Chapter 2

Chad stared, his jaw slack for a moment before his usual arrogance reasserted itself.

"No limit? You?"

He laughed again, louder this time, trying to play it off. "You hear this, guys? Alex Miller, the disgraced charity case, is going 'no limit'."

His friends joined in the laughter, though some looked more intrigued than amused.

Jessica watched me, her painted smile unwavering, but her eyes held a new calculation.

She remembered my past, the ease with which I once handled money, the status I held.

Now, she was firmly on Chad' s side, a testament to her ambition.

Three years ago, when the scandal Chad orchestrated hit, she hadn't hesitated.

"Alex, I can't be with someone who's ruined," she'd told me, her voice cold, practical. "Chad can give me the life I deserve."

The life she deserved. She'd made her choice clear.

Chad leaned over the table, his face unpleasantly close.

"You're bluffing, Alex. You always were a dreamer. You've got nothing."

He then glanced at Jessica, a proprietary sneer on his lips.

"Isn't that right, Jess? He's got nothing."

Jessica flinched almost imperceptibly at his tone but nodded. "Chad's right, Alex. Don't embarrass yourself further."

Her words were meant to sting, a reminder of her betrayal.

I ignored them both, my focus on the game, on the task Big Tony had given me earlier.

"Are we playing, or are you just going to talk?" I asked the table.

My real mission tonight was to observe a potential business partner for Big Tony, someone who frequented these high-stakes games.

This little drama with Chad was an unwelcome distraction, but now that it started, I would finish it.

Big Tony didn't tolerate loose ends, and neither did I anymore.

An older man at the table, a regular I recognized, raised an eyebrow. "The boy says no limit. Sounds interesting."

Chad scowled. He hated not being the center of attention, hated being challenged.

"Fine," he snapped. "Let's see how long your imaginary bankroll lasts, pauper."

He threw in a large stack of chips. "Dealer, cards."

The game was on.

My composure wasn't just for show, it was a shield forged in Big Tony's world.

This wasn't about revenge, not entirely.

It was about showing them, and perhaps myself, that the Alex they thought they knew was gone.

The investment I was overseeing for Big Tony was significant, a multi-million dollar property deal.

This poker game was pocket change in comparison, but the principle, Chad' s public disrespect, that had a price.