One Hand Ruined, One Throne Taken

Cesar's face darkened instantly.

In his eyes, I had overstepped. A lowly dealer defying him in front of everyone? That was a death sentence waiting to happen.

"Very well." Cesar forced the words out between his teeth. All the warmth vanished from his gaze.

He let go of Liliana and ordered, "Since you don't want to be a hostess, we'll do this by casino rules. Pin her hand to the table!"

The dozen armed bodyguards behind him surged forward.

These were Cesar's elite enforcers. They were men with blood on their hands.

I could fight, but skill meant nothing against numbers, and they were armed.

I was quickly subdued. They slammed my face down onto the table.

Cesar walked up and looked down at me. "Liliana, do whatever you want with this thief. I'll take responsibility."

Liliana instantly stopped sobbing. She approached me with a twisted grin and picked up a chip case. "You love dealing with this hand, right? I'll make sure you never deal again for the rest of your life!"

Cesar leaned against the bar, lit a cigar, and watched coldly with interest.

Liliana raised the chip case and brought it down hard on my right hand.

Pain shot through my hand. I felt the burn through my entire arm.

"Ah!" I screamed in agony.

My body convulsed, and cold sweat soaked my back.

Darkness crept over my vision, and a high-pitched ringing filled my skull.

Just as I was about to pass out from the pain, the phone Liliana had snatched from me suddenly rang.

It was my father's encrypted line.

When Liliana saw the caller ID labeled "Dad", her face twisted with extreme contempt.

Without hesitation, she put it on speaker.

"Old man, your daughter stole from us, and I've ruined her hand! Do you wish to die too?" she shouted arrogantly into the phone.

After a second of silence, my father's icy voice came through, clear and calm. "Let her go. Otherwise, your entire family will die."

Liliana felt no sense of danger at all. If anything, she looked even more excited. She tossed the phone straight into the nearby ice bucket.

Then, she stepped on my mangled hand and dug her heel into it.

Agony tore through me again, and the world turned pitch black. I felt myself slipping away.

She bent down, grinning savagely at me. "No one is saving you today."