Behind Bars You Go

James is looking at all the tips he lost that night. Those little tips add up to a big fortune. To his dismay, it means his entire fortune. He breaks out in a cold sweat, while the winner laughs in amusement. He sees the man collect the last chip that was also his last hope. James had bet everything on that game, hoping he could recover everything he'd lost in the last few games. Pure bad luck.

Honestly, he doesn't know how he's going to pay for all that. His debt was already high, and he could declare bankruptcy as soon as he left the Serendipity Casino. However, the owners also know that he cannot afford it.

He's thinking about how to get out of there alive, when a tall man, six feet tall, muscles so evident they popped out of his black shirt, calls out to him. The man doesn't have a very friendly expression, but James cowardly follows him.

They walk to an extremely luxurious room inside the casino. There, another man awaits. He has intense eyes and hair dark as night. He wears a suit that you can tell at a glance that it's expensive.

“Well, Mr. James, it's a shame to see you here.” The man says in an ice-cold voice that sends shivers down James' spine. “Because that means you don't have the money to pay off yours debt to us. Indeed, we have a problem.”

“Please, Asher... I'll find a way to pay you back...”

“How, if there isn't a penny in your pockets?” The man says sarcastically. “You have nothing left, James. Lost everything. All that remains is the Evans family debt.”

“I can sell my house...”

“Did you forget that it deed was in our hands the last time you left in defeat?” The man interrupts him again.

“I…” The words died on James' lips. “What do you need from me?”

Yes, he's at their mercy. He knows very well that Reviello is a man who should not be disappointed or challenged. To owe such a man is a worse sentence than losing a kidney... thinking on the other side, he has two of it... What harm would it be to miss one?

“Actually, James... I have the perfect proposal for you.” Asher says with a sly smile. “You have two daughters, don't you?”

James feels his stomach twist. He might throw up right there if he wasn't too scared to do it.

“Yes, that is correct...”

“Mr. Reviello is interested in one of them... I believe her name is Emily. Emily Evans. Do you have a daughter by that name, Mr. James?”

James took a deep breath, gathering his courage. “Yes, I have.”

Asher's smile gets even wider.

“Great, great! Well, that's what Mr. Reviello wants you to do, James. It's such a good offer, you can't refuse. He's willing to forget everything you owe to the casino and return the house’s deed, as well as the company's shares. All you must do, James, is allowing your daughter Emily to marry Mr. Reviello.”

James could feel as if a hole had opened up before his feet. Emily? Why would Reviello want to marry Emily?

“She just became nineteen…” James tries to argue.

“We’re aware. She’s young, but she’ll be treated very well by Mr. Reviello, I can assure you.”

“Don't you think marrying her is a little...”

“Be careful with your words. Keep in mind that you're not in a position to question or make demands.” Asher stops him.

James flinches back in his chair, startled.

“Why did he take an interest in my daughter Emily?” He asks fearfully.

“That is none of your business. This is the proposal. Either you accept that your daughter marries Mr. Reviello, or you'll have to find a way to pay your debts, which, I remind you, are immense. I don't think a kidney would be enough to pay them off in full... And I'm sure you remember, no one is indebted to a Reviello.”

James understands the situation very well. His debts are exceedingly high, and in the situation he's in, he would not be able to pay them fully. If he continues like that, he would lose his position as the controlling shareholder of the company he founded with his own blood and sweat. He would lose his family, his home. His wife and her expensive tastes could no longer be endured. She would be unhappy, miserable. Her entire life would collapse.

And he could solve all this with a deal that, yes, it's quite simple. But handing over her youngest daughter, his most prized possession, to a man whose face has never been seen, a man with a reputation for being a cruel bastard, a murderer, is too much. Emily is like an angel, with her blonde hair and rosy skin.

“Will Mr. Reviello really forget about the debt?” James asks fearfully.

“Yes, and he’ll return the company's shares and the house’s deed.” Asher assures him.

“What about today’s bet…?” Asher's expression tells him he's pushing too much.

“It'll be on the house.” Asher says impatiently. His hands drum the table in front of him.

“Emily is very fragile. I don't think she'll adapt to this kind of life...” He doesn't dare complete the sentence. “She doesn't know about the problems we face...”

“She doesn't know about her family debts.” Asher rephrases the sentence with an amused smile. That situation seems to entertain him — and, in fact, it does.

“No, she doesn't know.”

“Well then, it's time to tell her. She's the bride, after all.”

James lowers his head. He would need to give up his precious angel, after all, his whole life... all his efforts were crumbling before his eyes. So he makes his decision: give his daughter's hand in marriage.

“We have a deal.” James says, holding out his hand.

Asher shakes his hand briefly and, after withdrawing, wipes it on the side of his suit.

“We'll submit a formal proposal.”

James gets up and walks to the door. But before leave, he looks over his shoulder.

“Today is really on the house, right?”

“Yes, Mr. James.”

“So, can I return to the game?”

Asher frowns. There's an angry expression on his face. He just waves his hand in agreement, and James quickly withdraw.

“Fucker.” Asher mutters.