Page 104 of Sinful Games

Despite his feeble attempts at bluffing, I saw right through him. With each round, I steadily built up my chip stack while Babikiv’s dwindled away to nothing. It was almost fucking comical how outmatched he was.

By the final hand, I knew victory was mine. With a smug grin, I scooped up the pot. Babikiv may have thought he had a chance, but against me, he never stood a chance.

He sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. “Shit... I really needed that money.”

“Yeah? What’s going on?” I asked, lighting a cigarette and releasing a puff of smoke into the air.

Babikiv hesitated before speaking. “I... I’m in some serious debt. If I don’t come up with the money soon, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“That sucks, man. How can I help?”

His eyes met mine, and I saw a flicker of hope, like a drowning man grasping at a lifeline. “I-I don’t know. Maybe another round?”

I chuckled darkly, the smoke from my cigarette curling ominously around me before I stubbed it out in the ashtray. “Do you know who I am, Babikiv?”

On cue, the two other men at our table exchanged nervous glances before hastily getting up and leaving.

“No,” Babikiv muttered, his voice barely audible over the clinking of glasses and distant hum of conversation.

I smirked. “I am Alexsei Romaniev.”

Babikiv’s face drained of color, his eyes widening with realization. He took a shaky breath before whispering, “Y-You’re part of the Silas.”

I nodded slowly, taking in the fear on his ugly face as I finished off my drink.

“W-What do you want from me? I-I don’t owe you money! I don’t,” Babikiv stammered.

I cut him off, my tone icy. “I heard recently that you know my wife, Babikiv.” A sinister smile played on my lips. “Her name is Caia Mankiev. Does that ring a bell?”

Babikiv’s eyes widened in panic, and he began to fumble over his words. “N-no, I swear, I don’t know anyone by that name. I-I’ve never heard of her before.”

“Are you sure about that?”

He nodded frantically, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. “Y-yes, I’m sure. I-I don’t know who she is.”

I held his gaze a moment longer. What a fucking coward.

“You see, I happen to know the truth. You know exactly who Caia Mankiev is.”

He opened his mouth to protest, but the words caught in his throat.

“You touched my wife, didn’t you?”

Babikiv’s face went even paler, and he swallowed hard, unable to look me in the eye. After a tense silence, he finally nodded slowly, his shame clear.

“What should I do with you, Babikiv?” I asked, my voice cold and unforgiving.

“P-please,” he blubbered, tears and snot running down his face. “I only did it once! I didn’t know she was your wife! I swear! I thought she was just some cheap slut?—”

Annoyed by his whiny voice, I pulled the gun from my jacket and aimed it right between his legs. Without a second thought, I pulled the trigger. The gunshot blasted through the room, and Babikiv’s screams pierced the air as he crumpled to the floor, writhing in pain.

I stood over him, my face hard as I pointed thegun at his head. “Wrong choice of words, Babikiv,” I said, the cold steel steady in my hand. “Say hi to Satan for me.”

Without another word, I pulled the trigger again. The shot tore through the room, the bullet smashing into his forehead. Babikiv's body went limp, a ragdoll of death.

I holstered the gun and walked away, leaving the bloody aftermath of my vengeance behind. Babikiv and Polanski were dealt with, a ruthless message to anyone who dared to cross me or my wife. Now, with only two names left on my list, all I needed was a hot shower and to see the woman who’d turned my life upside down.

I got home and almost cracked and woke up Caia, but when I checked the time on my phone, I saw it was way too fucking late—or early—for that. So, I tried to let her sleep and fought the urge to barge into her room.

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