The crowd began to thin after midnight. Laughter echoed faintly across the marble hall as the high-stakes table was cleared, the air still heavy with cigar smoke and the faint scent of expensive perfume. Dealers whispered in awe about what they had just witnessed — a young man who'd faced the Queen of Gambling herself and walked away three million richer.
Ethan stood quietly beside the table, hands in his pockets, mind still spinning from the adrenaline. Victor was the last to leave, clapping him on the shoulder before heading toward the exit with Selene.
"Don't vanish too long, brother," Victor said, grinning. "Next time, I'll be ready for your little miracles."
Ethan smiled faintly. "Just don't bring a bigger wallet than your ego."
Selene's lips curved, her gaze lingering on him longer than she intended. "You play dangerously well for a man who doesn't belong here."
"I didn't," Ethan replied softly. "But maybe now I do."
They left, and the lights dimmed, leaving the faint hum of slot machines in the background. Ethan exhaled, reaching into his pocket as the system's glow flickered faintly before his eyes.
[System Interface: Activated]
Mission Complete: ♦ Seven of Diamonds – The Gambler's Path
Reward: Hills Estate Home, +10 System Points, +3 Card Draws
Bonus: Double Reward Activated
Profile – Host: Ethan Ivers
Balance: $6,000,000
System Points: 20
Card Draws Available: 6
Attributes:
Strength – 5
Agility – 4
Endurance – 2
Intelligence – 3
Perception – 3
A smile tugged at his lips. Six million dollars… The thought didn't feel real. The boy who once scraped together coins for bus fare now owned an estate in the Hills.
He closed the interface, heart steadying. Yet before he could even move, a hand shot out from the shadows and gripped his wrist.
"Ethan!"
He barely had time to react. The voice — soft, breathless, trembling — dragged him backward, away from the casino floor.
"Lena—?"
She didn't answer. Her grip was desperate, her movements too fast to resist. He stumbled slightly as she pulled him through the corridor, past startled staff, and into the men's restroom.
The door slammed shut behind them.
A man washing his hands froze mid-motion. One glance at Lena's fierce eyes — filled with command and fear — sent him bolting out without a word. The echo of the door fading left only silence, broken by their unsteady breathing.
Ethan stood still, confusion flickering in his eyes. "Lena… what are you—"
Before he could finish, she spun toward him and kissed him.
For a heartbeat, the world stopped.
Her lips were soft, trembling — not the confident girl he remembered, but a storm of emotions barely contained. His body froze, his thoughts blank, and instinct — or something deeper — made him respond.
He kissed her back.
The moment stretched, fragile and dangerous. His hand found her shoulder; hers pressed lightly against his chest. Every suppressed memory came crashing back — stolen afternoons, whispered dreams, the scent of her hair when they used to meet behind the academy library.
Then she pulled away, breath uneven. Her cheeks flushed crimson.
Neither spoke for several seconds. The air between them was electric, charged with everything they hadn't said since the night her family tore them apart.
Lena looked away first, her hands trembling. "I… shouldn't have done that."
Ethan's voice was low, calm, yet carrying weight. "Then why did you?"
Her eyes lifted to his — wide, wet, and full of regret. "Because I saw you tonight. I saw you sitting there like you belonged with them. Victor, Selene, even Mary—" Her voice caught at the name. "You looked… untouchable. Like the boy I used to know had turned into someone the world finally had to bow to."
He didn't answer.
She stepped closer, her voice breaking. "When my father forced me to end things, I thought I could live with it. That you'd move on quietly and I'd forget. But then I saw you there — confident, calm, winning against her. Everyone whispered your name, Ethan."
She shook her head, her breath trembling. "You don't know what that does to someone who threw you away."
Ethan's throat tightened. For all his newfound wealth and control, this moment disarmed him completely.
He wanted to be angry. He wanted to remind her of the humiliation, the loneliness, the way she'd walked away while he bled in alleys and worked nights just to survive. But her voice — her trembling honesty — dulled the anger into something more complex.
"I didn't ask for you to feel sorry," he said quietly.
Lena flinched, eyes hardening. "I'm not sorry for you. I'm sorry for me."
Silence settled again. The muted hum of the casino beyond the door felt a world away.
Finally, Ethan spoke. "Your family still controls everything, don't they?"
She looked down. "They're planning my engagement. To Adam Vale."
Ethan's eyes sharpened. "Victor's cousin."
Her nod was barely visible. "They said it would strengthen both families. That it was time I stopped embarrassing them with 'old stories.'" Her gaze found his again. "But then I saw you tonight, and I—"
She stopped, words failing her.
Ethan exhaled slowly, the faint glow of the system's interface pulsing once in his vision — silent, watchful, as if even it was waiting.
"Lena," he said finally. "Whatever we had… it died the day you chose them."
Tears welled in her eyes. "You think I chose them? You think I wanted to hurt you? My father threatened your scholarship, your mother, your sister—"
His expression froze. "What?"
Lena bit her lip, panic flashing. "He said if I didn't break up with you, he'd ruin your family. I couldn't let him. I couldn't—"
Her voice cracked. "So I did what he wanted. I walked away. I thought it would protect you."
The words hit harder than any punch he'd ever taken. The truth — days too late — left him reeling.
He turned his face slightly, jaw tightening. "You should have told me."
"I couldn't," she whispered. "He had eyes everywhere."
For a long moment, neither spoke. The light flickered once, throwing their reflections onto the mirror — a girl trembling between guilt and longing, and a young man who had learned too well how to hide pain behind calm.
Ethan finally stepped past her, toward the sink. He turned on the tap, washing his hands slowly, as if to buy time to think. "You shouldn't have come here, Lena. Not like this."
Her voice was faint. "Then why didn't you stop me from kissing you?"
The question struck deeper than she realized.
He turned, meeting her gaze in the mirror. "Because I wanted to remember. Just once."
Her breath hitched.
The silence that followed was heavy — not awkward, but filled with the unspoken truth that nothing could ever return to what it was.
Lena finally backed away, her reflection fading as she reached for the door. Her cheeks were still flushed, eyes shimmering.
"Ethan," she whispered. "No matter what happens, I'm proud of you."
Then she left — the door swinging shut behind her like the end of a dream.
The quiet returned, broken only by the steady drip of water from the faucet. Ethan stared at the mirror, his reflection unreadable.
He should've felt angry. Betrayed. Vindicated. But all he felt was tired — the kind of exhaustion that went deeper than the body.
The system flickered again, a soft pulse of light against the tiles:
[Emotional Stability Detected: Low]
[System Suggestion: Rest or Meditation Recommended]
He gave a hollow chuckle. "Even you don't know what to say, huh?"
No reply came, only the faint hum of code that had somehow become his only constant.
After a moment, he straightened his suit, exhaled, and walked back into the corridor. The casino lights felt colder now, their glitter too bright, too artificial.
Somewhere among the crowd, he thought he caught a glimpse of Mary's sapphire dress disappearing up the grand staircase — a fleeting shadow that didn't linger.
Ethan looked away.
For the first time since gaining the Money Deck System, victory didn't feel like triumph. It felt like a reminder — that no matter how much money or power he gained, some debts couldn't be repaid with chips and cards.
He walked out of the casino into the cool night air, his reflection flickering faintly on the glass doors as they closed behind him.
[System Notice: New Mission Available]
Objective: Rest at your new home – Hills Estate.
Time Limit: 24 hours.
Reward: ???
The words hovered in his vision, shimmering faintly.
Ethan's jaw tightened, his thoughts already miles away. "Hills Estate, huh?"
He started toward the parking lot, the soft sound of his shoes echoing in the silence.
Behind him, the lights of the Grand Royale glowed like distant stars — a world of illusion fading into the night.
And somewhere within those walls, Lena stood alone near the exit, touching her lips with trembling fingers, trying to understand why the taste of that kiss felt both like closure… and the beginning of something she could never have again.