"How... how can you do this?"
At this point, tears flowed down the eyes of the man as his speech became that of bawling.
"You... you demon... you monster... you cheating... I'll... I'll call the police on you! Illegal! This... this entire shop is illegal!! Everything here is illegal!!!"
"Sir. You signed a contract, did you not?"
Without flinching, the employee gazed at the man who struggled to escape the two bouncers that held him.
"You signed A legal contract. There is nothing illegal about gambling. We have a license to operate as a casino. And there is nothing in our license that states that there is any sort of limitation on the gambles that take place in our facility. Therefore tell me, good Sir."
Picking up the contract, the employee smirked as he waved it before the babbling man.
"What part of our business is illegal?"
"You're robbing people blind!! How could this not be illegal!?!?"
"Sir. I think you are forgetting the difference between illegal and immoral. However even if you were to consider morality... I'm sure that under some impressions, many would consider you to be at fault."
Many people hid their faces as they passed by the scene, desperately attempting to avoid any sort of interaction with this man as he made a fool of himself.
‘Ahh… look at that one…’
‘What an idiot… he probably fell for some trap.’
‘A junkie who can’t control his gambling habits and now throws a tantrum when he loses…’
With mocking glares, the people around him seemed to look at the man in a pitiable manner.
"Perhaps you are correct in saying that this business SHOULD be illegal. However the fact of the matter remains that you came into our establishment and chose - of your free will - to gamble away your savings, your home, and everything that you own. Consider this. If you had won, we would have been forced to pay you an immense sum of money. We would have done so, and you would have left this establishment a rich man. How is it fair then, that you can come into this place and "rob us blind", when we are not allowed to do the same to you?"
The man said all this as he gently placed the contract down, returning to the roulette station with the wave of his hand.
"Take this man away. He is disturbing the other customers."
"Wait!!! Wait!!! STOP THIS!!! YOU CAN'T DO THIS-"
"Then make one final gamble."
As the employee faced away from the man with disinterest, the man began to scream and shout as he was dragged off - only to be silenced at the words of the employee.
"If you truly wish to try and regain your home and your possessions, then put your body on the line."
"Eh?"
The man looked to the employee's back as horror crept upon his expression, slowly falling into despair as he heard these words.
"We don't typically allow for such ILLEGAL deals. However if you are desperate enough... then I suppose we will allow for this exception. Organs can sell for quite a high price, you know. I would say that we could grant you another $100,000 if you were to offer YOURSELF as collateral."
At these harsh words, the bouncers halted in their tracks, ceasing to drag away the man who had stopped his struggle.
Unable to even respond, fear crept within his heart - perhaps for the first time ever.
Never before had he even considered losing.
He had gambled away everything, throwing it carelessly around as he lost and lost.
Yet right now, something much greater than even a house or property was on the line.
His very life.
"I'll... I'll do it."
The man whispered this, so quiet that even the bouncers could barely hear him.
"I'll... take your loan."
Just slightly louder, the man made his declaration.
Whether this was a declaration of bravery or foolishness, even the bypassers who saw him as nothing more than a sore loser became unsure.
And as he said this, the employee smirked.
"Very well. I wish you the best of luck... good customer."
----
'I need to win. I need to win. This time... this time... I can't afford to lose. I have to think... Think, think, think... what's the best way to win? What's something I can definitely win at?'
The man rushed through the facility, gripping hundreds of chips in his hands as he frantically searched his options.
'The slot machines... those never pay out. The roulette is too risky. It's nothing more than a gamble. I can't risk it. I need to find something I can guarantee a win. Something that requires skill. Something that... ah!'
As the man walked through the casino, he laid his eyes on the poker tables.
'Poker! That's it! It's a game that has a combination of luck and skill. I won't win every time if I get a bad hand, but as long as I play well and outsmart my opponents I should be able to work my way up. I don't have to bet it all on one gamble, and I can bit by bit increase my winnings. Even if I lose a round, I only need to end up better than I started.'
Perhaps for the first time ever, with his life on the line, the man began to think about the gambles he took.
He hadn’t ever done anything himself to deserve a win. He had rolled the dice over and over, spinning wheels and relying upon chance.
Instead of merely assuming that he would get lucky and win, this time he would take victory with his own hands.
"One more seat open! Who will take it? The next round is about to begin! Any takers?"
An energetic dealer stood at the center of the table, vibrantly advertising as the man rushed over.
"I will! Me! I'll take that seat!!!"
The man stumbled into the spot, pouring the chips onto the table before him as he panted.
"Huff.... huff... I made it."
"You look a little pale. Have a rough day?"
Looking next to him, another gambler spoke out to the man with a strange concern.
"Ah... no... no problem. Haha..."
Turning to his side, the pathetic man could see that this man was no mere gambler.
He wore sunglasses and had slicked back hair, and he wore a white suit with a purple tie.
The man smoked on a cigar as he gazed forward, though the exact location of his gaze was covered by the sunglasses which he wore.
And next to him was a pile of chips so large that it was unimaginable.
"You... you look like a veteran, eh? Play here often?", the clumsy man managed to slip out.
"Hm? Ah, you could say that. I suppose I just can't stop myself. The thrill of winning... it's something that I can never get enough of. Don't you agree?"
Breathing out a volley of smoke, the man grinned behind the shades that hid his eyes.
"Ah... well... I suppose that's something... that I would love to experience."
"You're trying to make it big, aren't you?"
As the two chatted, the dealer began to deal out the cards to all the players at the table.
"I suppose... you could say that."
"You can't win big if you aren't willing to take risks. That's my first piece of advice."
Picking up his cards, the man flashed a toothy grin as he bit down on the cigar.
"Well I'll be."
At that moment, the man who was on his last limbs felt a premonition.
He felt a chill, as if something was wrong.
Yet he ignored it.
'I need to see what my cards are.'
Picking up his own cards, the man peeked at them for only an instant, immediately placing them back on the table as soon as he saw what they were.
'Eh?'
Then, looking back once again, the man checked his cards.
'This...'
Frozen in time, the man couldn't stop a smile from creeping across his face.
'This is impossible.'
'My luck... is impossibly good right now.'
----
A royal flush.
1 in 649,740.
Many could go their entire lives playing poker and never obtain such a hand.
This hand doesn't exist for people to obtain. It exists as an impossible goal to dream of, and nothing more.
However Gary found himself holding this hand on this day.
'It's... is this real?'
'Can this really be real?'
'Can my luck finally have turned around?'
'All those losses... everything I gave up... did I use up so much bad luck that the universe decided to pay me back in one dose?'
Right now, Gary had obtained such an impossible hand.
'Wait wait wait. I can't waste this. If I went all in right now, the other people would probably fold. I have to draw them out. I have to get them to bet as much as possible so I can maximize what I earn here.'
"Raise."
"Call."
"Call."
Without waiting for Gary to catch up, the betting began.
"Ah! Er... raise."
Placing a few more chips on the table, Gary performed his first move.
'If I raise by just a small amount, nobody will be suspicious. They'll think I might have something that I can afford to take a chance on, but they won't get scared because of something like this.'
"Raise."
However the next person to go after Gary was the man sitting beside him in the sunglasses.
And when he raised, he RAISED.
Slamming an entire roll of chips onto the table, the man grinned as he tipped his shades.
"So? What are your next moves?"
The table went silent as the people watched this man make such a reckless proclamation, most of them glaring to the ground with irritation in their expressions.
However Gary was the most irritated of all.
'AHH!! What are you doing you idiot!!! Now they won't bet anything!!!'
"Fold."
"Fold."
The play continued as the people following immediately gave up, unwilling to match the insane bet.
However it was then that a thought came into the mind of Gary.
'Wait a minute.... this...'
Looking around, most of the people here had quite a few chips, but they came nowhere even close to the man in the sunglasses.
'Ah... he has so much money that he can force everyone around him to give up. Is that his game?'
As he thought this, Gary checked his cards once more.
'Heh.... but bluffing won't work against this.'
'I've got a royal flush up my sleeve. Of hearts.'
'And if I don't win now... then it might be my heart that's on the table here.'
'Therefore... I won't let you off easy, big man.'
----
"Fold."
"Fold."
"Fold."
As expected, everyone at the table folded immediately to the massive gamble which was proposed by the man.
'Is he an idiot though? Taking the initial required bets from everyone like that... even if it's a small win... shouldn't he wait a bit longer? Whatever.'
"Raise."
Slamming two rolls of chips on the table, Gary challenged the man beside him with confidence.
"Oh? It looks like you've got something pretty good in there, don't you? Haha... I knew the moment I saw you that this would be fun.", the man said with a chuckle.
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"Enough chat. Are you going to call or what?", Gary replied.
The man sat back in his chair, letting out a puff of smoke before casually replying.
"Nah."
"What, so you're gonna give up after that big display?"
Urging him on, Gary felt confidence surge within him as he pressed the man.
However, what happened next blew him away.
"Raise."
And then just like that, the man threw two more rolls of chips on the table.
Gary's eyes widened as he glared at the two rolls, and immediately grinned with success.
'Hahaha!! This guy's a bigger idiot than I thought! He thinks he can scare me with big bets, but he doesn't know! He doesn't know anything!!!'
"Raise."
Two more rolls.
This brought the total to four on each side.
'What are you going to do now? You've got ten of them in total. I've only got five, but you can't bet any more than what I have. Are we going to raise this to the maximum limit?'
"Raise."
Without hesitation, the man placed two more, bringing the total to five stacks of chips.
'He really did it. What an idiot. Fine then. Let's finish this.'
"All in."
Without hesitation, Gary placed all his chips on the table.
There was no way he could lose this round.
And the victory he had just gained would be able to purchase back his home.
"You must be real confident. I respect you."
Leaning forward, the man put out his cigar as he slid all of his chips onto the betting table.
"Consider this a toast to your confidence. I bet everything. You don't have to match me. We flip the cards. And whoever wins... takes everything the other person has. Fair enough?"
As the man made this proposal, Gary was shocked.
Something like this was inconceivable.
'How... could I be so lucky?'
It was enough to bring tears to his face.
'That I ran into this overconfident idiot on this day... when I just happened to get this hand... it's almost too good to be true.'
His smile wrapping itself around his face, Gary nodded in agreement.
'It's like I'm the protagonist in a story... and a compassionate author decided to have mercy on me....'
"Alright."
Wiping his tears, the man gripped his cards as the dealer watched without objection.
"Very well!!! Both customers have decided to go all in, putting their entire earnings on the line for this single gamble!!! Let us see what they have behind those confident bets!!", he shouted.
“My second piece of advice.”
Whispering this statement as all eyes were focused on the two, the pompous man grazed his hand over his cards as he took another puff of his cigar.
“If something is too good to be true… it is.”
With these words, Gary thinned his eyes at the man.
‘You just don’t understand… but I’ll show you. You’ll see just what a mistake it was to face me today of all days.’
With a grin, Gary too hovered his hand above his deck.
‘After all… today is my lucky day.’
And thus, the two flipped their cards.
"Royal flush of hearts! How do you like that, buddy! Haha!!! I bet you didn't think I had that-"
As Gary began to brag of his victory, his eyes met with those of his opponent, who had tipped his sunglasses to now meet his eyes with that devious gaze.
'Why... does he look so confident?'
And it was as he thought this that the eyes of Gary gazed over to the cards of the man.
"What a coincidence."
With a smirk, the man waved over to his own cards, mocking Gary's existence with his tone as he spoke.
"I happened to have a royal flush as well."
And it was at that moment that the world around Gary shattered.
"Of spades."
For at that moment, a spade shot through Gary’s heart.
----
"You know, I'm surprised. Really."
Shattering.
"Did you really think that you could get so lucky... and something wouldn't be up?"
Shattering.
"You really ARE an idiot. I'll see you on the market. Ah...."
Shattering.
"But you won't be in one piece. That's for certain."
Gary was shattering.
Everything he had ever known was gone.
His home.
His life.
His wife.
His soon to be born daughter.
And even his very body.
They were no longer his, lost in the blink of an eye.
However the thing that plagued Gary the most was one simple fact.
'How... is it possible for one person to have such bad luck?'
Deceiving himself, unable to so much as come to any other conclusion - Gary shifted the blame of his position onto another.
'It... it wasn't my fault... I... I never did anything wrong... I never did anything foolish... I merely... had the worst luck in the world.'
"Don't... don't do this...."
Falling to his knees, Gary looked up to the man with sunglasses, pleading with him for his life as he spread himself before him.
"Please.... please... if you take that money.... I'll die... my organs... I bet my organs to obtain that..."
"Ah. Is that so?"
Looking up to the man, Gary was met with a reaction that he never could have imagined.
Indifference.
This man couldn't care less, even at the demise of the one before him.
"But you know... I can't believe you haven't realized who I am at this point. Do I have to spell it out for you?"
Taking a seat as the man crossed one leg over the other, the man tapped the table as a number of women wearing the outfits of casino employees immediately came to his call.
One came with a drink on a platter, and another with a box of cigars, lighting one for him.
Another shined his shoes while a different one fixed the man's coat, and a final one massaged his shoulders as the man lounged before Gary.
And now, from a position that seemed far removed from Gary, the man spoke with authority.
"I'm the owner. Now then... if you still have any complaints about my casino...."
Reaching into his coat, the man pulled out a revolver as he grinned.
Click.
Pressing it to the head of Gary, the man whispered as he leaned forward.
"Then why don't you say it to my face?"
----
'I'm... going to die.'
'I'm.... really going to die.'
Emptiness filled Gary as reality overwhelmed him.
'Even if I beg and plead... this man... is evil.'
Hopelessness overtook him.
He wanted to plead and cry, but somehow, Gary knew that such a thing would be pointless.
'Goodbye, Ally.'
As the hopelessness overwhelmed him, strangely, Gary came to accept his position.
'Goodbye, Isabella.'
Closing his eyes, tears streamed down his face as he recalled the memories he had made with his life - and those that he would no longer be able to make with his daughter.
'I'm sorry.'
'I've failed.'
'As a husband.'
'And as a father.'
However it was as Gary came to this acceptance that he heard a voice.
"Hey, brother. Come on. Don't be so harsh on the guy. He was just having a bit of fun, now he's gotta die?"
From the crowd, a man with strangely styled hair that was the bright shade of yellow stepped forth with swagger in his steps.
He wore sunglasses that looked to be exactly the same as the man who had robbed him blind, yet he carried himself in a very different manner.
"Hm? What are you talking about, little brother? Don't tell me you don't understand what I'm doing. I'm tired of hearing your preaching when you're doing things which are FAR worse than anything I could ever think up."
Glancing over, the man in the white suit looked over to the man with a smug expression.
"After all... at least I'm making my money off idiots who would drive themselves to ruin anyways."
"Hey hey, don't say that! My business is legitimate. The kids are growing up so well, and they're learning so much. I feel like a real father here. Or I guess an older brother would be a better term?"
The man joked playfully, however the owner of the casino merely let out a sigh as he took another puff of his newly lit cigar.
"So? Why are you here? Don't tell me you've been here the entire time."
"Well, I couldn't help but to overhear some things. And so I've come to make the two of you... a deal."
"A deal... eh?"
Leaning back to rest his head on the chest of one of the girls, the man who owned the casino closed his eyes as he faced the ceiling.
"What kind of deal?"
"Y-yes...What... What kind of deal?"
With a trembling voice, Gary let out these words as he looked over to this man fearfully.
What was this man trying to do?
The brother of the owner?
Was he in line with him? Or was he a rival?
'Will he use me as well? What is he trying to do?'
"200,000 Sin. That's the worth that you valued him at. Both his body and his possessions. I'll pay for that."
"For what reason would you pay that?"
Tipping his glasses, the owner looked at his brother with confusion, unable to comprehend why the man would say such a thing.
"It's simple, really. You there. Man who just lost his organs. I'll pay your debt if you agree to my condition. Will you hear me out?"
The man looked to Gary, extending his hand towards him as Gary slowly stood up.
'Could this man... be trying to save me?'
Pulled to his feet, Gary wiped his tears as hope seeped into his heart.
It was not something that he had allowed himself to feel.
Hope was a dangerous poison, especially where there was none to be had.
It was enough to get Gary into this situation, and it may very well place him into a worse situation.
Yet even so, he hoped.
He hoped with everything in his being that this man would show him a light.
"You said you had a wife who was pregnant with a daughter, didn't you?"
"Ah... yes... that's correct."
Nodding in agreement, Gary couldn't stop thoughts from entering his mind.
'Could this man feel pity for me? Could he feel pity for my family? Is that why he's helping me?'
Such thoughts ran through Gary's head as he stared at the man, who grinned in response.
"Then give me your daughter, and I'll make all your debts go away."
"Eh?"
Letting out this statement of surprise, Gary found himself unable to even respond to this offer.
"What... Did you just say?"
"Ah... don't make me repeat myself. Give up your daughter to me. In exchange, I'll pay your debt. 200,000 Sin for the kid. Ah... but I guess these days, the child in the womb isn't actually considered to be a human anyways. Not until it's born, that is. So give it up. After all..."
As the man's grin deepened, Gary felt himself overcome by a terror that was perhaps even greater than the possibility of having his organs sold.
"It doesn't have any rights yet. So if I buy it now before it gets any... then I can make sure it doesn't obtain them in the first place."
----