Chapter 3

I had clenched my right hand into a tight fist without even realizing it.

I had let it slide every time, no matter how blatantly Alissa took Rhys' side. But I never imagined her to humiliate me to this extreme.

A flash of annoyance flashed across Alissa's face. She left her outstretched hand right where it was, showing no intention of backing down.

At this point, even Winifred—someone just watching from beside—sensed something amiss. "What's so great about this watch? Come over to my place tomorrow, Rhys. I'll pick out two watches for you," she said.

Nevertheless, Rhys' face fell. "Didn't we already agree before the games began? Those who couldn't afford to lose were free to opt out of the games."

Alissa jeered, "Stanley, I urged you to head home earlier, didn't I? You were the one who wanted to join in on the games. Like I said, hand it over."

My hands trembled uncontrollably as I took a deep breath and removed my watch.

Alissa tossed it to Rhys without even taking a glance at it. Yet, he simply examined it briefly under the light, then pouted. "Now that I've taken a look at it, it doesn't look spectacular at all."

He callously tossed it onto the table. As it happened, someone knocked against the table, causing a glass of red wine to topple and its contents to spill all over the watch.

I balled my hands into tight fists, feeling like a massive weight was pressing down on my chest.

That feeling of suffocation continued until Rhys urged loudly, "Keep it moving! Why has everyone frozen stiff?"

In the third game, I rolled a total of seven, which was a pretty average score.

Rhys rolled a nine, and to my surprise, Alissa rolled a total of two points—the lowest possible roll. Rhys stifled a laugh. "Such bad luck, darling."

Alissa disregarded him, somberly reaching for her penalty drink. Nonetheless, Rhys beat her to it. He caught her hand, downing her glass of alcohol on her behalf. He even gave her a playful wink and said, "All done. We're together as one tonight, aren't we?"

As I listened to everyone's cheers, I became increasingly numb. Over the next few rounds, I seemed to always be hovering on the edge of the cliff.

I downed one glass after another until I'd lost almost every accessory I had on me. I even lost the car I drove today to Rhys.

I threw the keys down. My face was heavily flushed by now, and my vision was starting to blur. There was even a subtle shake in my hands as I held the dice cup.

To those watching, I was clearly showing signs of someone who was getting carried away.

The next round began, and as the dealer, Winifred called the rules. "Basic high-low is boring. Let's mix it up this round. We'll bet on the totals. Those who feel like they're able to roll a total of eight or higher can double down on their bets.

"We're upgrading the pot, too. It's getting boring just playing for chump change."

Rhys responded immediately, "I'm in! I'll put up my luxury boutique in Westown!"

He had several businesses under his name, and this boutique shop was one of them. It was worth quite a good sum.

That caused an uproar around the table, and everyone began to up their bets.

Alissa shot me a look and said emotionlessly, "I'm in too. I'll put up the yacht under my name, The Stalissa."

This yacht was worth a few million dollars. But more importantly, it was named after both of us.

Now, the pressure was on my side. Everyone had their eyes on me.

In the end, Alissa couldn't help but urge, "Stan, enough is enough. You may leave now."

Rhys burst out laughing immediately. "Alissa, you don't have to play if you can't handle the consequences. Who knows? Mr. Fisher might just be on a roll."

As if provoked by his words, I turned abruptly toward Alissa and said, "I'm in too! I'm putting up… my apartment at Shoreline Bay!"

The moment I said those words, even Alissa was stupefied.

I had bought that apartment with my own hard-earned money the year I graduated from college. It was in a prime location, and its market price was way higher than Rhys' boutique's.

Once again, the dice cups were lifted.

Rhys was first to lift his dice cup, scoring a total of nine points. He raised a brow with glee. As for Alissa, she rolled a total of seven.

Instinctively, I took a deep breath, my hands a little shaky as I held onto the dice cup. I lifted the cup, revealing a three and a five. That came to a total of eight.

I had lost the game by just a hair.

I slumped back onto the couch, hearing Rhys's shout of joy by my ear. He leaned in close to me, whispering in a voice so soft that only both of us could hear, "How does it feel like to lose? I want everything you have."

I lifted my head, my face completely flushed crimson red because of the alcohol. Even so, my gaze remained bright.

"One more round," I said.