The air outside the Grand Royale Casino was cool and quiet, a welcome contrast to the noise and glamour he'd just left behind. The parking lot lights shimmered faintly on the hood of his Mercedes GLE, each reflection trembling like a pulse under the moonlight.
Ethan leaned against the car door for a moment, breathing in the night. His mind wouldn't stop circling back to that kiss.
Lena…
He had tried to bury her in the corner of his mind reserved for things too painful to face, yet tonight she'd come crashing back with trembling lips and tearful eyes. Every word she'd said in that dim restroom echoed inside him — the truth about her father, the threat, her regret.
For so long, he'd believed she left him because she'd grown ashamed. But now…
He clenched his jaw, fingers tightening against the cool metal of the car.
If she really left to protect him, then why did it still hurt so much?
Why did it still feel like betrayal?
When he finally slid into the driver's seat, it was past 2 A.M. The casino lights faded behind him as the Mercedes purred down the empty boulevard.
The system's faint glow appeared in his peripheral vision.
Mission Type: NoneMission Objective: Rest at your new home in Hills Estate.Time Limit: 24 HoursReward: ???
Ethan sighed. "Rest, huh? You finally want me to sleep?"
He turned onto the coastal highway, the wind whispering against the glass as the city lights grew smaller in the rearview mirror. For the first time in a long while, he felt the fatigue of everything — the fight, the money, the system, the ghosts of his past.
But there was one thing left before he could rest.
He couldn't go straight to the Hills Estate without checking on his family.
The Hotel by Dawn
By the time Ethan reached the hotel, it was half past two. The building stood quiet and respectable, tucked near the edge of downtown — a temporary home for his mother, Elira, and his younger sister, Anna.
He parked quietly, making sure not to wake anyone, and rented a small room next to theirs.
As he stepped into the dim suite, fatigue hit him in waves. He stripped off the suit he'd worn to the casino and changed into fresh clothes the hotel staff had delivered earlier — a white shirt and dark sweatpants, simple but clean.
He didn't dare disturb his mother at that hour. Elira would worry endlessly if she knew he'd been out gambling until midnight, even if he'd come back with millions. To her, he was still her boy, the one who studied late and came home tired from part-time jobs.
So he simply left a quiet note for the morning:
"I came in late, Mom. Everything's fine. Don't worry."
Then, finally, he slept.
Morning came softly. The curtains glowed gold as the first rays of sunlight spilled through, bathing the room in warmth.
Ethan woke to birdsong and the faint hum of the city coming to life outside. He stretched, feeling surprisingly light despite only a few hours of sleep.
He opened his system with a thought.
[Money Deck System v1.0 → v2.0 Update Pending]
Balance: $6,000,000System Points: 20Card Draws Available: 6Exchange Rate: 1 SP = $100,000
System Cards♣ Clubs – Grind for Strength♦ Diamonds – Earn Real Money♥ Hearts – Locked♠ Spades – Locked
Attributes:Strength – 6Agility – 5Endurance – 3Intelligence – 3Perception – 3
He stared at the screen, a smile ghosting across his lips.
"System… upgrade cost?"
Upgrade to Version 2.0 requires 100 System Points.
He chuckled under his breath. "Figures. You want me to earn it first."
The faint glow of numbers faded as he moved to the hotel balcony, the morning breeze brushing his face. The skyline shimmered in the distance — another reminder of how far he'd come.
Then, as he always did when he had time, Ethan began his morning training.
Push-ups. Sit-ups. Squats. Shadowboxing.
It wasn't about staying fit anymore — it was about control, discipline, grounding. As sweat formed on his forehead, the familiar rhythm of movement helped quiet his thoughts.
With each repetition, the system responded subtly:
[Strength +0.1][Agility +0.1][Endurance +0.1]
He paused, panting lightly, looking down at his trembling hands. The difference was real. His muscles no longer felt like those of a boy struggling to survive; they felt solid, capable — the foundation of someone becoming more than human.
"Six strength, five agility, three endurance…" he muttered, scanning his stats. "Still not enough. But it's progress."
He could upgrade further by spending points — two per increase — but something in him told him to hold off. He needed those points to evolve the system itself.
Because if this was only version 1.0, he couldn't imagine what 2.0 would bring.
After a quick shower, Ethan sat by the window, coffee steaming gently beside him.
His thoughts, unbidden, drifted back to Lena.
He still loved her.
There was no denying it anymore — not after last night. Even after everything, after the humiliation, the silence, and the sudden distance, some part of him still burned for her.
Why wouldn't he? She'd stood by him when everyone else mocked his poverty. She'd been the only one who smiled when the academy sneered at him. She'd never once asked for anything, never complained.
Until she vanished.
If someone can disappear on you once, he thought bitterly, what's stopping them from doing it again?
It was complicated. Too complicated.
They had broken up barely three weeks ago — right before he got the system. Barely any time at all, and yet it felt like years had passed.
Ethan exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "No point thinking about it now."
The faint glow of the system appeared again.
New Mission GeneratedType: NoneObjective: Complete before time runs out.Reward: Unknown.Penalty: Failure = ???
He frowned. "No suit, no diamond, no club… what kind of mission are you throwing at me now?"
The mission timer blinked, counting down from 24 hours.
He didn't understand it, but he'd learned one thing: ignoring missions never ended well.
Meanwhile — At the Same Hotel
On the upper floor of the same building, another door clicked open.
Adam Vale — heir to the Vale Conglomerate, Victor's notorious cousin — stepped out of his suite with the lazy arrogance of someone who had never been told "no." His shirt hung open, his expensive watch gleaming under the ceiling light.
Inside the room, a woman was pulling the sheets around herself, face flushed with a mix of shame and defiance.
Adam didn't glance back. He didn't need to. People were tools to him, not partners.
"Order breakfast," he muttered without emotion. "And forget my name."
The woman hesitated but nodded, cowed by the sharpness in his tone.
He adjusted his cuffs, glancing in the mirror with a self-satisfied smirk — until his phone vibrated.
At first, he ignored it. But the screen flashed again, displaying a message from an unknown number.
Curious, he opened it.
The image that appeared on his screen made his blood freeze.
Lena Fairfax.In the casino restroom.Her lips locked with another man's.
And not just any man — Adam recognized him instantly.
Ethan Ivers.
The name hissed through his teeth like poison.
His jaw clenched, and for a brief moment, the charming mask he wore shattered. The veins on his temple pulsed, eyes dark with fury.
"Her?" he whispered coldly. "With him?"
The phone nearly cracked in his grip.
He stared at the photo again, the quiet of the suite pressing in like a suffocating weight.
Then, slowly, a cruel smile curved his lips.
"So… the little scholarship boy thinks he can crawl back into my world."
He pocketed the phone, the calm in his expression returning — but this time it was the calm of a predator.
"Alright then, Ethan Ivers," he murmured. "Let's see how far you can go before I remind you who runs this city."
Ethan was still staring at the horizon from his balcony, unaware that the storm had already begun brewing just a few floors above him.
The sunlight had risen fully now, bathing the world in soft gold. Birds soared across the sky, the city glittering with life beneath them.
Ethan closed his system window, stretched his arms, and picked up his car keys.
"Time to see this Hills Estate," he said quietly. "Let's find out what kind of home a deck of cards can buy."
The Mercedes started with a soft growl as he pulled out of the parking lot, the road opening before him — smooth, bright, and uncertain.
Behind him, the hotel loomed quietly.Inside it, Adam Vale was already making calls.And in the distance, Lena sat alone, staring at her own reflection, realizing that the past she'd tried to protect might soon destroy them both.