The Final Chip

“I obviously have chips.”

“There’s a USB hidden behind my work badge. It contains one million dollars in cryptocurrency.”

A smile curled at the corner of Lucien’s mouth. He shoved his chips into the center of the table with a crash.

“I call. Double the stakes.”

The cards were revealed.

I lost.

The room exploded with laughter.

Someone tossed a phone in front of me. A loan app was open on the screen.

“Go ahead. Borrow money. If you can scrape together three million, maybe you’ll earn the right to keep playing with me.”

I glanced at the phone and didn’t touch it.

The trash around the table had already started circling me like vultures.

“What’s wrong, little Cassie? Scared?”

“You don’t even need a loan.”

“Take your clothes off right now. One piece at a time. I’ll lend you a thousand for each one.”

“Strip naked and I’ll give you ten grand.”

“At that rate, how many years is it gonna take her to make thirty million?”

Someone grabbed my wrist.

“Come upstairs and play with me for a while. I’ll give you a million. How’s that sound?”

I shook his hand off and slapped him across the face.

The man flew into a rage.

“Who the fuck are you pretending to be? Lucien, teach this bitch a lesson.”

Lucien kicked his feet up onto the poker table.

“If you won’t borrow money, then I’ll use your father’s fingers to cover the debt instead.”

On the screen, one of Lucien’s men walked toward my father with a machete in hand.

Tears streamed from the old man’s terrified eyes.

I saw the wet stain spreading across his pants.

My vision blurred.

The blade pressed against my father’s hand.

I stared at Lucien. “Tell him to stop.”

Lucien smirked.

“Or you could just go upstairs and spread your legs. Nobody gets hurt that way.”

“You might even enjoy it. You’d be making money while getting fucked.”

Lucien looked around the room, and the crowd burst into filthy laughter again.

I rose slowly to my feet through the sound of their laughter.

The man I’d slapped thought I was finally giving in. He reached for me again.

I drove my heel straight into his chest and sent him crashing to the floor.

My stiletto pressed down on his chest while I kept my eyes on Lucien.

“Call the casino manager over here.”

The casino manager lowered his head and hurried to Lucien’s side.

Lucien looked at me mockingly.

“She still won’t give up. Go ahead and show everyone her salary records.”

“Does she even make three hundred bucks?”

The manager bowed repeatedly.

“Young Master Lucien, Cassie’s salary is indeed very low.”

Satisfied, Lucien waved a hand.

“You two. Drag her upstairs.”

“Tie her up.”

“Take turns enjoying her.”

Several large men grabbed my arms.

The man I’d kicked jumped back up and slapped me hard across the face.

“Bitch!”

My head snapped sideways from the impact. I spat blood from the corner of my mouth.

Lucien looked at me lazily.

“If you kneel down crying and beg me right now, I’ll make them stop.”

“Then I’ll even let the manager lend you three million so you can keep playing.”

The manager kept his head lowered, bowing toward Lucien again and again.

Then he spoke quietly.

“But last year, Cassie donated three million dollars to the casino foundation.”

“The agreement stated that she could access those funds at any time.”

The cigar slipped from Lucien’s mouth.

The entire room froze.

I spoke calmly.

“Now I have chips.”

“So tell me, Lucien.”

“Are you calling or not?”

Thirty minutes remained before the moment I died in the crocodile pit in my last life.