My confrontation with Nicholas helped nail in my decision that compromising with that son of a bitch was impossible. He was a man out on a mission with everything to lose. That made him dangerous. He'd proven that fact on numerous occasions. I'd heard that it took life or death situations to bring out someone's true colors.

Staying trapped in Serendipity brought out the worst in everyone. Or at least those that survived long enough to reach that crucial point.

Time was running out, and with Nicholas' intentions for everyone revealed, my anxiousness grew.

"Ambrose?" Henrika's call broke me away from my thoughts. Concern mixed with confusion appeared in her eyes. "What happened here?"

"Nicholas admitted to everything," I answered. "How he killed them, why he killed them..."

Henrika clenched her hands into fists and bit down on her lip. She would've drawn blood if Klara hadn't moved her hand on the woman's shoulder. Afterward, she settled down and spoke, "I won't bother to ask. I don't care for his reasons."

"There something I'm missing here?" Salomon cut into the conversation. It dawned on us that everything must've been confusing for the old man. Since the beginning, he remained neutral in every situation despite all the drama, turmoil, and deaths. Salomon appeared to go through each day without a care in the world.

While I admired and respected him; it also terrified me. It made me wonder what it would take to faze the old man. Henrika wasted no time and filled Salomon in on the situation.

"Figured people would start teaming up sooner or later," Salomon said, not at all surprised by the turn of events. He looked at Klara and asked, "So, you talking now?"

"Only when the situation calls for it," Klara answered.

Salomon chuckled and lit another cigar. "So, what's your plan in beating Nicholas? Sounds like he's had the games rigged for a while."

"All thanks to the Caius coupons," I reluctantly stated. I thought back to that moment hundreds of times. The things I could've done differently. The lives I could've saved. If I hadn't forgotten that damn treasure box, none of it would've happened. "It's my fault,"

I prepared to shoulder the burden alone. That treasure box was my responsibility, and I allowed it to fall into that bastard's hands. If not for me, he wouldn't have gotten the others killed the way he did.

"No, it's not, Ambrose." Henrika immediately came to my defense.

"No, he's right, it's his fault." Klara remained straight forward and blunt as usual. I found it strangely comforting. "Absolving you from blame won't solve anything."

"Absolution is the farthest thing from my mind right now," I admitted. It was probably my imagination, but I thought I spotted a smile creep on Klara's stone face. "Fastest way out of here is defeating Nicholas in a game."

"Fastest, yes. Smartest? No," Henrika countered. Of course, she wouldn't agree with my suicidal plan. "If we bide our time and survive, we'll be out of here soon."

"You sound confident," Salomon noted. "How can you be so sure?"

"I'll explain later. I can't do it here,"

Salomon simply nodded his head and blew smoke into the air. "We might not make it to later from the sounds of things. If we don't act fast, we'll probably end up dead."

"Acting too hastily leaves room for error; one that'll get us all killed if we mess up!" Henrika claimed. "That's what Nicholas wants us to do. He wants us to panic, rush things and fail to make preparations. If we keep a cool head and think, we can survive."

I heard it, the fear and desperation in her voice. Her confidence wavered. I sympathized with the poor woman. We were close to the finish line. Anything could happen, whether it be for better or worse.

But, I put everything on the line to make it as far as I did. I wouldn't settle for leaving with anything less than the money I deserved.

"I won't mess up," I declared.

"You don't know that," Henrika exclaimed and slammed her hands on the table.

"You're right; I don't. But it sure as hell beats sitting by and waiting for the bastard to pick us off," I got up and left the room without another world. I made up my mind. Nicholas had to go down.

I headed for his room and rung the doorbell. He answered shortly and allowed me inside. Nicholas pulled up a chair and offered me the seat, but I refused. It wasn't a God damn social call.

"I cannot say I am surprised that you are here," Nicholas nonchalantly commented as he took a seat on the chair. "What brings you here, Ambrose?"

"I want to end this," I sternly answered. Nicholas' expression didn't change. He expected the confrontation.

"Oh? And how do you plan to do that?" His tone of mockery infuriated me. I would've loved to drive his head through the fucking wall. But, I kept it together for the most part.

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"I'm challenging you to one final game with everything on the line. Winner takes all." I pointed at him. For once, genuine shock appeared on his face.

"How...unexpected..." Nicholas brought his hand up to his chin. He mulled over the announcement, but I didn't give him much time. The bastard was smart. If I gave him too much time to think, God knows what sick plan he'd come up with.

"You and I meet in the game room tonight; we gamble all of our points. If I win, you die. Should you win, everyone else dies, leaving you as the sole survivor." I laid down the stipulations for the final game.

Nicholas' eyebrows raised. I caught his interest. That was a good sign despite the circumstances. "This is amusing," He chuckled. "You are willing to risk your life, as well as others to defeat me? I am flattered."

"You're standing between me and my goals. Besides, didn't you say that we're not so different?" I questioned him.

"Indeed, I did," He nodded his head. "However, I cannot help but question if everyone else agreed to these suicidal terms."

"They didn't," I shook my head. It wasn't the smartest decision, but it was the one I made. I chose to stick with it for better or worse. I had enough of him and his games. It had to end.

"Why bother coming here in the first place, then? You cannot make this match of yours happen." He stated.

But, that's where he was wrong. I planned to prove that to him. "I can't. But, you can. You still have a Caius coupon, don't you? As long as you have that, their compliance isn't a factor."

The corners of Nicholas' lips nearly reached his ears in response. That dreadful smile of his reminded me of Melanie. Those two were more alike than I dared to admit.

"You are truly desperate," Nicholas surmised. He wasn't wrong. That fact didn't bother me too much. I agreed to risk in my life in the first place for the sake of money. Everyone shared that trait of desperation one way or another. "Have you no heart for those that are still alive here? Surely they do not wish to throw their lives away recklessly."

"Are you seriously asking me that? The man that mercilessly killed six people?" I countered.

Nicholas placed his hand over his heart. "I still feel the beating in my chest. Yes, it is here. I will, however, admit that it ached when I first conspired to kill you all."

Not that I believed him, but I felt compelled to ask, "What changed?"

"I spent more time with you people. Learned of your passions and desires, witnessed your greed and selfishness. My decision to kill you all came to me when I looked into your backgrounds," Nicholas boasted.

"You went that far?"

"Of course, I cannot leave a single stone unturned when dealing with anyone of you." Nicholas taunted me with a wag of his finger. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he took a sadistic pleasure in the situation. "I know why you are all here and what you hope to gain once you leave. Unfortunately, that will not happen."

"You're a real piece of shit; you know that?!" I yelled. Nearly from the beginning, Nicholas had us all playing in the palm of his hand, dancing around thanks to the strings he pulled. If he knew about our pasts and our reasons for being in Serendipity, then he should've realized how desperate everyone was.

"How so?" He feigned ignorance. The bastard had the balls to play dumb right in my face. It was that, or he was far too gone to realize the gravity of the situation.

"You looked into our backgrounds right? Then you should know not all of us are here out of greed." I told him. 

"Oh, I am well aware of that fact. However, while most may not be for greed, they are still idiotic." 

I gritted my teeth and restrained as much of my anger as I could before replying, "Idiotic?! You have no right to say that, you bastard!"

Nicholas' eyes widened after my sudden burst of anger. However, his expression quickly changed. "Oh? Is that so? Tell me, if you were in my position, you are willing to lose your life for someone trying to save a bar?"

His question stopped me in my tracks. Not because I didn't have an answer, but instead I didn't want to respond to it. Nicholas and I both knew what it would be. The bar was important to me. I was more than willing to risk my life for the home the old man and I got for ourselves.

But, that meant nothing to Nicholas. Why would it? We never crossed paths in our lifetime until Serendipity. He wasn't there throughout all the hardships and struggles I went through. 

So to him, I was a stranger trying to keep a business afloat. Even if I explained my situation, he wouldn't care. His mind was made up about killing everyone.

"...No," I reluctantly answered.

"It must have taken tremendous strength to admit that, Ambrose. Now, we are connecting. Have you begun to see things from my point of view?" Nicholas inquired.

Another question I hesitated to answer. From the moment Nicholas told me about his circumstances, I could see things from his point of view. It wasn't fair, but I felt no sympathy for the man. He got himself thrown in prison. It was his actions that got him on death throw.

"Seeing things from your point of view won't change a thing. Sure, it's not a fair situation we find ourselves in. But, it still doesn't excuse your actions." I pointed out. Nothing he could tell me would ever change my opinion of him. "Elena, Iris, Wyatt, Darius, and Zoey didn't deserve to die."

"Perhaps not. However, they have no one to blame but themselves for their deaths. They did not need to come here," Nicholas countered.

"No one to blame but themselves?!" I yelled. "All they wanted to do was help people they loved!"

"They could have found alternative methods than this," Nicholas bluntly stated. "Loanshark debt, funeral plans, heart transplant, financial trouble, and plain old revenge. They risked and lost their lives for such moronic reasons."

His words brought me to the brink of explosion. I knew that's what he wanted, but it was Goddamn challenging to keep it together. I didn't care much for everyone's reasons, to each their own. But to hear Nicholas calling them moronic was an insult to his victims.

Unfortunately, I stood there and let him rant on about them.

"Darius and Elena could have gotten jobs to take care of their financial troubles. For Iris; she should have let the government provide a box for her dearly deceased. After all, what do the dead care where or what they are buried in? Wyatt should have waited his turn on the transplant list like everyone else. And lastly, Zoey was here for revenge." He said. "With goals like that, I say they deserve what happened."

"You mother fucker..." I swore under my breath.

"All of your goals are moronic. I am the only person in Serendipity that deserves a second chance at life," Nicholas proclaimed as he stood from his chair. "Therefore, I accept your challenge. I will see you in the game room today, Ambrose."

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it," I sarcastically responded and left the room without another word to the bastard. With that, my mind was set. It went against my principles and my promise, but I was going to kill Nicholas. He was the final obstacle. With him out of the way, there was no one else that could stop me from getting my money and saving my home.

If killing one last person brought me to that goal, then I was more than prepared to put everything on the line. It was a gamble, but one that I wasn't afraid to make.