Chapter 8 Breaking the Rules

• Janelle stared at Carl, her eyes locking onto his. The two of them stood frozen in their gaze for what seemed like ages.
• Suddenly, Carl turned to me and said, "I'll bet my girlfriend, Saturn. If you win this hand, Janelle goes with you tonight. You can do whatever you want with her; how about that?"
• His words left everyone in the room completely dumbstruck.
• No one expected Carl to go so far as to bet on his own girlfriend.
• That was the thing about gamblers—when they're on a losing streak, they forget about everyone, even their closest.
• But what really shocked the crowd was that Janelle didn't object.
• With a mocking smirk, she added, "If you win, I'll go with you tonight. You can do whatever you like. Are you game?"
• Janelle knew Carl's cards.
• As a result, she was confident enough to use herself as a wager.
• I gave her a cold glance.
• She wasn't worth even a hundred dollars, let alone a thousand in my eyes.
• However, this woman just insulted my family earlier, and I was determined to teach her a lesson for insulting my parents.
• "Fine," I said, "I'm in. Let's see those cards."
• The room went silent. All eyes were on Carl and his three cards.
• Carl's face was flushed with excitement.
• But in order to keep up the act of not knowing his cards, he continued to put on a show.
• He grabbed the cards, raised them high, and shouted, "God help me! Give me a big hand!"
• Wham!
• He slammed two cards onto the table with force.
• Huh?
• The crowd let out a collective gasp of surprise as the cards revealed!
• A straight flush!
• Two cards combined with the three community cards formed a spade 8-9-10-J-Q!
• Carl had actually gotten a straight flush.
• A straight flush was the second-highest hand in poker.
• Carl had known his hand all along.
• But he kept up his act, laughing as he stared at his cards.
• "See? I knew my luck was bound to change. This time, I'm going to turn everything around!
• Saying this, he excitedly reached out to grab the money on the table.
• Janelle also danced around in joy.
• They had won the game. They had won over ten grand.
• Just as Carl's hands reached the money, I spoke up coldly, "Hold on."
• Carl looked up at me, as did everyone else.
• "Does a straight flush always win? What if I have a royal flush?"
• A royal flush was the unbeatable hand in poker—A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit. The odds of getting one were nearly impossible.
• "In your dreams!" Janelle mocked, "A royal flush? You think you're some poker god?"
• Carl wasn't buying it either. He scoffed, "Quit stalling. Show your cards."
• I calmly removed my cigarette case from the table and slowly revealed my first card.
• The King of Spades.
• Carl's brow furrowed slightly.
• The room's tension spiked.
• Among the five community cards, there were two Jacks, one of which was the Jack of Spades. The remaining three were the 8, 10, and Queen of Spades.
• With my King of Spades, I only needed the Ace of Spades for a royal flush.
• All eyes focused on the card still lying face down beneath my hand.
• Carl's hands, which rested on the table, started to tremble slightly.
• Suddenly, I called out, "Ace, come to me!"
• With that, I slapped the final card onto the table.
• It was the Ace of Spades.
• Silence fell over the room.
• Everyone was dumbfounded and couldn't believe what they were seeing.
• A royal flush encounters another royal flush.
• This kind of hand only happens once in decades.
• And yet, here it was.
• It took a while before Carl, completely deflated, slumped into a chair with a loud thud.
• He had been so sure that the money was already his.
• Instead, it had become mine in an instant.
• He'd lost his girlfriend to me.
• Though, only for a night.
• "How could this happen?" Carl muttered.
• He snapped out of his daze after a few seconds and looked at me.
• Carl accused, "Saturn, you must've cheated. There's no way this could be just a coincidence!"
• Carl wasn't entirely stupid—he could at least guess that I might have cheated.
• And yes, I had cheated.
• However, with my gambling skills, could an amateur like him catch me?
• I wore an expression of disdain and spoke slowly, "Carl, you chose this place. You invited these people. You bought the cards. And now you're accusing me of cheating? Where's your proof?"
• You can't make accusations without evidence. No matter where you were, it was a rule.
• Even if you're 100% sure someone's cheating, without proof, it's all just talk.
• When Friday taught me the art of gambling, he had told me.
• Whether it's a small game or a big casino, never leave evidence behind. As long as there's no proof, even if God himself shows up, they can't pin it on you.
• I collected the money from the table.
• Today's game was quite rewarding.
• After covering my initial buy-in, I was up over five thousand.
• After securely stowing the cash, I turned to Carl and said, "Carl, you lost. Isn't your girlfriend supposed to come with me now?"
• Carl's expression was grim. Before Janelle could say a word, he blurted out, "No way!"
• I sneered darkly.
• "Fine. She doesn't have to come with me. But she's going to bow and apologize to me right now. Then we'll call it even."
• I never really intended to take Janelle with me.
• She wasn't my type—too much like a hooker.
• All I wanted was to make her pay for running her mouth earlier.
• "I'm not bowing and I'm not apologizing!" Janelle glared at me, her eyes blazing.
• "Then you're coming with me."
• I stood my ground, and we remained at an impasse.
• Suddenly, James, who had been sitting quietly nearby, tapped my arm.
• "Hey, man, that's enough. You won the money. Do you really need to take someone's girlfriend home? Let it go, yeah?"
• James was an imposing figure, with the kind of presence that hinted at underworld connections.
• However, his intimidation didn't work on me.
• I glanced at him and asked coldly, "If he had won, do you think he'd let it go?"
• "What are you trying to say?" James asked in displeased.
• "Gambling's about sticking to your word. They made the bet; they need to honor it."
• James wasn't expecting me to reject him so decisively.
• He widened his eyes and shouted at me, "So you're saying you're not giving me any respect, huh? You're really going to take her?"
• I nodded.
• James stood abruptly, towering over me.
• "You're not taking the easy way out, huh? Fine, don't blame me for what happens next. Come on, step outside. Let's see how you plan to walk away with her today!"
• I frowned slightly.
• James was the kind of brute who couldn't even pretend to follow the rules; he was the type that I detest the most.
• Still, I stood up and followed him out of the Quick Mart.
• Friday always said that gambling is about skill. If you win, you take what's yours. Otherwise, why bother learning the trade?
• Outside, James, built like a gorilla, stood by the roadside with his arms crossed.
• Everyone from inside had followed us out to watch.
• James gave me a hard stare and growled the ultimatum, "Walk away now, and this ends here. But if you try to take Janelle, don't say I didn't warn you."
• I remained cool and replied coldly, "Then I guess you'll just have to do your worst."
• Before I'd even finished my sentence, James widened his eyes with fury.
• In an instant, he lunged forward, and his huge fist was hurtling towards my face.
• Evidently, James was furious, his fists whipping through the air with a deadly force.
• I raised my arms to block and succeeded in stopping the punch, but the impact was brutal.
• I stumbled back and hit the ground hard.
• His punches were no joke.
• After simply blowing, my arm felt like it might snap.
• "You done yet? Still want to take her home?"
• James loomed over me, smug and towering.
• I didn't say a word.
• Slowly, I stood back up.
• Staring him down, I said, "Again."
• It was a fight I couldn't win.
• James was a former professional kickboxer, and now he worked as muscle for a local gang. I had no prior training or experience in anything similar.
• But if there was one thing I could thank my Uncle Travis and my cousin for, it was teaching me how to take a hit. All those years of beatings toughened me up.