The clock on the nightstand changed to 12:00.
[Beginner Protection has ended.]
Adrian sat up in bed, staring into the darkness.
A second notification appeared.
[Genuine Gamble Threshold is now in effect.]
[Only wagers worth at least 2% of the Host’s liquid assets qualify for Cashback, Victory Bonuses remain based on gamble grade.]
[Current Threshold: $94,000.]
[The threshold updates at midnight each day.]
He read it twice before leaning back against the headboard.
Ninety-four thousand dollars.
It was a considerable jump from the small bets he’d been making, but he understood the reasoning. When he’d first received the system, he had barely had anything to his name. A hundred dollars had been a meaningful gamble then. Now, with millions sitting in his account, the system expected him to put something substantial on the line.
Apparently, pocket change no longer counted.
Another notification appeared.
[Recovery Rule: Wagers placed within twelve hours of a loss do not qualify for Cashback.]
Adrian stopped reading.
For several seconds, he simply stared at the words.
"Just brilliant," he muttered.
The apartment was silent. Even the traffic outside seemed distant.
"More rules."
He drew his knees up and rested his arms across them, thinking about the months he’d spent digging himself deeper into debt. Every loss had seemed temporary. Every next bet had promised to put things right. He’d convinced himself that one good night would erase everything that came before it.
It never had.
Yet here was a system capable of making him a fortune through gambling, with one of its first restrictions aimed directly at the habit that had destroyed his life.
It was almost too convenient.
’Whoever built you knows exactly who they picked.’
The system offered no response.
Adrian glanced at the phone on his nightstand. He checked the time before picking it up and dialing a familiar number.
Jacob answered on the second ring.
"Hey, Adrian. I thought you had a date tonight."
"I did."
"Wait, don’t tell me..." Jacob paused dramatically. "Was it that brief?"
"Shut it, Jacob." Adrian said, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"She had an early meeting, so I drove her home."
"Ah, for a second there I thought..."
Adrian smiled faintly shaking his head. "Are you free tomorrow evening?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Let’s go gambling."
Silence.
Then Jacob burst out laughing.
Adrian pulled the phone away from his ear and placed it on his chest, waiting for him to finish.
"You’re kidding," Jacob finally managed. "We just met up and you’re already dragging me to the bet house with you?"
"C’mon man, it’d be fun like the good ol’ times." He paused before continuing. "And hey, the place I’m thinking of, I hear there’s hella hot ladies there, who knows, you might just get lucky."
Jacob let out a laugh over the phone.
The truth was, Adrian already had someone else in mind. He was planning to contact the woman he’d met at Mulligan’s. If she was serious about what she’d said, her usual gambling venue might be exactly what he needed. It was the sort of place where wagers exceeding ninety-four thousand dollars wouldn’t attract unnecessary attention.
When Jacob finally spoke, there was no trace of his earlier amusement.
"Alright alright Adrian, you had me at ladies."
"So you’re coming?"
"Yeah. I’m in."
"Great, then it’s a date," Adrian said before he realized what had just came out of his mouth.
Jacob paused on the line. There was brief silence between the two of them on the phone.
"Why’d you call it a date?"
"I don’t know, muscle memory. Don’t make it weird"
"You already made it weird."
Both of them chuckled over the line.
Jacob laughed again, and the conversation eventually wound down. They exchanged goodnights before Adrian placed his phone on the nightstand.
He glanced toward the window.
Halcyon City’s skyline stretched beyond the glass, its lights still glowing against the night. Somewhere out there, a silver-haired man was probably sleeping peacefully.
Silas Crane.
Adrian let the thought linger for a moment before reaching for his phone again. There was someone else he wanted to speak to before calling it a night.
He opened Linkchat, found Chloe’s contact, and typed a short greeting.
<<<Adrian: Hey.>>>
Her reply arrived almost immediately.
<<<Chloe: Hi!>>>
Adrian blinked at the screen.
’Isn’t she supposed to be asleep? She has a meeting in the morning.’
<<<Adrian: What are you doing up so late?>>>
<<<Chloe: I was just thinking...>>>
<<<Adrian: Nervous about the meeting?>>>
<<<Chloe: Yeah. It’s been stressing me out.>>>
That wasn’t entirely true.
The moment Chloe had returned home, she’d washed her face, changed into her pajamas, and settled onto her bed with her phone. She’d been waiting for Adrian to message her.
And she’d been waiting for quite a while.
Dinner kept replaying in her mind. Nothing particularly extraordinary had happened, but she’d enjoyed herself more than she could remember. Adrian had been kind, attentive, and surprisingly easy to talk to. Even the little moments, like his jokes and the way he’d listened whenever she spoke, had stayed with her.
Then there was the handbag.
Every time she glanced at it, she felt like burying her face in her pillow and squealing. It was far more expensive than anything she’d ever owned, and the fact that he’d given it to her made it even harder to believe the evening had actually happened.
She’d considered messaging him first several times. Each time, she’d typed something, stared at it, and deleted it.
What if he thought she was being too forward? What if she was bothering him?
She had no idea what kind of girls Adrian usually spent time with other than Michelle, and she certainly wasn’t confident enough to assume he might be interested in someone like her.
So she’d settled for scrolling through Chirp, checking her notifications every few minutes while pretending she wasn’t waiting for anything in particular.
By midnight, she’d almost given up.
’Maybe he isn’t going to text me tonight.’
She had just placed her phone on the nightstand when it vibrated.
The moment Adrian’s name appeared on the screen, her heart gave an embarrassing little jump.
’I can talk to hundreds of strangers on a livestream without getting nervous, but one message from him is turning me into an idiot.’
She tried to compose herself before replying.
She lasted all of two seconds.
Back in his apartment, Adrian smiled at her response.
<<<Adrian: You should get some sleep. You’ll have a hard time getting through tomorrow if you’re exhausted.>>>
<<<Chloe: You’re right. I should probably sleep soon. I’ll just call a cab in the morning.>>>
<<<Adrian: Why don’t I drive you instead?>>>
Chloe stared at the message.
A smile slowly spread across her face, and she had to resist the urge to kick her feet against the mattress.
<<<Chloe: I don’t want to inconvenience you. You must have somewhere to be tomorrow.>>>
She took her time composing the reply, trying not to sound too eager.
<<<Adrian: I’m free until the evening. Let me take you.>>>
She read it once, then again.
<<<Chloe: Okay. Goodnight then.>>>
<<<Adrian: Goodnight.>>>
Chloe hugged her pillow, unable to stop smiling.
Adrian set his phone down and reached for the alarm clock. He set it for seven before settling back against the mattress.
He was almost asleep when his phone vibrated again.
This time, the message came from an unfamiliar number.
There was no contact name or profile picture, just a short message.
Unknown: Thank you for repaying your loan, Mr. Vale. Halcyon City suits you. But Ventura’s tables miss you. Do come home.
S. Crane
Adrian read the message once. Then again. The room suddenly felt much quieter.
He didn’t bother replying. Instead, he turned the phone facedown and lay back, staring at the ceiling.
A hundred and forty thousand dollars had bought him a little peace, at least until tonight. A hundred more was sitting in escrow, tied to a young woman’s future.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Ventura, the man who had helped bring his life crashing down was already thinking about their next meeting.
Silas Crane hadn’t forgotten him. Apparently, he hadn’t intended to let him forget either.
Adrian slowly exhaled.
’Old man, you want to meet me so badly?’
He closed his eyes.
’Fine then.’