My husband tricked me into the middle of nowhere, planning to chop off my hands and feet and leave me to die. That's when I found out my little brother was drowning in gambling debts. They were playing cards, laughing and joking: "Once Ashley and her loser brother are gone, her company's mine! It's worth tens of millions! Let's play for high stakes tonight!" Their bets were about which of my limbs to hack off first. As the blade came down, I stopped him. "Let me play a hand with you. If I win, you let us go. If I lose, do whatever you want." My husband smirked. "What are you going to use as collateral?" I sat up straighter. "My life." My freshly-graduated brother was sobbing, groveling at my feet, his voice hoarse from crying. "Ash, no! You can't do this! You'll die! Please, don't!" My brother, David, has always been a good kid, idolizing me and my husband, Kevin. Ever since I married Kevin, he’s been like a puppy dog following him around, saying he wanted to learn the business from him. After our parents died, he’s my only family, and trusting Kevin, I didn’t interfere much. A small successful project went to his head and now he was loaded and went to casinos and lost everything, every cent. I shook my head. "You think you have a future after this? They clearly want us dead. This is our only chance." David looked like he'd seen a ghost, his tears stopping, his body shaking. My heart ached for him, but I kept my face blank. The money he lost, including his car and apartment, added up to over a million dollars. How could a kid fresh out of college be so reckless? Kevin had clearly set this up with his buddies. Kevin's goal wasn’t just a million bucks, it was my company and my assets. This whole thing was an opportunity to teach this kid a lesson, that he can't trust everyone. "Ashley, don't play with them! You'll die! I'll… I'll become a male escort to pay this off!" Hearing those words made my blood boil. That must've been Kevin's idea too. Taking my money and my company, I could accept because I knew in my heart where my company's foundations started. But they weren't going to ruin my brother like this, force him to sell himself. It was an outrage. I helped David up, patted his hand, and signaled Kevin to start. David couldn’t stand straight, his eyes pleading. Ignoring him, I smiled. "It's been a while since I've played. Maybe I'll win." Kevin smirked, gesturing to the table in the RV. We were in the middle of the desert, where the law doesn’t reach, exposing the worst of human nature. He wasn’t my husband anymore, just an enemy. Kevin's brother, Mike, and his female assistant, Sarah, were sitting next to him, also in on this scheme. "Ashley, don't say I didn't warn you. We're all pros at the table. You sure you can handle this?" Kevin's brother, Mike, was a lowlife. Ever since Kevin married me and had money, he's been partying and drinking. Because of their ages, my brother and him have hung out a lot, and I told him to stay away. But David, being naive, thought Mike was just a bit of a party animal. Now he’d been tricked into this game, risking his life. Kevin glared at my brother. "Kid, you better tell your sister not to play. I was going to let you live, but she’s dragging you to your death!" His usual charm was gone, revealing his true self. Kevin used to be my driver, but we grew close and fell in love, so I married him. Now it all made sense. He got close to me, tricked me, brought me to this remote area, never intending for us to leave alive. David stared at me, his eyes filled with panic. I sat down, smiling. "We're all going to die anyway. Why shouldn't I take a chance?" David tugged at my sleeve. "Ashley, just give them the money! We'll at least live!" I slapped him across the face. "You think they’ll let you leave? You made this mess, you deal with it!" David covered his face, unable to speak. Kevin lit a cigarette, glancing at me with contempt. "Ashley, if you're playing, what are you betting?" "Your brother already lost over a million and owes me another million. If he can't pay, I'll have to sell him as a male escort." "Or you can transfer your company to me now, all your assets. Then I might consider letting you go." He laughed cruelly. That must've been how he threatened David. Which led David to almost getting hit on the road, only to be saved by me and tricked into this trip. "I have something to bet." I smiled calmly, grabbing David's hand and slamming it on the table. "Name your price." Then, I held up my phone. "I’m recording everything. If you try anything, this video goes straight to the cops." Kevin glanced at it. "A pair of hands... worth ten grand." David was terrified, speechless except for his crying. I felt awful, but I had to do this. He needed to learn. "Ashley, you're cold. Fine. Let's start." 2 Kevin wanted to deal, but I stopped him. "My brother lost. I'm the dealer now." Mike protested, but Kevin smiled slightly. "Okay." As he said that, Kevin's assistant nudged Mike, and they exchanged a look. I smiled, this must be their signal to cheat. Pretending not to notice, I dealt the cards, in order, like normal. The rules were a $10,000 ante, with a $500,000 single bet limit. Looking at my hand, as the dealer, I put in the $10,000. Next up was Mike, and he bet $500,000 without looking. Kevin matched the $500,000. "$500,000, unopened." Then he looked at me with a taunting expression. Sarah giggled. According to the rules, if I looked at my cards, I'd have to double the bet to stay in. Which meant I’d have to put another million out there, but I didn't have enough chips. I was left with one choice: fold and lose $20,000. They were obviously trying to swindle me, and I couldn’t do anything. Sarah nudged Mike again. "That's a little rough. You can't be bullying her for not having enough money?" Mike grinned. "Ashley, sorry. I forgot you were broke." He said that, but his eyes were full of glee. "I'll give you a break. Next hand, $100,000 limit." He reached to take my chips. "Wait!" "I'm in. A million, unopened." Kevin's eyes widened. "Ashley! You're writing an IOU? You don't have the chips!" Mike chimed in sarcastically. "Ashley, if you don't know how to play, quit faking it." David sobbed, moving closer. "Ashley, we're $800,000 short." Without a word, I grabbed him and slammed him onto the table. "Kevin, how much is his life worth?" "Ashley!" David was losing hope, crying. Kevin glanced at my brother. "His organs, all together, maybe a million." "Ashley, you're trying to get your brother killed…" Mike couldn't believe it. David screamed. "Ashley! I was wrong, I was wrong! Don't gamble! I don't want my organs taken out!" I kicked him away. "You should have thought about this when you were gambling!" "You told me not to gamble. Why did you gamble in the first place?!" I shouted and he began to cry. I felt awful, but I needed to stay cold. I had to make David realize how horrible gambling is. After signing the contract, I had a million. I put in $500,000. "Matching $500,000, unopened!" Kevin was stunned. "Ashley… are you serious?" I smirked. "You were going to chop off my limbs. I think I'm being pretty generous." "Enough talk. Mike, your turn." Mike looked at me and then Kevin, frowning. "I fold." Since I dealt the cards, he wasn’t confident, so he didn’t bet. Kevin folded too. I won the first hand, taking a million dollars. Kevin snatched the cards, clearly furious. "I lost. My turn to deal." "Fine." His eyes, that use to show gentle love, were now full of malice and hatred, wanting to eat me alive. "Ashley, I didn't realize you were such a hard-ass. How about we remove the limit, you down?" "Whatever." That's what I was waiting for! "Ashley! Don't!" David fell to his knees. "Shut up! Your body parts are on loan. Get lost!" "Where was that enthusiasm when you were gambling?" Kevin and his buddies argued amongst themselves, worried I’d listen and not play. I slapped the table. "Get lost! You’re the one who caused this! If you say another word, I'll tell them to take you apart!" David didn't dare speak. Kevin dealt, putting a million dollars in. "A million, unopened. You in?" "Yeah." I pretended to be tough, also putting a million in. Mike put a million in. I sighed with relief, they’ve all fallen for my trick!
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