Chapter 1
At two in the morning, I suddenly received a message from my long-distance boyfriend: [Baby, I love you so much! I have to marry you!]
I called him back and asked with a laugh what he was up to.
His voice sounded muffled as he said he had dreamed about me and woke up wanting to text me.
I sniffed back my tears and asked him, "I saw an online post somewhere saying that late-night declarations of love come from guilt over cheating. Yanuario Sharton, did you cheat on me too?"
A scornful laugh was heard on the other end of the line, "Don't be silly. Everyone in this city knows I've been faithful to you for ages.
"Remember when I swore to your dad that I would treat you right, otherwise I would chop off my hand? Well, I have no wish to lose my hand.
"If I'd known your imagination was going to run wild, I wouldn't have bothered messaging you." He then ended the call curtly.
He didn't know that I was standing in the convenience store directly across from him while he was passionately kissing that girl with his arm wrapped tightly around her waist and declaring his love for me at the same time.
I was planning to surprise him with my unannounced return, but instead, I was greeted by this ironic sight.
From across the street, I couldn't make out what Yanuario was saying.
All I could see was him pulling a necklace out of his pocket and slipping it around the girl's neck.
The girl then stood on tiptoes to kiss him passionately again.
Yanuario casually squeezed the girl's butt a few times.
With his arm still wrapped around her, the two of them strolled into the nightclub behind them, all the while necking and smooching away.
On my phone screen, his "Baby, I love you so much!" seemed like a particularly cruel taunt now.
My throat felt as if something was stuck inside. That feeling was so awful that tears began flowing down my face.
If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed that the man who once stood outside my doorstep with a bouquet for three days and nights, just so that he could be with me, would do this to me.
In the end, he betrayed me.
*****
Five years ago, I was the daughter and only child of the casino tycoon in this city, adulated by all.
He was the most formidable henchman under my father's command and a notorious playboy in the underworld.
With those seductive eyes, he was always surrounded by girls. But he cut off all ties with them for my sake.
Everyone said he had changed his ways and that a wayward son who mended his ways was more precious than gold.
In truth, I thought the same about him too.
Whenever he was with me, that seasoned flirt would turn into some love-struck teenager. He would blush, and his breathing would become rapid. And he would be a bundle of nerves and make embarrassing mistakes.
That day, he got down on one knee in front of my dad.
"Mr. Seguin, I know you're the undisputed king of gambling, but today, I, Yanuario Sharton, wish to bet with you, if I may be so bold.
"I want to bet I will only love Philly in this lifetime. If I go back on my word, I will chop off my right hand myself."
My dad gave him a disdainful snort and told him he wasn't even qualified to bet with him.
It was I who was prepared to risk everything to be with Yanuario, including getting kicked out by my dad.
Five years later, Yanuario went back on his word, and therefore, he lost. But he wasn't the only one who lost.
*****
I followed that cheating couple into the nightclub.
In this city, more than half of the entertainment outlets were owned by my family.
Even though my dad had cut off all ties with me, I was still his only child. Thus, he had given prior instructions to have a waiter equipped with a hidden camera to serve Yanuario's gang in their VIP room.
From the live camera feed, Yanuario was seen embracing the girl with one arm while smoking a joint with his other hand.
One of his buddies could be heard joking with him. "Yanu, this chick you brought is even hotter than the last one!"
"But seriously, aren't you worried your Philly will find out? She's the casino tycoon's precious princess, after all," another fellow asked.
The whole room then burst out laughing.
"Casino tycoon's princess? More like the former princess now!" one guy sneered.
"Her dad kicked her out of the family. If not for Yanu supporting her, she can't even afford to study abroad!" another jested.
My nails stabbed deep into my palms. The pain was the only thing preventing me from losing my rationality.
So Yanuario had cheated on me more than once.
And in his friends' eyes, I was just this pathetic parasite leeching off Yanuario.
But I couldn't tear my eyes away from the screen. I wanted badly to hear Yanuario's reply.
He took a swig of liquor from the wine bottle in the girl's hand, then slowly puffed out a ring of smoke.
"Hey, take it easy. She's still officially my girlfriend, you know.
"But she insisted on going abroad. I'm just a normal guy. She can't expect me to stay celibate for so long, can she?" Yanuario replied lazily.
The guys guffawed raucously as they clinked their glasses to congratulate him, saying that it was good that he had not changed his ways.
Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to have such a good time tonight.
I watched Yanuario's face intently, a face which I had once loved to the core, and which now made me feel sick to the core.
He was not aware that when he wasn't qualified to bet with my dad, I had taken his place to bet for him.
I made my own bet with my dad, Severin Seguin.
I bet that Yanuario would never betray me, and that he would only love me, and me alone.