wall, and waitstaff made their way to and from it, delivering top-shelf
cocktails to the crowd. Soft light filtered down from chandeliers, glinting off
jewels and champagne flutes in a way that lent a dreamlike quality to the
scene.
I sighed, thinking of the war of one-upmanship I was fighting with myself.
Tonight was a triumph, a party to end all parties. But next time, I’d have to
come up with something even better, even more unexpected and exciting.
My parties had to remain the most elusive and sought-after entertainment in
this city. The wealthy, I’d learned, were a lot like spoiled children, easily
distracted by the latest shiny object, and it took a lot to keep them clamoring
for a spot at my tables.
And to think, all this started in my college dorm room. I’d been a broke- as-
shit double major in finance and business, looking to make some tuition
money on the side so I wouldn’t have to drop out. I’d always been good with
numbers and pattern recognition, so cards were easy for me. My brain
inherently knew which ones were left in a deck without having to
consciously count them.
At first, my poker nights were small, just me and whoever I convinced to
play. Most didn’t stick around after repeatedly losing to me, and I thought
I’d been cooked because of it, my money-making scheme over before it even
began. But then rumors started circulating that I was unbeatable, and soon
every wannabe poker pro and math genius was clamoring to get in on the
games, making me enough cash to stave off financial panic.
A class about entrepreneurship planted the seed that there might be more
stable money behind the table, running the games like a business. I opened it
up to all levels of gamblers, from experienced players to rookies trying their
luck for the first time. Then two things happened at once: People at school
found out that my best friend, Josh, was the son of a notorious serial killer,
and the faculty caught wind of my games. So we moved to the city to start
over. I transferred schools, but Josh dropped out to become a professional
hacker because he was a better programmer than any of his professors, and
there was nothing left for them to teach him.
