in him, not yet knowing that this swindler was his main enemy, when both were feuding with each other with the status of "Mafia".