Chapter 2—Exchange Chip

LENA

MY HEART raced as I stared at my father’s bare thighs before trailing them to his face. He wasn’t even bothered. Selling off his own daughter for just another round of the game?

Was he crazy?

No, he is crazy. Absolutely crazy.

“Dad!! Let me go!! What are you playing at?!” I shrieked at him, trying to make sense of anything he was saying.

But he wasn’t even looking at me, much less talking to me. The only thing that made me think he acknowledged my presence was the tight grip his hand had on my head, pressing it to the table.

“Do you understand what you are saying? You are selling your daughter for another round of the game?”

“Yes!”

“Dad!!”

“Ridiculous.”

I couldn’t see the face or reaction of my father’s opposer, but I surely did agree with him. My father was being utterly ridiculous.

“Ridiculous? Please, it’s my child. I get to do what I want to do with it.”

‘It?’

His grip loosened, and I immediately took the chance to slap it off my temple, and I stepped back from him.

“What do you think you are doing?!”

I turned towards the opposer. He also had this appalling and disgusted look on his face.

I guess there is at least someone who has common sense around here, unlike the dealer.

That dealer…

The dealer had his head tilted and a smug smile on his face. He was leering down at her.

He actually found what was happening amusing.

“So you say you want to deal your own daughter?” He asked. He was ripping open a new pack of cards.

‘Don’t tell me. He was really accommodating his thoughts?’ Rather than turning to my father as he spoke, his eyes didn’t waver from mine.

“Yes. And I will get everything back—clothes, jewelry, and also…” He turned to his opposer. “All your chips.”

The opposer arched a brow. “Oh, really?” They had a glaring contest, while the rest merely watched.

Then someone walked towards the dealer as they exchanged muffled words.

I watched as his smirk increased, and he had a devious glint in his eyes.

Immediately, the hairs on my body stood.

Run.

My brain screamed at me. It knew and decided for me. I didn’t want to be here anymore. Whatever deal they were making had nothing to do with me. As a matter of fact, he wasn’t even meant to be here, my father told me…

I tore my eyes from the creepy dealer to my father.

He brought me here… He chose to bring me to his gambling spot where he goes too, which he had never done before, but suddenly he…

I smacked his shoulder to get his attention.

“You did this on purpose, didn’t you? That’s why you brought me here!!”

Viktor turned and shot me a hard glare, one that, as of yesterday, I would have wavered and cowered to prevent confrontation.

But I stood, glaring at him.

Foolish, yes.

But purposeful. I wasn’t about to be a bargaining chip for him and his addicts.

Before another verbal insult could leave my lips, he had lifted his hands and slapped me right across the face, forcing my knee to buckle.

“Since when?” He snarled. Whether it was from his night losing streaks or the fact that she stood up against him—either way, the anger was evident in his eyes.

On the floor, I held my burning cheek in my palm.

“Are you done?” I heard the familiar voice of the irritating dealer. “You shouldn’t be damaging a viable product.” He advised.

I shot him a hard, menacing scowl. In return, he gave me a condescending smile.

Viktor turned away from me and back to his opponent.

“What do you say?”

The opposer’s lips folded as he shifted uncomfortably. He looked between me and then the dealer, as though having a mental conversation with him.

“I don’t see why not.” The dealer said with a shrug. The frown on my lips deepened as I stared at him in disbelief. Honestly, I didn’t know what I expected, but I was still somehow disappointed.

“Good. Great minds think alike.” Viktor preached with a smile. He pulled the chair closer and crossed his legs.

“Right.”

With a snap of the dealer’s finger, I was grabbed and pulled up to the chair.

“LET ME GO!! LET GO OF ME!!” I screamed and thrashed around, but their grip tightened, and I was forced back to the chair.

Click!

I heard from my back.

“Huh? What? What are you doing?” I got no response to my question. Once they released me. I immediately tugged at my arm, ready to bolt off.

Right choice.

Wrong move.

I was handcuffed to the chair.

Suddenly, I felt shivers down my spine. In the cold, aired room, I felt sweat leak from my back. But I didn’t dare look.

I don’t know, perhaps it was the time I was thrashing around and distracted, but somehow, in-between, the dealer had walked to my side.

His heavy arm rested on my shoulder, and what lazily tapped at my breast was his metallic gun.

It was cocked and ready to be fired.

“I move. That’s all I need.” He hummed close to my ears, and I froze up.

Slowly, with his next words trained, his opposer said.

“Sure, you want to do this again, old man? That’s your only child.”

Tears swelled in my eyes at his words.

‘Please convince him.’ I prayed in my heart.

Rather than backing down, Viktor gritted his teeth. “Deal the damn cards.”

“As you wish.”

“Would you want to change the game to another, or want to keep playing the same Texas Hold’em poker?”

“Same. Enough questions, get on with it.”

Patience wasn’t exactly my father’s forte.

“As you wish.” The dealer repeated.

Finally, I looked up at him as he handed the deck of cards he was holding to another man. He didn’t want to take his hands off my shoulder.

Soon, the pre-flop is played—king of spades, seven of clubs, and two of hearts.

My father picked his cards up. Whatever he had in hand decided my future.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆

“Power isn’t taken—it’s claimed, and I claim you.” ~ IL Don Dante.