Down Five Million, Heaven Sent Me Back

Picking up on my silence, Lawrence shot me a look. "Why don't we call it a night? Look at that, one hand just wiped out your last few wins."

I shook my head, grinning. "What does it matter? It's only a few grand. I'm sitting on millions from the relocation compensation."

I caught the flicker of pure irritation that crossed his face, but he masked it quickly behind a smile.

"I'm just looking out for you, man. Doesn't your dad still need money for his medical bills? I really think you should stop. Keep that money to find yourself a wife or pay for your dad's treatment."

Lawrence and I had known each other for almost 20 years.

In all those years, we were best friends. He knew me inside and out, especially how much I valued my pride, so he was deliberately using my own ego to bait me into playing.

Winning that last hand was just his way of testing the waters.

But the mention of Dad made my blood boil. In this life, I vowed to make him repay every cent and every life he owed me, with interest.

I waved a hand and put on a stubborn, unconvinced expression. "I almost had that last round. Keep going! Anyone who walks away now is a coward!"

The men couldn't help but laugh.

I kept my expression neutral, wondering if they'd still be laughing after that night.

Over the next few rounds, I kept blind calling. I lost small and won big, but of course, all of that had to be within their control.

They had to feed me a few sweet wins to keep me on the hook, after all.

I did the math. By that point, I was the only person at the table who was over 20 thousand dollars ahead.

The rest of the table groaned in mock frustration. "Sebastian, your luck is ridiculous tonight. Of all the people in the village, your family gets the biggest payout from your roadside property, and now you're even crushing it at the table. I can't believe you're blind calling and winning!"

Just as things were getting lively, my phone suddenly rang.

Before I could react, Lawrence rejected it and pouted. "What a buzzkill. Sebastian, you just started winning. You can't walk away from a streak like that."

The others laughed along to smooth things over.

"They always say the ones who don't know how to play have the best luck. Tell you what, let's play until midnight, alright? If I walk away now, I'll never make back what I lost!"

One man's expression darkened as he interrupted, his tone dripping with disdain, "I don't buy it. Nobody wins every single hand. Luck runs dry, and I'm not leaving until I get back every single cent I lost tonight! I say we raise the stakes. 100 dollars is pocket change. Let's make it a thousand dollars a pop. How about that?"

In my previous life, all the flattery and the goading were exactly what pushed me over the deep end. I had watched my entire inheritance vanish before I ended up owing them money I didn't have.

For now, I forced myself to keep my emotions under control.

When I didn't speak, the taunts started.

"What's the matter? No stomach for the big leagues? I told you he doesn't have the nerve to play for real money. He's all talk."

I paused for a moment before looking up, an icy grin curling at the edges of my lips. "Who says I'm out? A thousand dollars it is. But I've got a rule that will make things a lot more interesting. That is… if you've got the spine for it."

Lawrence tried his best to mask the mockery in his eyes as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. "A rule? Let's hear it."

I pointed at the dice cups. "Everyone calls blind. One roll, winner takes all."

One of them couldn't hold back a snicker. I knew what they were thinking. Even calling blind, they still controlled the dice. To them, this was a sure win.

I swept my gaze around the table, taunting, "Didn't you say we were just having fun? What's the matter? Are you scared?"

Lawrence feigned a look of surprise before looking away. "Well, if Sebastian wants to go big, I suppose I can play along."

As he spoke, he reached up and brushed the tip of his nose again.

Right on cue, the rest of them chimed in, "Fine by me. It's just blind calling. Let's do it."

When they all agreed, I let out a breath of relief. This was the very moment I had been waiting for after being reborn.