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“We welcome high rollers, Mr. Silverthorne. But if you can’t play by our rules… If you can’t stay seated and not cause a disturbance…think about that over a drink, and let me know just how you’d like to keep playing.”
They want me out just as I thought, but Levinson wants his money back first.
I guess most potential investors would already be gambling with their own money by now after losing like he’d planned I would.
Well, this high roller doesn’t feel like playing games anymore. And for a few hundred thousand?
Levenson’s got his head further up his ass than I imagined if he thinks my ego’s gonna get bruised over some small change.
They don’t see it.
They don’t get it.
I’m here for Krissy now, not some stupid card game or roulette wheel.
“What’s it to be, Mr. Silverthorne?” Chad asks impatiently, both of us fully aware that his boss is watching and listening in. The whole building has more cameras and microphones than a movie studio.
I hear a dry chuckle from somewhere deep inside me.
The part of me that’s got me where I am today. The part of me that built a fortune back from nothing.
“Double or nothing. Red 23,” I tell him, watching his expression twist.
“Excuse me?” Chad repeats, and I stand up straight, adjusting my collar as I eye the table.
“You heard me. Double or nothing, three hundred thousand on twenty-three. If I win, you can fuck off and bring Krissy back,” I spit.
“And if you lose?” Chad muses, cocking a brow.
“Then I’ll be the one fucking off, and you can tell Levenson I’ll be building a casino right across the street to put his sorry ass out of business,” I growl, feeling my fist tighten into a ball.
The sound from Chad’s earpiece carries all the way to my ears, and it’s obvious Levenson isn’t happy with my remarks.
But he’s the worst kind of gambler himself. Impulsive and stupid.
And after a short silence, it’s clear he’ll take my bait as well as my bet.
“Very well,” Chad says with another smirk, jutting his chin at the dealer, who sets about re-arranging the table for another round of roulette.
The piano strikes up again, and the few curious faces peering in from the bar area shuffle back to their own tables.
Losing or winning large amounts of money isn’t the only drama the Pearl Room has seen, and now it’s time to put my money where my mouth is.
Once the dealer’s ready and I’m back in my seat, he’s halfway through telling me to place my bet when Chad interrupts again.
“Mr. Levinson’s invited you to up the stakes. Using some of your own money,” He chimes in, and I shake my head.
“Deal’s a deal,” I grunt. “Can’t change a bet like that. It’s three hundred thousand on red twenty-three,” I affirm but notice my own hand pausing mid-air before I set the chips down to mark my bet.
I'm only thinking of Krissy, the one I’m really staking my claim on, and Levinson doesn’t even seem to know she exists.
So why would I up the stakes?
Why should I risk my own money just to prove a point?
Because she’s worth it, Ethan, and you said it yourself, she’s your lucky charm.
Even if she’s not standing right next to you.
The dealer looks over to Chad, who seems more in his element than ever. “We can advance your chips to the value of one million dollars, Mr. Silverthorne. Mr. Levenson tells me you’re good for it.”
A million-dollar bet, huh?
I’d be seven hundred thousand down if I lost.
But if I win, I’ll have a cool mill and have Krissy back.
I feel my head nodding long before I say the words, and the dealer’s already counting out a stack of chips that even has his eyes widening a little.
“A million. Twenty-three red,” I tell him, shifting the stack, which barely fits inside the marked square on the table.
Before I lift my hand, though, the dealer gives me an imploring look.
“The chances of the same number twice in a row?” he murmurs, shaking his head gently.
But my mind’s made up. Either way, I’m walking out of here to go find Krissy.
If I can do it with enough chips in my pocket, I’ll be showing her more of a bulge than she saw before.
It’ll be the Krissy fund. All the money she could ever need to help her out if she’s really not into older, wealthy men.
And if she chooses that life with me, then money has no value because she’s the only possession from now on.
Levenson’s laughter sounds like static from Chad’s earpiece, with a couple of the security guys making their presence known at the doorway.
Ready to pounce if I lose more than my money.
Chad nods his head again to the dealer, and the wheel sets spinning.
I stand up and turn to face Chad and the security guards.
