The Heiress’ Return: Six Brothers at Her Beck and Call (Wynter Quinnell) novel Chapter 1916

Lying in bed, Brody Lovell opened his eyes groggily. "What's wrong with you? It's way too early for this!"

Hank Kingston pulled his blanket off. "Stop sleeping and get up! We're gonna earn money!"

Hearing his words, Brody sat up straight. "Money? Where? If you're messing with me, Hank, you're done for."

Hank pointed at his computer. "Someone sent a file to our backend. They want us to run an ad for them. As long as we keep it up for two hours, they'll pay us two thousand dollars."

Brody froze. "Seriously? They're basically giving us free money."

Hank nodded enthusiastically. "Of course. Plus, they've already given us a thousand dollars as a deposit. Once we finish the job, they'll send the remaining money."

"Let me have a look at what kind of ad it is." Brody sat down and scanned the email. "Isn't this one of those shady gambling sites? What if someone gets scammed?"

Hank waved it off. "Well, it's on them if they're greedy. Besides, we've been crashing at Elio's place this whole time without paying rent, and we even have free food. We've got to earn some cash for him."

Brody hesitated for a moment. "Alright, then. But we're taking it down right after the hour's up."

With that, he got up and gave Hank the seat.

"Relax." After sitting down, Hank started clicking away on the keyboard and mouse. "Done. Also, the two thousand dollars is just the base pay. Every time someone clicks in and plays, we get another 200 dollars per person. Think about it—this is pretty much free money for us."

Brody adjusted his glasses. "The more you talk about it, the more tempting this sounds. The more people click, the more we earn! Should we tell Elio about this, though?"

"Nope." Hank slid over to him. "Let's just handle our part. Once we get paid, we'll give him some of the money."

Brody nodded. "Alright, then."

Hank patted him on the shoulder. "Come on, let's get breakfast."

The two threw some clothes on and left the room. The computer was still running.

Some time passed before Elio Zimmer knocked on the door. "Brody, Hank, open up."

No one answered. After knocking for a while, he made a phone call. "Brody, I've been knocking forever. Why aren't you opening the door?"

"Hank and I went out for breakfast, Elio. The key's under the rug. Just grab it and let yourself in. We'll be back soon."

"Okay."

After hanging up, Elio reached under the rug, retrieved the key, and unlocked the door. The moment he stepped inside, a sharp smell hit him in the face, forcing him to cover his nose.

He opened the windows to air out the room. Only then did he lower his hand.

Just then, his eyes landed on the computer, which was still left on. An email window was open, showing an attached image.

Curious, he clicked on it. A URL was displayed along with the following slogans, each offer stacking on top of the last.

"New users get 800 dollars for free!"

"Top up a thousand and get 1,800 dollars!"

"Top up two thousand and get 2,800 dollars!"

Driven by curiosity, he pulled out his phone and typed the URL into his browser. After hitting enter, the page loaded instantly.

A variety of gaming modes popped up, including a live dealer option. This was something he'd never encountered before, and it evoked a strange thrill within him.

He followed the registration steps and linked one of his bank cards. After completing the setup and clicking "Confirm", the screen showed a balance of 800 dollars. There was also a note stating that it could be withdrawn.

Yet, he wasn't interested in just a few hundred dollars. He clicked into one of the modes featuring a live dealer handing out cards in real time. After glancing at the game rules, he went solo against the dealer with one-to-one betting odds.

Elio had heard of such platforms. They would lure people in with welcome bonuses, but everything would be taken back in the end. Hence, he didn't overthink it. He picked a hand at random and went all in.

He was already about to close the tab when the result flashed on the screen. It showed that the dealer lost, while Elio won. His balance jumped from 800 to 1,600 dollars.

That caught him off guard. It was supposed to be free money. Not only could he cash it out—he could actually win more money from this.

He placed another bet. This time, he gambled with 100 dollars and kept 1,500 dollars aside. The screen lit up again. However, he lost while the dealer won.

A rush of impulse surged through his mind. Without hesitation, he shoved all 1,500 dollars into the next round. This time, he won, and his balance doubled to three thousand dollars.

By then, Elio was starting to think that he had cracked the system. After a small win, he just needed to bet small before going all in on the third round.

Before he knew it, more than half an hour had passed. The number in the top left corner had grown from 800 to ten thousand dollars. He smirked, thinking that he had discovered a shortcut to getting rich.

Just like Brody and Hank, Elio hadn't found a job since graduation. Yet, compared to the other two, he came from a family that was slightly better off. He owned two properties, so food and rent were never an issue.

In Havenia, his family was considered middle to lower class. His parents were constantly on his case, nagging about how he kept living off them and how the family would be bled dry sooner or later. They told him to find a proper job or help out with their business.

Yet, Elio didn't see himself fitting into any of that. Deep down, he believed that he was meant for something bigger. He was certain that he would eventually carve out his own path and make money from it.

With that thought in mind, he clicked on the "Withdraw" button in the top right corner. The screen displayed a message, saying, "Processing your withdrawal request. Please hold on."

What he didn't know was that a trap aimed directly at him had already been set. It all took place in a sealed-off room somewhere else.

…

"Boss, someone just registered using the free 800 dollars and turned it into ten thousand dollars. He just hit the withdrawal button. Should we let it go through?"

Charlton Barnes glanced at the data from customer service and narrowed his eyes. "We've hit it big this time. Approve the withdrawal and send the money over as fast as possible."

His subordinate, Dallas Hackett, hesitated. "But it's ten thousand dollars. We'll lose a lot if he stops playing."

Charlton nonchalantly replied, "He'll never stop. Anyone who starts playing will be driven by greed. Once the money's in his hands, add him on WhatsApp through the customer service account. Let me know when he accepts."

Dallas nodded. "Got it. I'll confirm it now."

Charlton stood and glanced around at the people seated in front of computers. "Keep it up, guys. Based on their personal info and financial status, divide them into fish and whales.

"For the fish, bait them once and reel them in. As for the whales, you have to play the long game. Only drop the line when they're hooked deep enough. They'll bite like their lives depend on it. Is that clear?"

"Got it," they replied.

Charlton waved his hand in dismissal. "Keep going, then! This is your chance to change your fate."

…

Meanwhile, Elio kept his eyes fixed on the screen. If the money had actually come through, it would ease some of the pressure he had been feeling.

But if the withdrawal failed or the money disappeared, there wouldn't be any major loss. After all, the 800 dollars had been free anyway.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, his phone chimed with a notification.

"You have received ten thousand dollars. Your current account balance is 20 thousand dollars."

Elio paused for a moment. "You might not fully get how it works yet. Hand me your phones, and I'll handle everything. You get 800 dollars just for signing up, so your actual money's untouched whether you win or lose. Plus, whatever you win goes straight to you."

Brody handed his phone over. "Sure, Elio. Do what you have to. I trust you."

Hank followed suit. "I believe in you, too."

"I'll start with Brody's phone." Elio typed the URL into the browser again. Now that he was familiar with the process, the registration was done in no time. He entered the "rank comparing" mode.

As soon as he was in, he went all in with the 800 dollars. Sure enough, it doubled to 1,600.

Watching from the side, Brody's eyes lit up, and a grin spread across his face. "It actually doubled, Elio!"

"This is just the beginning. Watch closely." Following the pattern he had figured out earlier, Elio bet 100 dollars. A moment later, the balance in the top right dropped to 1,500 dollars. He continued going all in, and the 1,500 doubled to three thousand dollars.

Brody stared at the numbers flipping on screen as his hands twitched with excitement. "You're a genius!"

Elio let out a small chuckle. "According to the pattern, your balance will be over ten thousand dollars after three more rounds. It'll all be yours by then."

Brody was ecstatic. "Ten thousand dollars… I've never had that much money in my whole life."

After about ten minutes, the balance had climbed to 5,700 dollars. Elio immediately threw in the entire amount and handed Brody the phone. "Done. Once this last round's over, you'll get over ten thousand dollars. Just link your bank card and withdraw the money.

"Hank, fill in your details. Once you're registered, we can start betting on your phone, too."

Hank nodded quickly, filled in the required info, and passed the phone back. "All set, Elio. It's all yours!"

Elio cracked his neck. "Leave it to me."

Just as he finished speaking, Brody's voice cut in. "Elio, why is my money all gone?"

Hearing that, Elio took Brody's phone and saw that he had lost the bet. Brody's balance was completely wiped out.

Elio froze. "That doesn't make sense. Shouldn't you have won?"

Brody's smile faded. "What do we do now?"

Elio frowned. "Something must've gone wrong. I'll transfer you 5,700 dollars later. It's on me."

"Forget it, Elio." Brody heaved a sigh. "Maybe it's just my phone or something. You've already done more than enough by letting me stay here for free all this time. Plus, I didn't actually lose any real money. I just feel down seeing all that money disappear.

"I'm fine. Just go ahead and use Hank's phone."

Hank spoke up quietly. "I'm not greedy. I'll be happy just making a couple thousand more."

"Alright. We'll cash out when it hits three thousand dollars." Elio opened the same mode on Hank's phone and started playing again. Once it began, he went all in.

However, the results were even worse this time. 800 dollars vanished in a single round.

"No way. How could it all be gone in the first round?" Elio couldn't accept what had happened.

Hank was stunned as well. "Is that it, Elio? Game over?"

Elio felt like he had been completely humiliated as he pulled out his phone. He transferred 5,700 dollars to Brody and 800 dollars to Hank.

"Take the money. I'm sorry for letting you down." With that, Elio turned and walked out of the room.