It was Juniper’s ‘Sip and See’ party, and the air was thick with the scent of lilies and new money. Savannah Wells, the woman Rhys Caldwell always called his "associate" but who acted more like a sister-wife, leaned into him, her smile a predatory arc, and proposed a game. A high-stakes one. Rhys didn’t just indulge her; he looked at her with a careless, almost doting air. “How do you want to play, Sav?” Savannah’s gaze landed on me—a deliberate, challenging dart—then settled on the baby in my arms. “Let’s play with the dice. Best two out of three.” “If I lose,” she purred, “that prime waterfront lot, the Sinclair Development Property, is yours. If I win, this child—” she gestured to my daughter, my Juniper, “—she goes to my distant relatives out East. A goodwill adoption. A little charity case to boost my karma.” The room went silent. This was his blood. His daughter. Rhys, my husband, merely took a languid pull from his custom cigarette, then casually extinguished it. “Fine by me. She’s just a girl-child. If she makes you happy, take her.” My world fractured. Despair was a lead weight in my gut, right until a soft, milky voice sounded in my head: 【They think they can sell Baby? Cute. Clearly, they’ve never met a CEO’s goddaughter.】 【I’m the designated deity of the Underworld’s favorite. The Scroll of Fates? It’s currently tucked into my diaper. Right next to a fresh change.】 【Mom, don’t you dare fold! Agree to the terms! We’ll win her fortune, ditch this deadbeat daddy, and go full single-mom billionaire!】 I froze. My daughter said that? A strange, fierce calm washed over me. I stood, walked to the nearest high-stakes poker table, and sat down, cradling Juniper. “You’re on, Savannah,” I said, my voice cutting across the room’s stunned silence. “First one to cry uncle buys the whole table a round of Veuve Clicquot.” 1 The opulent party hall was instantly hushed. Every eye was on me, a mixture of shock, pity, and the intoxicating thrill of seeing a spectacle unfold. Rhys’s brow lifted, deepening the smirk already playing on his lips. “Ella Sinclair, you sure about this?” His voice was low, carrying just enough for everyone to hear. “Don’t go losing and then crying to me later.” Savannah, clinging to his arm, let out a delighted, artificial laugh. “Oh, Rhys, darling, look at her. She’s got spunk! I love it.” She looked at me, her eyes pinpricks of icy disdain. “Ella, the rules are simple: High-Low. Best two out of three. You’re the dealer. I’ll guess.” She pushed a document toward the center of the table—the Deed to the Sinclair Development Lot, a property valued at over three hundred million dollars. “I lose, it’s yours.” Her eyes dropped to my sleeping daughter, and her tongue flicked over her red lips. “You lose, the child is mine. We sign the papers. All these fine people are our witnesses.” The little life in my arms shifted, blew a tiny milk-bubble, and the soft, menacing voice returned to my mind: 【Mom, don’t worry. That one has fifty years left on her contract. Him, forty-eight. Tonight, Baby’s sending them both to the poor house. The Ledger says she’s completely toast. Just listen to me and roll.】 I took a deep breath. I carefully handed Juniper to the nearest nanny, instructing her to take the baby far away. I didn’t want this sordid display to soil my daughter’s eyes. “Agreed,” I said. I picked up the dice cup. The cool metal was grounding against my fingertips. “But if this is a wager, it needs to be fair.” I looked directly at Rhys. “You will be the notary. You examine the dice, and you announce the result.” Rhys paused, then laughed—a booming, arrogant sound. “Fine.” He took the cup and the dice, inspecting them under the glaring chandeliers, even weighing them in his palm. “Perfectly clean. Begin.” His look was patronizing, like watching a pet perform a trick. Savannah’s smile was triumphant. She was practically draped across Rhys, already celebrating her win. “Your move, Ella.” 2 I picked up the dice cup again. The three ivory cubes rattled with a crisp, clear sound. My hand was steady. Almost unnervingly so. 【Mom, don’t shake it. Just set it down. Now.】 Juni’s voice was languid, laced with a casual, born-to-rule authority. I followed her instruction, slamming the cup down on the polished mahogany. Thwack. The sound echoed in the sudden, deep silence. Savannah’s eyes widened slightly, clearly surprised by my decisiveness. She batted her eyelashes at Rhys. “Rhys, darling, what’s your guess? High or Low?” He lifted his glass, took a sip of single malt, and didn't even glance at me. “Whatever you decide.” “Low, then,” Savannah said, tapping her fingernail on the expensive felt. Her red nail almost pierced the fabric. “I guess Low. One-two-three. Under six.” Rhys gestured to me with his chin. Open it. I didn’t move. I just looked at Savannah. “Savannah, sure you don’t want to reconsider?” Her smile hitched. “No. Low.” “Okay.” I slowly lifted the cup. Three dice lay there. Six. Six. Five. Seventeen. High. A collective, stifled gasp rippled through the guests. Savannah’s face drained of color. She stared at the dice as if trying to burn holes in them with her mind. “No! That’s impossible!” she shrieked, springing to her feet. “You cheated!” I didn’t say a word. I just looked toward Rhys. He frowned, picked up the dice again, and weighed them. He shook them, listening intently. After a long moment, he tossed them back on the table. “The dice are clean.” He finally looked at me, his gaze analytical, searching. Savannah was still furious, glaring at me. “Then your technique is rigged!” I smiled. “Savannah, you brought the dice cup, you chose the dice, and the notary is my husband, Rhys Caldwell. How exactly did I cheat?” I paused, then pulled the Deed to the Sinclair Development Lot toward my side of the table. “First game. I win.” Savannah’s chest rose and fell rapidly. She shot me a look of pure malice, then turned to Rhys, tears suddenly welling up. “Rhys…” His expression was dark, but he patted her hand reassuringly. “Relax. Two more games.” He looked at me, his eyes cold and dangerous. “Ella, know when to quit. Give Savannah back the deed. We’ll call this whole farce a night.” 【Hear that, Mom? What a pile of steaming garbage.】 The voice in my head was tired but fierce. 【Ignore him. Keep going. Next game, we take his watch, his shoes, and his dignity. Let him see what it’s like to really lose.】 I folded the deed carefully and placed it into my small evening bag. “Rhys, you said, ‘If she makes you happy, take her.’” “Well, I won. Are you going back on your word?” I met his gaze without flinching. “Or does the CEO of Caldwell Financial only stand by his promises when the terms suit him?” Rhys’s face hardened. The temperature in the room plummeted. “Fine. Excellent,” he spat out. “Keep going.” 3 The second round. Savannah was no longer smug; her focus was deadly. She tracked my hands, trying to catch every minute detail. My actions were identical: I picked up the cup, shook it, and slammed it down. 【Mom, don’t shake it hard. Just a quick rattle, then set it down. We need to end this now. Baby’s battery is running low. Fast finish.】 I complied. The moment the cup settled, Savannah practically screamed her guess. “High!” Her voice was sharp, desperate, fueled by the conviction of an absolute, make-or-break certainty. Rhys’s brow was furrowed, his eyes glued to the table. I flipped the cup. Two. Two. One. Five. Low. Savannah’s eyes flew open. The color in her face vanished entirely. She lost. Best two out of three. There was no coming back from this. “No! This can’t be!” she wailed, lunging to grab me. Rhys grabbed her, but his own face was a mask of shock and confusion. He looked at me as if I were a complete stranger. The guests buzzed with hushed whispers: “She cleaned her out.” “Didn’t see that coming.” Savannah heard the whispers. She tore her arm from Rhys, pointing a trembling, accusing finger at my face. “Ella Sinclair! You bitch! You cheated!” I stood, looking down at her. “Savannah, a bet is a bet.” I picked up the cup and held it out to her. “If you don’t believe me, check the dice yourself.” She swatted my hand away, and the cup clattered across the floor. “I don’t believe you! You used some kind of trick!” She turned to Rhys, tears streaming down her face. “Rhys, she’s attacking me! Look at her! She’s not the wife you married!” Rhys’s expression was terrifyingly cold. He ignored Savannah’s theatrical sobs and stared at me. “How did you do it?” I offered a slight smile. “Beginner’s luck.” “Luck?” He scoffed. He clearly wasn’t buying it. “Ella, I’m giving you one last chance. Give the deed back and apologize to Savannah.” I crossed my arms. “And if I don’t?” His eyes turned dangerous. “Then you find out.” He reached into his jacket pocket and threw something small and white onto the table. It was a piece of flawless mutton-fat jade—the pendant my mother had given me, the one I had given Rhys as a commitment token years ago. He had sworn to wear it always. Now, it landed on the table like a piece of trash. “That jade, plus the title to the Caldwell Heights Estate,” he announced, the name of our home ringing with finality. “That’s the wager for the third round.” Savannah instantly stopped crying, her eyes lighting up with savage expectation. My breath caught in my throat. My mother’s pendant. 【Mom, don’t get emotional. That hunk of junk is worth nothing. We’ll get a better one.】 Juni’s voice was muffled, as if she were chewing her hand, but it was brutal. 【Take it. Tonight, we make him lose everything but the underwear he’s standing in. Say yes.】 I closed my eyes. When I opened them, the last vestige of warmth was gone. “All right,” I said, sitting back down. “The stakes are set.” Rhys’s lips curled into a cruel, satisfied smile. “You win, the jade and the estate are yours.” He paused, his eyes flicking to the corner where the nanny held Juniper. “You lose, you will personally take your daughter and deliver her to Savannah.” 4 That sentence was a poisoned blade, plunged directly into my heart. The shocked murmurs from the guests were louder this time. A father betting his own child? Savannah was openly ecstatic, her eyes bright with the promise of victory. I ignored them both and focused on the cold jade pendant on the table. It was the only tangible link to my past, a piece of myself. 【Mom, stay in the game.】 【He's not gambling with you. He’s gambling with the Underworld’s Goddaughter. This deadbeat is about to get served.】 【Final roll, Mom: Left wrist tilt, exactly three degrees. Shake exactly seven times, then slam.】 I followed Juniper’s bizarrely specific instructions, my motions sharp and precise. The cup hit the table. The voice in my head was now a tired whisper. 【Done… Mom… Baby needs… to sleep and recharge…】 This time, Savannah didn’t rush to guess. She exchanged a look of pure certainty with Rhys. They had me, they thought. “I guess… Low,” Savannah said, her voice smooth and seductive again. “I trust Rhys’s judgment.” Rhys tapped his finger on the table, a slow, methodical sound. “Open it.” My fingers touched the cool lip of the cup. The silence was absolute; I could hear the frantic pounding of my own heart. I lifted my eyes to meet Rhys’s. His face was devoid of tension, only cold indifference. In his mind, Juniper and I were just tools for his entertainment and Savannah’s pleasure. I offered him a terrible, humorless smile. Then, I snatched the cup off the table.
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