Chapter 1

I stared at my cousin, Owen Thompson. I hated playing cards with him. It was meant to be a laid-back holiday game, but he threw his weight around and bet big on every hand.

Anyone who'd gambled before understood how it worked. When one person was short-stacked against a deep pocket, they had no dignity, just a slow grind into the felt.

While the rest of us were betting a dollar or two, Owen jumped straight to 500 dollars.

We tried to talk him down, saying we were family and shouldn't be playing that big. But he simply asked innocently, "What? 500 dollars is a lot now?"

Owen was picking on us because we were broke and couldn't call his bets. He hadn't come to play. Instead, he was there to humiliate us.

I knew my Buick was no match for his BMW. So, I turned and called my girlfriend, Amelia Moore, over. We were getting married soon, and she was wearing the gold jewelry I had given her.

"Put the necklace and the bracelet on the table," I said.

Amelia glanced at me. Without asking what cards I had, she took off the necklace and bracelet and set them on the table.

At that moment, a single thought flashed through my mind. What more could a man ask for in a partner?

"Is that enough for you? Ready to show your cards?" I asked Owen seriously.

Owen's expression changed instantly, and he clenched his teeth. Clearly, he hadn't expected me to push back.

"Don't say I didn't warn you, Ethan. Losing a BMW means nothing to me. But if you lose everything, how's your family supposed to survive the next five years?" he mocked.

I shook my head. "We'll manage our own way. Besides, didn't you say earlier at dinner that I wasn't bold enough?"

Owen's expression darkened even further.

I had never done anything to offend him. But earlier at dinner, he had talked down to me just because I didn't make as much money as he did.

He even said I didn't have the guts to do anything big, unlike him. That was why he was the boss.

While Owen was talking, my dad handed him a cigarette and even lit it for him out of courtesy. Yet, he didn't even bother to cup his hand around the flame.

People from the city or younger folks probably didn't understand what that meant. But where we came from, if an elder lit a cigarette and the other person didn't bother to cup the flame, it was a sign of disrespect. So, Owen had publicly humiliated my family.

Right then, everyone looked at Owen nervously, waiting to see if he'd show his cards.

He took a deep breath before saying, "If we're going to play, let's make it bigger. That's the only way this gets interesting."

Having said that, he set his cards face down on the table, covered them with a plate, and walked out.

The rest of us stayed seated and watched as he went to the trunk of his BMW. He pulled out a small wooden box, carried it back inside, then set it on the table.

A beat later, Owen opened the box, and inside was nothing but cash.