Emma was hospitalized. The next morning, James brought her breakfast himself.
“I’ve called the police about last night. For that attack, she’ll be in jail for years. Emma, I promise you’ll never see her again.”
A promise? Just last night, he had sworn he sent Charlotte away, yet she was right there at the gala.
Emma wasn’t sure she could trust James's promise. But seeing how exhausted he looked, her cold heart softened for a moment.
After James left, Emma learned that her mother’s necklace had turned up at an underground casino near the old Calderon Walled City.
This was the only thing she had left of her mother and the source of her long-time grief. Without a second thought, Emma went there by herself.
When she opened the door, she saw Charlotte, who was supposed to be in jail, sitting at a velvet gambling table. She looked perfect, with a huge pile of expensive chips stacked in front of her.
The image of the poor cleaning lady was gone. Emma laughed bitterly at herself; the escape and the imprisonment were both lies. Only James’s betrayal was real.
They locked eyes and Charlotte smiled meanly as she opened her hand. "Mrs. Nicholas, what a coincidence—are you looking for this?" She was holding the jade necklace that belonged to Emma’s mother.
Emma felt a surge of shock, then went cold. “Does James know you’re wasting his money in a place like this?”
Charlotte’s face tightened. “Mr. Nicholas got me this job; I was just having some fun…”
Emma ignored her and went straight to the manager. “I want to buy back this necklace.”
She didn’t even use the extra credit card James gave her; she got the necklace back easily.
Before she left, Emma turned and said calmly, “Please thank Mr. Nicholas for being kind enough to hold onto my necklace for a while.”
That night, Emma was cleaning the necklace when James came home. Loosening his tie, he asked, “I heard you went to the Calderon Walled City to gamble today? They say you bullied a young girl, took all her money and embarrassed her. Emma, when did you lose your self-respect?”
Emma stopped, about to explain. But James didn't let her. He went to the bar, poured a whiskey and looked at her with a mix of sadness and pity.
“Charlotte worked at a casino before because she needed the money. Just like when we first moved here—didn’t you dance in bars to earn extra cash? Why be so hard on each other? Why hold onto things from the past?”
The word “embarrassment” hit Emma like a slap in the face. She snapped her head up and stared at him, shocked.
Years ago, Emma’s family lost everything, so she moved here with James. Back then, after working late, James would squeeze into their tiny room. He would gently massage her sore legs and promise to give her a better life.
The tough times they had faced together were now being used against her. He was calling those same memories "undignified" and "shameful."
That night, they left things in a mess. The next day, Emma got a text from James: [Emma, the charm on your mother's necklace is loose. If you want it back, come to the Calderon Walled City.]
Emma squeezed her phone so hard her knuckles turned white. That was the same underground casino from the day before. James was trying to force her to go back and face Charlotte.
Emma opened the casino door and ran into an old boss who once had a crush on her. He had tried to win her over because of her looks, but James had dealt with him so harshly that he was forced to leave town. She never imagined they would meet again like this.
Lucas stared at her and suddenly laughed. “Mr. Nicholas, you’re such a gentleman. To save that dealer, you actually used your own wife to make a deal.”
Emma realized Charlotte had lost the bet and Lucas was going to take her.
James said no, so he gambled with Emma's safety to win Charlotte back. The game started. Emma went pale and cold as she watched him play with such confidence.
Long ago, James had made his money exactly like this, before he had the power he has today. Back then, she had also been used as a prize in his games.
As she sat at the table, James started to shake. He was terrified that one wrong move would lose her forever.
Now, his face was calm and showed no sign of stress. Lucas showed his hand: three sixes. James lost.
