Zachary looked at a wad of bills handed to him. One hundred thousand dollars wasn’t a lot. It was merely what he would spend on drinks in a single night. However, he knew Edie’s family was poor, having dropped out of junior high and then drifted through society. For Edie, one hundred thousand dollars was certainly not a small sum, and Zachary found himself in the midst of an intense internal struggle.
“You know the rules of my household. I absolutely can’t gamble. If my grandfather finds out, he’d break my legs,” Zachary said, hesitant to take the money.
“This is a desperate solution, Zack. You know my family background and I’m poor. This is the only way I could think of. Once they heard you had offended Irene, no one even dared to answer your calls. It’s not going to be easy for you to get money now. Consider this hundred thousand as a gift from me. Try your luck. If you lose, we just leave, and you won’t have lost anything, right? But what if you’re lucky and win?”
“You make sense, but my grandfather…” Zachary was still indecisive.
“As long as you cover up this loophole, how would your grandfather ever know?”
“You’re right… I’ll give it a try then.” Zachary took the money, his heart filled with trepidation as he entered the casino.
The two exchanged the cash for chips. A large stack of cash turned into not so many chips in hand. It was Zachary’s first time in a casino, and he lacked experience. Edie, much more seasoned, guided him through the gambling hall.
“Zack, since we don’t have many chips, let’s start small,” Edie suggested.
“Alright.” Though Zachary had gambled with friends for fun, betting only small amounts, he understood the basic rules. He played the simplest dice game, Banka Francesca. He didn’t have high hopes. If he lost the hundred thousand, he would stop.
Unexpectedly, his pile of chips grew. “Zack, you’re on a lucky streak! Look, you’ve already won over one million,” Edie remarked. Only then did Zachary snap out of his gambling trance, realizing his heart had started to rise and fall with the game, forgetting even why he had come.
“Indeed, now I can double down!” With excitement, Zachary was no longer as cautious as before. His luck continued unabated. Whatever he bet on, he won, and a considerable amount was skimmed off by the house.
As the chips piled up around him, he became more engrossed. Edie counted his chips and stated, “Zack, you’ve won seven million already! You’re incredible!”
“Getting closer to thirteen million. This time, I’ll go big.”
“Bets, please.”
Zachary pushed all his chips forward. “All in.”
His bold move drew gasps from the surrounding crowd. It was indeed an impressive gesture. It was a risky move. He would either win big or lose everything, but humans were always greedy.
Deciding to bet on one last game, Zachary hadn’t lost a single round all evening, drawing many bystanders to bet alongside him. Everyone treated him like a god of fortune, praising him endlessly, and following his bets to win money themselves. People who were lucky seemed to do well in whatever they played, and all eyes were on the center of the action. No one noticed Edie, who stood by the side, her lips quietly curling into a smile.
As the results were revealed, a chorus of groans filled the air. “Had I known, I wouldn’t have followed in betting.”
“Ah, I thought I was on a lucky streak this time.”
“This guy won so many rounds. It’s normal for him to lose one. It’s just a pity he went all-in this time and lost everything.”
The surrounding murmurs rose and fell, and for Zachary, who was caught up in the excitement, the outcome was like a bucket of cold water thrown over him, drenching him completely.
“Zack, you shouldn’t have been so impulsive. How could you put all your chips in? Now you’ve got nothing left. Luckily, we lost only $100, 000, which isn’t too much. Let’s leave,” sighed Edie.
“No, I was just one step away. Go and withdraw the money from my card.” Zachary handed a bank card to Edie.
“Zack, maybe we should stop here. No one knows what will happen next.”
“Didn’t you see how well I was doing tonight? Losing once is normal. If anything, blame my arrogance just now. If I had been more cautious, I wouldn’t have lost so much.”
Seeing victory was just a step away, Zachary couldn’t just let it go.
“But…”
“Enough. The PIN is 325217. Go quickly.” Zachary had been in the casino for a couple of hours, and his mind was no longer clear.
“Alright.” Edie took his card and left.
Zachary began to watch how others were betting. The card currently held over a million dollars, which Ivy had scraped together for him.
Meanwhile, Edie crossed through the crowd and entered a dark hallway covered with carpets, approaching a luxuriously grand door guarded by a line of bodyguards.
“I need to see Mr. Coleman,” he whispered under the intense gaze of the bodyguards.
The bodyguards then opened the door, and as it swung open, light poured out of the room, which was frighteningly large.
A tall figure stood by the window, not turning around, his silhouette alone imposing and unapproachable.
“Mr. Coleman…” Edie stuttered, the man’s presence making his legs weak.
“Hmm,” the man responded in a deep voice.
“Zachary has been led astray by me, and now he’s asked me to withdraw all the money inside.”
“Continue.”
“Yes, Mr. Coleman, I’ll leave now.” Edie hurried out, fearing the man would go mad if he stayed any longer.
As the door closed, the man slowly turned around, revealing a handsome face.
He then dialed a number, and a woman’s irritable voice answered, “If you don’t give me a proper reason, I won’t let you off.”
Her voice was sultry. Clearly, she had been sleeping, and the man’s cold lips curved as he said, “I’ve helped you again, Irene. How will you repay me?”
“How much money do you want?” The woman on the other side, clearly in a deep sleep, impatiently tousled her hair, which was a mess.
The man could imagine her expression even over the phone. “Do you think I need money?”
“Then what do you want? This favor is for Jules. Go ask him for anything you need.”