The new round of the death game began.
The roulette wheel spun.
The turn returned to Chloe Evans.
All eyes fixed on her.
Chloe braced herself against the table with one hand.
Her legs trembled beneath her.
The back of her shirt, barely dry, was soaked again with cold sweat.
"I... I can do this."
She drew a deep breath.
Her shaking hand picked up the revolver.
The grip still carried the metallic scent of Amy's blood.
Her stomach churned violently.
Suppressing nausea, she raised the gun.
Her palm was slick with sweat.
This shot would be aimed at Julian Valentine.
She couldn't do it.
A one-in-a-million chance of death.
If Julian died—
She would be the murderer of the Underground City's leader.
Wesley would never let her go.
The factions of the Underground would tear her apart.
This place was already a den of predators.
If Julian died, she wouldn't survive either.
Chloe's arm trembled uncontrollably.
Fear seeped into every fiber of her being.
Yet Julian remained eerily calm.
"Miss Evans, relax."
Chloe screamed internally.
Relax?
Impossible!
Only one thought consumed her.
Death.
Why had these maniacs agreed to this lethal game?
The weight of the surrounding gazes pressed down like ocean depths.
She knew there was no retreat.
Gamble, then.
She closed her eyes and pulled the trigger.
Click.
An empty chamber.
The second round was safe.
"It's... it's okay..."
Chloe opened her eyes.
Julian stood unharmed before her.
She gasped for air.
Her knees nearly buckled.
Before she could steady herself—
Julian took the gun from her.
The barrel rose slowly.
"Lucky shot, Miss Evans."
"Now it's your turn."
Chloe's chest heaved.
"W-wait—"
She wasn't ready.
The cold press of metal against her temple.
The suffocating dread of death's approach.
Indescribable.
No warning before the shot.
No warning before the end.
In this moment—
Her terror of death peaked.
The world fell silent.
"The game waits for no one."
Julian's voice was ice.
"Life or death—decided in a second."
His gaze was predatory.
Dominating.
Oppressive.
His finger curled around the trigger.
Chloe shattered.
She stumbled back with a scream.
"Don't shoot! I forfeit!"
Raw terror filled her eyes.
The breaking point of facing mortality.
"Forfeiting costs hundreds of millions."
Julian's whisper was demonic.
The revolver could fire any instant.
"I'll pay! Any amount!"
Her legs gave out beneath her.
"How?"
Julian loomed over her.
A dark smile played on his lips.
The air turned glacial.
Before she could answer—
The gun aimed at her again.
"With your life?"