Chapter 1

Three years.

Three years since the Harrison family, my family, threw me out.

Chad, my step-brother, made sure of that, spinning a web of lies that my father and step-mother eagerly believed.

They called their real estate empire a legacy, I called it a cage I escaped.

Now, Las Vegas was a different kind of cage, or maybe a proving ground.

Big Tony Costello, a name whispered with respect and a touch of fear in these casinos, took me in.

He taught me business, the real kind, not the boardroom theatrics the Harrisons loved.

He taught me poker, how to read tells, how to play the man, not just the cards.

And he taught me about power, the quiet kind that didn't need to shout.

Tonight, I was in the Bellagio's most exclusive VIP room, not to gamble, but to watch.

An investment for Big Tony, a discreet observation of a potential partner.

I kept a low profile, that was the point.

Then I saw them.

Chad Harrison, my step-brother, loud and obnoxious as ever.

And Jessica Vance, my ex-fiancée, clinging to his arm like the prize she thought she was.

She' d dropped me the second the Harrison money was no longer mine, straight into Chad' s waiting arms.

Chad spotted me first.

His eyes, small and mean, lit up with a cruel amusement.

He swaggered over, Jessica trailing him, her smile tight.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in."

Chad' s voice boomed, drawing attention from the nearby high-stakes poker table.

"Alex Miller. Didn't expect to see you in a place like this, unless you're running chips now?"

He smirked, looking me up and down, taking in my simple, well-tailored but unflashy suit.

"Still trying to cling to the edges of our world, are we?"

Jessica said nothing, her eyes flicking over me with a practiced disinterest that didn't quite hide a flicker of something else – unease, maybe.

I met Chad' s gaze, my face calm.

"Just enjoying the evening, Chad."

"Enjoying?" He laughed, a harsh, barking sound. "Last I heard, you didn't have two cents to rub together. How are you affording the air in here?"

He gestured expansively. "This is for winners, Alex. People who matter."

The implication was clear. I didn't.

Jessica finally spoke, her voice dripping with false sympathy.

"Alex, it's... good to see you."

Liar.

The taunts, Jessica' s smug silence, it was a familiar script.

I felt a cold calm settle over me.

I glanced at the poker table they'd come from, a Texas Hold'em game, chips stacked high.

"Actually, Chad," I said, my voice even, "I was just thinking of playing."

I moved towards the empty seat.

Chad scoffed, stepping to block me slightly.

"You? Play here? Do you even know the buy-in, little brother? This isn't some back-alley game."

His cronies at the table chuckled.

I pulled out the chair and sat down.

I looked directly at Chad, then at the dealer.

"Table stakes."

My voice cut through the low hum of the VIP room.

"I'll match any bet, any raise."

I paused, letting my words sink in, then added, looking around at the other players, then back at Chad.

"And for tonight, whatever anyone at this table bets, I'll cover."

A beat of silence.

"No limit."