The Kingpin

In Port Sterling, everyone knew the story of the old Kingpin of Cards: two wives, two daughters. My mother came from the graceful, old-money Ashworths; Vivian’s mother was all fire and audacity. Vivian and I were oil and water from the start. She thrived in glittering galas and gritty corners alike—a natural at the tables, adored by all. Except Johnny Thorne. He saw only me, whispering, “Sera, you’re the only one who matters.” Vivian took it as war. She raided his casinos; their battle for dominance was fierce. It ended when Johnny inherited my father’s crown as the new Kingpin. I thought we’d won. Then the Ashworth fortune was seized—my mother’s dowry, her heirlooms, all gone to auction. I burst into Johnny’s room and found him with Vivian, tangled in the sheets. “If your wife knew you ruined the Ashworths,” Vivian purred, “would she still have you?” The truth shattered me. Johnny met my devastation with a cold smile. “Since you know,” he said, “play by the city’s rules. Want your mother’s legacy back? Take a seat at the table.” 1 I swayed, my vision blurring at the edges, and nearly collapsed. I dug my nails into my thigh, the sharp pain a brutal anchor to reality. This wasn't a nightmare. The man who had whispered declarations of love to me just last night had shed his skin, revealing the monster beneath. "Pfft. A good little girl like my sister has probably never even touched a deck of cards. Does she even know how many suits there are?" Vivian chuckled, covering her crimson lips with a delicate hand. She rose from the bed, shrugging on a silk robe. Her pale skin was a canvas of angry red marks from their passion. A wave of nausea churned in my stomach. Johnny had always been so gentle with me, almost hesitant in our intimacy. "Sera, you're too perfect," he would murmur, holding me close. "I'm afraid I'll break you." It turned out he was just saving his real passion for someone else. Johnny said nothing. He let Vivian settle onto his lap, lighting a cigar for her and then taking it from her lips with his own in a gesture of sickening intimacy. The last ember of hope in my heart turned to ash. I took a deep, shuddering breath. "Fine. I agree. Let's play." Vivian's eyes widened for a second, then she burst into laughter. "This is priceless! Absolutely priceless! I never thought I'd live to see the day our precious Miss Ashworth sits down at a gambling table. Johnny, darling, you promised me a fun night. This is going to be spectacular." Johnny's hand was still resting on her waist. My words seemed to startle him, too. He glanced at me, his fingers tightening on her hip. "Alright. Anything you want." He finally stood and walked toward me, his face a mask of feigned pity. "Sera, you always make things so difficult. Is it really that hard to just learn to submit?" I met his gaze, my own eyes cold as ice. "Let's not waste any more time. Let's go." But as I turned, a single, traitorous tear escaped and traced a hot path down my cheek. The elevator descended, a silent drop into the city's glittering, gold-plated heart of darkness three floors below ground. As the doors slid open, a wall of noise hit me—cheers, shouts, the clatter of chips. A few of the old crew saw me and faltered. "Miss Seraphina? Johnny isn't here today..." These were my father's men once, before they pledged their loyalty to Johnny. They had always treated me with a fawning respect, calling me "Miss Seraphina" or "the boss's lady." Then the elevator doors opened again. Vivian walked out, clinging to Johnny's arm without a shred of shame. A hush fell over the room for a heartbeat. Then, I heard a collective sigh of relief. "Well, you should have just said! We were trying to cover for you guys." They swarmed Vivian, laughing and joking, their camaraderie disgustingly familiar. My eyes burned again. Everyone knew. I was the only fool left in the dark. Vivian, a cigarette dangling from her lips, shot me a sultry, victorious look. "My dear sister is joining us at the table tonight, everyone. Be sure to treat her well." The whispers started immediately. "No way. Seraphina Ashworth? At a card table?" "You haven't heard? The Ashworths got slammed these past two months. Johnny taught them a lesson for always siding against Vivian. He's just defending his girl's honor." My nails dug into my palms. My grandfather, my uncle, my cousin—they had always adored my mother and me. They never hid their contempt for the second family, and business clashes were frequent. But to think Johnny would dismantle my entire family's legacy... just to appease Vivian... It was only then, with everyone watching, that Johnny finally addressed me directly. "Sera, the rules of this city are simple. Once you sit at the table, you can't walk away. Are you sure you want to do this?" A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "Those things on that auction block are mine. I'm walking out of here with them tonight." Vivian sauntered over. "So, what's it going to be? Poker? Blackjack? Let's not say I'm bullying you. How about something simple... Mahjong?" A smirk played on Johnny's lips. He wasn't even trying to hide his contempt. After all, I probably didn't even know how many tiles were in a Mahjong set. But after a moment of silence, I lifted my chin. "Fine. Mahjong it is." 2 The room erupted. "Is she insane? Everyone in Port Sterling knows Vivian is a Mahjong prodigy! That tile-reading technique of hers was taught by the old Kingpin himself. I've never won a single game against her!" "They always said the Ashworths were too high and mighty for us common folk. I can't believe Seraphina actually has the guts to play." "What do you know? A fight between two women over one man is the best kind of show. Looks like the new Kingpin has the same tastes as the old one—wants the pleasure of having both! Hahaha!" The crude remarks washed over me, but I didn't care. After I agreed, Vivian's smile widened, while Johnny's face hardened. But she ignored him, her voice ringing with excitement. "Well, now! It's me, my sister, and Johnny. We're short one player. Who wants in?" Hands shot up across the room, but Vivian, as if by design, chose Carter Vance—a man known throughout the city for his predatory habits and wandering hands. As Carter sat down, he leaned in close, his breath hot on my ear. "Miss Seraphina, you just ask me nicely, and I'll be sure to feed you some good tiles." I turned away in disgust. The table was set up in an instant, and we became the center of the universe. Every other game in the casino stopped. The entire floor crowded around to watch the spectacle. Johnny clapped his hands, and a sneer touched his lips. Several security guards in black suits wheeled in a series of display carts. As the velvet cloths were whipped away, the brilliant fire of jewels lit up the faces of the onlookers. A lump formed in my throat. It was all there. My mother's dowry. Vivian's eyes gleamed with avarice. "My, what a lovely collection. I'll have to play my best tonight. Win all these little trinkets to give to my maids to play with." Her words were a deliberate provocation, a poisoned dart aimed straight at my heart. The room went quiet. It was common knowledge in Port Sterling that Vivian's mother had started out as nothing more than a maid in my mother's household. She was slapping me in the face. Under Johnny's watchful eye, the dealer approached, his hands trembling slightly. "Ladies and gentlemen, the stakes for each round will be settled individually. For this first round, Mr. Thorne has offered 'The Tear of the Pacific,' a 22-carat Kashmir sapphire ring." "We will now roll the dice to determine the dealer." My breath caught. I couldn't tear my eyes from the ring glittering on the velvet stand. It had been my mother's favorite. I clenched my fists, my knuckles white. My hand shook as I cast the dice. They tumbled across the felt, landing on a paltry six. I lowered my head in defeat. Vivian rolled next, a triumphant twelve. She let out a low whistle. "Ooh, I like that ring. It'll look fabulous on my little Lumi at home. Excellent taste, Johnny. In that case, I'll put up the deed to my West End estate." Gasps rippled through the crowd. She had snatched that piece of land from Johnny at the beginning of the year, a move that had left him fuming for weeks. I saw Johnny let out a small, indulgent chuckle. Vivian shot him a flirtatious wink. They were flirting right in front of me. "Sister, what about you?" Vivian's voice was syrupy sweet. "I remember that magnificent Starfall Tiara you have. How about that?" My head snapped up. The Starfall Tiara. It was my wedding gift from Johnny, studded with 108 flawless South Sea pearls. Its debut had dominated the headlines of every newspaper in the city for a week. It was the proof that Johnny had once loved me. I gritted my teeth. "Fine. The tiara." My palms were slick with sweat. My hands felt clumsy and foreign as I drew my tiles. I kept thirteen of them face down, trying to push them forward with a flourish like I’d seen others do, but I fumbled. Tiles scattered, two of them clattering to the floor. The crowd roared with laughter. "Is she here for comic relief?" Even Vivian couldn't suppress a smirk. But it was like I was underwater; I couldn't hear a thing. Compared to the effortless confidence of Vivian and Johnny, I was a clown. I shakily discarded a few tiles. "One of Bamboo. Pong," Johnny declared, his voice flat. The next second, Vivian's voice rang out, giddy with excitement. "Four of Characters. Kong." A bead of sweat trickled down my forehead. Then came the voice I had been dreading. "Dealer's self-drawn win," Vivian announced, her voice dripping with triumph. "I win. Sister, your Starfall Tiara is mine now." 3 The first round ended with Vivian’s complete victory. My face was ashen. I sat there, head bowed, feeling the weight of a hundred pairs of eyes on me. Johnny, seated to my left, leaned over slightly. "Sera, it's not too late to walk away." I whipped my head around to face him, my jaw tight. "No. We continue." His expression hardened, and he let out a cold snort. Vivian tugged on his sleeve, cooing like a spoiled child. "It's all thanks to you, darling, feeding me all the right tiles. Are we being too mean to my poor sister?" Johnny sneered. "She's the great Miss Ashworth. She can take it." The dealer brought the sapphire ring to Vivian. She played with it for a moment, admiring the sparkle, then casually tossed it over her shoulder. It landed with a soft plink in a bystander's champagne flute. "It's not that impressive up close. Nothing special." I stared at her, my body rigid with fury, and tried to stand. Two of Johnny's guards immediately stepped forward, their hands on my shoulders, forcing me back into my seat. Vivian leaned in, her voice a venomous whisper only I could hear. "You and your mother, always so high and mighty. The way you used to look down on us... it made me sick. Second round, Seraphina. Do you still have the nerve to play?" I heard my own voice, thin and reedy. "Again." Vivian snapped her fingers. "Second round, I'm betting my Rosewood Manor. And sister, look over there. Isn't that your mother's favorite pink diamond necklace on the display stand?" I was silent for a long moment. "I'm in," I said, my voice hoarse. "The Oceanview Penthouse at Marina Bay." When we were eighteen, Vivian had wheedled a new house out of our father. Not to be outdone, Johnny had made a grand spectacle of buying me the Marina Bay penthouse. "Sera," he had said then, his eyes full of adoration, "anything she has, you will have better." I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. The second round began. Vivian was practically glowing with confidence. Johnny, still seated to her right, was now openly feeding her winning tiles. "Three of Bamboo..." I discarded. "Pong!" Vivian's voice was sharp and clear. She discarded a tile with a triumphant smirk. "Your turn, sister. Try to keep your tiles on the table this time." A wave of suppressed snickers went through the crowd. I pressed my lips into a thin line, my fingers stiff as I drew a new tile. I knew they were ganging up on me. I knew my chances were nonexistent. But I couldn't back down. I wouldn't. My hand was a chaotic mess, a jumble of useless tiles. Every time I tried to build a sequence, Johnny would discard the one tile that blocked me. The moment I was waiting for a single tile to win, Vivian would claim it, holding it back as if she could see right through my hand. "Oh, my. I've been waiting for this Red Dragon for ages," Vivian chirped, taking the tile Johnny had just discarded. "Kong!" She gracefully drew a replacement tile from the end of the wall, her thumb stroking its surface for a fraction of a second. Her smile bloomed into a radiant grin as she slammed the tile onto the table. "A win off the replacement tile! A pure straight flush! So sorry, sister. I've won again!" Her voice, laced with pure, unadulterated glee, echoed in my ears. A roaring filled my head, and my vision swam. Lost. I had lost again. The Marina Bay penthouse... another monument to his false promises, now another trophy for Vivian. The dealer presented the deed and the keys to her. She held them up to the light, inspecting them for a moment before casually tossing them to one of her cronies. "Here, it's yours. Weren't you saying you liked the place? Go on, take your little models there for a party." The man bowed and scraped. "Thank you, Miss Vivian! You're too generous!" He even had the gall to jangle the keys in my direction. I felt the blood freeze in my veins. Vivian leaned across the table. "You see, sister? Everything you cherish is worthless to me. Your man, your possessions... if I want them, I take them. So, shall we play a third round? What else do you have left to bet? Oh, I know. Your mother's favorite antique pearl tiara is still sitting on that display stand..." Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Under the weight of every gaze in the room, I heard my own trembling voice. "Continue." 4 Vivian let out a peal of laughter and draped herself over Johnny. "Did you hear that, darling? She wants to keep going. Don't you dare say I'm bullying her." The muffled laughter in the room grew louder. "Just give it up, Miss Ashworth. You can't beat them." "Vivian and Johnny together? No one in Port Sterling could win against that pair." Johnny finally looked at me, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. "Sera, enough is enough. If you keep this up, you'll lose more than just your possessions." I understood his threat. But at this point, I had no way out. "I said, continue." The game went on. The stakes got higher and higher. I became just like every other crazed gambler who'd lost their senses at the table. No fatigue, no reason. "The Porsche." "The villa at Silver Creek." "The yacht." "The trust fund." "The company shares..." Every asset to my name became a chip on the table. One by one, they were brought out. And one by one, they were lost. Vivian and Johnny read my every move, anticipated my every play. No matter how hard I fought, it was useless. "Big Four Winds." "Seven Pairs." "Thirteen Wonders." "You lose, sister." "You lose." "Seraphina, you've lost again." I was numb. Vivian's side of the table was overflowing with chips. My face was a pale mask as I discarded a Nine of Characters. "All terminals. Sorry, I win again." My body went limp, and I sank back into my chair. I opened my mouth to say "again," but the dealer stepped forward, his expression hesitant. "My apologies, Miss Seraphina, but you have no assets left to your name." The buzzing of the crowd flooded my ears again. My hands and feet were ice. I didn't know what to do. Instinctively, I looked at Johnny. For the last twenty years, he had been my guardian angel, my protector, always there when I needed him. But tonight, in my darkest hour, he was my opponent, the architect of my ruin. The spectators, sensing Johnny's attitude toward me, grew bolder. "Out of cash, Miss Ashworth? How about you spend a night with me? I'll lend you a million, how about it?" "I'll offer two million! Come on, give me a night of fun, hahaha!" The filth washed over me. Vivian, drunk on her winning streak, was lounging against Johnny's shoulder. "I'm getting a little tired of this. Let's be sisters, just for a moment. I'll give you a quick end. One final round. I'll bet everything I've won from you so far. You in?" I met her eyes and slowly shook my head. "No. That's not enough." My gaze shifted, locking onto Johnny. "For the final hand, I'm betting on myself." A collective gasp went through the room. "If I lose," I announced, my voice clear and steady, "I, Seraphina Ashworth, will voluntarily renounce all rights to the family inheritance, leave with nothing, and..." I took a breath. "As you wish, I will get out of Port Sterling and never return. If you lose, I want everything I've lost back, and everything you both own." The casino floor exploded. The stakes were astronomical. Johnny's face went dark. Vivian frowned. "Are you insane?" But I was possessed by the fever of a true gambler. "Do you dare?" Vivian sneered. "Bet! Why wouldn't I? Johnny, let's play! Let's make her lose so badly she'll have no choice but to crawl out of this city for good!" I nodded slowly. With a loud clatter, Vivian pushed her mountain of chips to the center of the table. I pushed my single, symbolic chip forward. Our eyes met across the table. "All in." The sound of dice rolling filled the air once more. I looked up, my voice ringing with newfound authority. "This time, I'm the dealer." Shuffling. Building the walls. My movements were still not perfectly smooth, but this time, they did not tremble. Thirteen tiles lay securely before me, face down. Vivian was getting impatient. "Just give up if you can't win." I ignored her. Under the stunned gaze of every single person in the room, I slowly, one by one, turned my thirteen tiles face up. "A Heavenly Hand. The Thirteen Orphans. I win it all." Johnny and Vivian shot to their feet as if electrocuted. "That's impossible!"

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