The Heiress’ Return: Six Brothers at Her Beck and Call (Wynter Quinnell) novel Chapter 1917

Brody quickly called out to Elio. "It's alright. Let's just focus on earning money the honest way. Just treat what happened earlier as a bit of fun."

Hank chimed in, saying, "Brody's right. Everyone slips up once in a while. Even in real life, people cheat at the table. Who knows what kind of tricks are happening online? You should stop playing, too."

Elio gave a slight nod. The disappointment in his eyes was unmistakable. "Yeah, got it."

As they watched him walk away, Brody murmured, "Hank, something feels off about Elio."

Hank nodded. "It feels like he's getting sucked in."

Brody looked frustrated. "We shouldn't have agreed to the ad in the first place. Elio wouldn't have seen it, and he wouldn't have gotten involved at all."

Hank shook his head. "Even if he didn't come across it now, he could've easily run into something like this in the future. Let's just text him and tell him to stop before it gets worse."

So, the two of them pulled out their phones and sent him a text.

…

Meanwhile, Elio sat in his car, feeling upset. He saw their messages but didn't reply.

His mind raced. If the pattern he had discovered was no longer working, then he needed a new method. He thought of the Martingale strategy.

He would start with a 100-dollar bet. If he won, he would stick with 100 dollars. If he didn't, he would double it to 200. With each loss, he would keep doubling the amount for the consecutive rounds until he won. By then, one win would be enough to recover everything.

As he thought about that, Elio opened the Infernia customer service representative's contact on WhatsApp.

"Are you there?" he asked.

"Yes, I am."

"You mentioned that I'll get 300 if I top up a thousand dollars. Does that mean I'll get an extra three thousand if I top up ten thousand dollars?"

"That's right."

"Should I just transfer the money to you directly, then?"

"That works."

"I'm transferring ten thousand now."

"Got it. I'll top up your account right away. If the page doesn't update automatically, just refresh, and the balance should show up."

"Okay."

Elio refreshed the page and checked his balance. Sure enough, he had 13 thousand now. He jumped straight into the "rank comparing" mode without hesitation.

…

Meanwhile, in a room somewhere else, someone said, "Boss, the whale just texted me. He asked me to top up his account with ten thousand dollars, so I threw in the three-thousand-dollar bonus."

Charlton barely spared him a glance. "Ten thousand dollars? That's barely enough."

With that, he glanced over at the computer. "Clever little punk. Trying to play the Martingale strategy? He probably thinks he's got it all figured out."

He then picked up a walkie-talkie. "This guy, Elio, is trying to win with his little tricks. Make sure he loses four rounds in a row."

Trying to outsmart him with that strategy? Did Elio really think he could control the odds?

"Got it, boss."

After that, Charlton stood up and lit a cigarette. "How bold of him to ignore who's running the game here."

A few minutes passed before Dallas spoke up. "Boss, he texted me again. He's asking if topping up three thousand dollars gets him a 900-dollar bonus."

Amused, Charlton scoffed. "Tell him that the promotion only applies to the first deposit. There'll be no offers after that."

Dallas nodded and responded exactly as instructed. Unable to resist the temptation, Elio ended up sending the money.

"He transferred three thousand dollars."

Charlton flicked the ash from his cigarette. "If he continues doubling down, drain that three thousand, too."

Dallas nodded. "Roger that."

Charlton wasn't the least bit worried about the five thousand dollars they had already let go.

Not many could resist the thrill of fast money. Once they made their first bet, they would definitely make their second and third bet, too. That five thousand would flow back into their pockets as hundreds of thousands, maybe even as millions of dollars.

It was all about their mentality. Once people won, they would crave more. Once they lost, they would think about getting it back.

…

On the other end, Elio's hand trembled as he clutched his phone. In just over ten minutes, every cent he had won earlier had vanished into thin air.

His eyes reddened. He shook his head as he muttered, "I can't keep going like this. I'll lose everything."

He still had another five thousand dollars left. It was six months' worth of living expenses given to him by his parents. He hesitated as he wondered if he should top up again.

Images of him winning kept flashing through his mind. In the end, greed won over rationality.

He wanted to make another deposit, only to find that he had hit his transfer limit for the day. He texted Infernia's customer service representative, asking for a bank account number. He then transferred the remaining five thousand dollars he had left.

Clenching his fists, Elio muttered to himself, "One last shot. I'll break even if this doubles to ten thousand dollars."

He reopened the website and clicked the "rank comparing" mode again, his fingers trembling uncontrollably. He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and went all in with five thousand.

He silently counted the seconds and slowly forced his eyes open.

"Banker: nine points. Player: eight points. The banker wins. Your balance is now zero. Would you like to top up?"

Elio froze. The look on his face was beyond disappointment. He slapped himself hard across the cheek. "Why did I keep playing after I've already won five thousand?"

Just like that, ten thousand dollars in his account was gone in an instant.

His eyes were evidently bloodshot. He glanced at the steering wheel—this car had been a gift from his parents when he turned 18.

Yet, with his mind spiraling, none of it mattered now. He started the engine and headed straight for the nearest used car dealership. He thought that if he pawned the car and went all in, he could recover everything he had lost once he won.

A while later, he pulled up in front of the store. The owner, Ruben Baker, spotted him and called out, "Are you here to sell?"

Elio nodded. "I want to see how much this car can fetch."

Ruben gave the car a thorough inspection. It didn't take long before he spoke up. "Not bad. It's never been through accidents, and the mileage's only around 30 to 40 thousand. How about this? If you're serious about selling, I'll have it for 12 thousand dollars."

"12 thousand? This car cost over 50 thousand dollars when it was bought!" Elio paused. "12 thousand dollars is way too low. Come on, give me a bit more."

Ruben waved him off. "You said it yourself—it cost over 50 thousand when you bought it. Ask around if you don't believe me, but that's the current rate around here. We deal with used cars here—the cars don't hold their original value now.

"Look, I'll push it to 13 thousand dollars at most. I'm barely making much."

A flicker of hesitation flashed in Elio's eyes. "13 thousand… I really need the money. How about this? Hold off if someone wants to buy the car. I'll come back for it in two days."

Ruben looked impatient. "Sell it or don't. Once it's sold, it's mine. Don't come back buying what you've already sold."

Elio gave him a pleading look. "Please help me. Just give me two days. If I don't come back, the car's all yours. If I do return, I'll pay you 13,500 dollars. The extra 500 dollars is a small tip for the favor."

Ruben studied him for a moment. "Alright, fine. You're still a young man. What's with the urgent need for money?"

"I had a bit of a loss on a business deal. I don't have a choice," Elio lied.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify