Regret Is the Only Gain in a New Year Gamble

Kylie panicked and snapped at me, "You jerk! Just show your hand already! Why are you trying to force us into another round?"

I glanced at her but said nothing. With everyone watching, the more she lashed out in panic, the more she humiliated herself.

Owen's breathing grew ragged with anger.

"Fine! I'll put my factory up as collateral. It's worth one and a half million dollars, isn't it?" he hissed through clenched teeth.

Kylie shoved him at once, her voice rose as she asked, "Why are you still betting with him? He's playing dirty! He's just trying to drag you into another round!"

"If I fold now, everything I've already put in is gone!" Owen barked.

By then, Kylie had completely lost it. She slammed her hand on the table and shouted, "What if he's got three kings or three aces? What then?"

"And what if I fold now and it turns out he was bluffing?" Owen shot back.

"Do you really think someone would risk their entire fortune just to bluff you?" Kylie cried out.

Owen shook his head. "Keep your mouth shut! You don't understand this game."

I looked at him. The truth was, he wasn't wrong. That was how this game worked. People with nothing in their hand would still go all in, just to scare their opponent into folding. It was truly a game of nerve.

But he had overlooked one thing. I hadn't been bluffing at all.

Owen was the one who had put his car keys on the table, and the one who decided to raise the stakes this high.

The more he bet, the harder it became to walk away. He'd tossed his BMW keys just to flex, only to dig his own grave.

"Are you going to show your hand now?" I asked Owen.

He fell silent. The smug confidence he had shown earlier finally cracked, and worry and tension crept onto his face.

"If I don't show my hand, are you going to show yours on the next move?" he asked. "Or are you planning to drag your whole family into debt just to keep playing and force me into another round?"

I answered calmly, "I'm not telling you. Just decide if you're showing or not."

Owen glanced at Uncle Peter and Kylie, clearly uneasy. He hesitated as he asked them whether he should show his hand.

It was obvious that Uncle Peter wanted to take a swing at me, but his son had started all of this. So, he held back his anger.

"Show your hand. If you don't, he'll find a way to come up with the money and force you into another round. Once he does, you'll have to borrow money too just to keep up before you can finally show."

At that, Owen drew in a deep breath and nodded. "I know you don't have three of a kind. You're bluffing. But remember, there's a reason I'm the one who made it in life.

"First, I've got the guts. Second, once I make a decision, I follow through. So, I'm not showing my hand. If you want to, you'll need to put up another one and a half million dollars."

I sucked in a breath. In fact, he made the right move. He was far wealthier than I was, after all.

I was already in debt, but he wasn't. He could keep pushing until I simply couldn't match the bet.

I knew it was time to show my hand. I had to raise another one and a half million dollars. There was no dragging this out any longer.

If Owen chose not to show his hand in the next round, I'd be finished. There was no way I could raise that kind of money again, even if it cost me everything.

Just as that realization settled in, Owen let out a cold laugh. "Oh, and I'm adding another one and a half million dollars. You'll need three million dollars to stay in."