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Lahat ng Kabanata ng Regret Is the Only Gain in a New Year Gamble: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

10 Kabanata

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 as

Chapter 2

"300 thousand dollars," Owen said, his tone dripping with arrogance. "Are you in or not?"By then, we had already drawn the attention of the older members of the family.My uncle, Peter Thompson, saw what was happening and panicked. He snapped at Owen, "Have you lost your mind? That money is set aside for the holidays! Are you seriously putting it on the table?"Yet, Owen sat down with a grin, utterly unconcerned. "Don't worry. I can afford to play. The real question is… Can he?"I immediately understood what he was up to. In three-card brag, there was a cap to keep things from getting out of hand. But when the game started, Owen had shown off, insisting there be no limit. He meant to keep raising the stakes higher and higher until I couldn't keep up and lost everything. Sure enough, he taunted, "Don't tell me you can't come up with the cash. Even if you can't, everything you've already bet stays on the table."Uncle Peter caught on right away. This time, he didn't even bother

Chapter 3

I shook my head. "The second you put your car keys on the table, we weren't family anymore."Owen fell silent for a beat, then let out a cold laugh. "Fine. Don't blame me for pushing you then. You're the one who wanted to stay in, right?"Just then, he picked up his cards and flipped two toward me. It was a pair of queens. As soon as I saw them, a wave of relief washed over me. Still, my expression remained tight. Owen tilted his chin up and said smugly, "So… What do you think? Did I hit three of a kind?"In three-card brag, deliberately showing part of a hand like that was common. It was meant to rattle the other player and read their reaction. But Owen couldn't scare me. Even if he really had three of a kind, it still wouldn't beat mine. I had been worried that he might be holding three aces. Now, it was clear that fear had been pointless. That cocky stunt of his had only driven him into a dead end. Even though I was completely at ease, I gritted my teeth and said, "You'

Chapter 4

I fell silent. There was no way I could come up with that much money. Owen saw through me instantly. He burst out laughing and gave my shoulder a slap. "There are things you just can't afford to play with. Truth is, I'm picking on you because your stack's small. "And what are you going to do about it? I can come up with this kind of money easily, but even if you put your life on the line, you couldn't scrape together that amount."Kylie sneered. "So, are you in or out? If you're not showing your hand, we'll take that as a fold."That was the gap between the rich and the poor. The wealthy could casually toss in what a poorer man couldn't scrape together, even if he risked everything. Every call became heavier and more suffocating.Just like Owen said, he was pushing me around because I had no money. I glanced nervously at Amelia and Dad. At that point, Dad's face had gone pale. He couldn't understand how a simple game had spiraled this far out of control. Right then, Amelia

Chapter 5

"I know. But it doesn't matter. I'm seeing this through with you to the end," I replied. Owen asked, "You really want to take this until we both go down, huh?""When my dad lit your cigarette, you couldn't even be bothered to cup the flame," I shot back. At that, Dad panicked. He rushed over and grabbed my arm. "Owen's a big-time businessman now! He doesn't sweat the small stuff. Stop this! There's no need to push the stakes this high. He didn't mean it!""I meant it!" Owen roared. The color drained from Dad's face at once. He urged, "There are so many people here. Please, don't embarrass me, okay?"But Owen's patience snapped. He jabbed a finger in Dad's face and spat, "Your son started this! You don't have any dignity to embarrass! "If my dad weren't your brother, you think I'd even bother with relatives like you? Yeah, I didn't cup the flame on purpose. You should be grateful I let you light it at all. Bunch of broke losers!"The insults kept piling on, and Dad's express

Chapter 6

Kylie panicked and snapped at me, "You jerk! Just show your hand already! Why are you trying to force us into another round?"I glanced at her but said nothing. With everyone watching, the more she lashed out in panic, the more she humiliated herself. Owen's breathing grew ragged with anger. "Fine! I'll put my factory up as collateral. It's worth one and a half million dollars, isn't it?" he hissed through clenched teeth. Kylie shoved him at once, her voice rose as she asked, "Why are you still betting with him? He's playing dirty! He's just trying to drag you into another round!""If I fold now, everything I've already put in is gone!" Owen barked.By then, Kylie had completely lost it. She slammed her hand on the table and shouted, "What if he's got three kings or three aces? What then?""And what if I fold now and it turns out he was bluffing?" Owen shot back. "Do you really think someone would risk their entire fortune just to bluff you?" Kylie cried out.Owen shook hi

Chapter 7

I froze as soon as I heard that. Meanwhile, Owen pulled out his phone and showed me his balance. He had just over 1.8 million dollars. Then, right in front of me, he began taking out online loans one after another. Each platform gave him a credit limit of 200 thousand dollars. By the time Owen's balance hit three million dollars, he said seriously, "Game over. You can't come up with that kind of money. I don't care what cards you're holding. You've got no choice but to fold."In an instant, it felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over me, dousing every last bit of hope. I went limp.A smile spread across Owen's face as he added, "I'm guessing you've got three kings or three aces. On the table, you've got me beat. "But in life, you're nowhere near me. So, now… I'm not playing the cards. I'm betting you don't have three million dollars to call. Which means you have to fold."When Owen raised the stakes, he was driving me into despair. I'd already put up everything I

Chapter 8

The relatives exchanged uneasy glances. Eventually, my cousin, Zoe Thompson, was the first to approach me.She placed a hand on my shoulder and said seriously, "I'll put my house and car on the line. Together, they're worth 300 thousand dollars.""Why are you helping him?" Owen asked in shock. Zoe gritted her teeth. "You're always bragging about being some big-time businessman. But when my mom got sick, and I went to you to borrow 100 thousand dollars for her treatment, you refused."Not only that, you kept lecturing me about how I wasn't working hard enough, how I had no ambition, tearing me down like I was nothing."You even said I deserved what happened to me. So, remember this—if we win today, you'll deserve whatever comes next."In an instant, the color drained from Owen's face. A flicker of fear crossed his eyes as he looked at the rest of the family. As always, people were quick to kick someone when they were down. He'd spent years throwing his weight around because he

Chapter 9

Kylie threw caution to the wind and blurted, "Yeah, we bet it, but so what? Who says we actually have to pay up? What are you going to do, kill us? We don't have a dime to give you!"The family that used to swagger around like they owned the place now looked downright pathetic. They loved showing off before, but today, they'd humiliated themselves completely. "We all know you're not going to sign over your factory or your house once you walk out of here. But anything you put on this table today stays right here," I said. Owen was at a loss for words. When he didn't respond, Kylie shoved him, urging, "Do something! There's already 500 thousand dollars and a BMW on the table!""Stop telling him to figure something out," Zoe cut in, her voice icy. "If you don't leave those things behind today, you're not walking out that door."Anyone with gambling experience knew that gambling debts were different. There was no way to collect them. Only what was actually placed on the table co

Chapter 10

Owen cast one last reluctant glance at the table, but Uncle Peter grabbed his arm and dragged him out, snarling, "I've never seen anyone as stupid as you! Why the hell did you put your BMW on the line?"I watched them rush for the door. Then, I called after them with a grin, "So, when am I coming over this Christmas, Uncle Peter?"All three of them turned back and shot me a vicious glare. Through clenched teeth, Uncle Peter hissed, "Don't bother coming this year."The rest of the family clutched their winnings and started praising me. They said they had been fed up with Owen's family for years. Owen, Kylie, and Uncle Peter were always showing off in front of relatives who had less. Worse still, Owen turned a casual card game into one with 500-dollar stakes. I gathered up the cash and gold jewelry before handing the car keys over with a smile. "Everyone gets a cut! Sell the BMW and split it between you. I couldn't have won without your help."They were quick to praise me for bei

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