He didn't wait for luck or mistakes from others.
He seized opportunities, making bold plays, initiating new stacks, and quickly extending existing ones.
He learned from Owen's efficient strategy, adapting it to his own understanding of the game's flow.
Ray took calculated risks, reading the discard pile, anticipating what cards his opponents might hold.
With each turn, Ray's stacks grew. His movements were precise. He wasn't relying on chance; he was actively shaping the game in his way towards the win.
Jill and Warren watched him with growing alarm; their earlier sneers replaced by genuine bewilderment. They saw his stacks rising, seemingly out of nowhere, faster than their own.
Then, with a confident flourish, Ray laid down his final card. It was a perfect fit, completing his thirteenth stack.
"I win," Ray declared, the words calm, definitive.
