Interlude: Phil and Gina

After James had left the villa, Phil was left alone with his thoughts.

It was a habit of his to stay back for a night at the villa whenever a game was played here. Even though the furnishings here could not compare to his residence and the main house, a little bit of solitude allowed him to gather his thoughts and review the previous action.

Although it was his relationship with his father that had given him his current position, the careful reflection and mature mind, so out of place in a body this young, was what had allowed him to keep it despite challenges and objections from others in the Organization.

It was a trait of his that he was careful to keep hidden. Not even his father knew how much he schemed and reflected. As far as his father knew, Phil was in the villa to take advantage of the entertainment room with another one of his floozies that he had picked up. That philandering behavior, albeit fun in and of itself, was part of his cover to make others underestimate him.

Still, Phil thought, it would be highly unfortunate if this would be the one time someone, such as the butler, came to look for him and found him unaccompanied.

Phil picked up his phone and texted the mamasan from the club.

"Can you send over a companion? I'm in the villa." Phil sent.

"Any specific requests?" The instantaneous reply came. This was not the first time Phil had ordered take-out and delivery, and Lisa knew the drill.

"Big boobs, soft ass. I'm in a rough mood tonight." Phil replied.

"Got it. One hour." Lisa sent.

Phil was in the mood for something a little rougher than his usual fare. He had not expected James to put up such a good showing so soon. In fact, Phil was hoping that Rishabh would be able to put James in his place, and send James deeper in the depths of debt. Debt that would give Phil an edge and allow him to control James further.

Still, considering his current predicament, it was not a bad thing that James had turned out to be a prodigy at poker.

Phil was highly aware that his poor performance in Monte Carlo, where he had lost deals for the Organization in addition to a good sum of money, had left him on thin ice. Not even his father would be able to cover for him forever. If James continued on his current track and dominated the monthly game, then it was likely that all would be forgiven and he could tighten his hold on his position.

Phil thought back to the game. How exactly had James managed to dominate it?

A couple of early events surfaced in his mind.

First, the interesting hand where James had played blind, leading to Victor using his "one-time". Phil nodded appreciatively to himself. By spending a small amount of money and betting into Victor, James had raised Victor's suspicions and ridden himself of a huge anchor. If Victor had held on to the opportunity to see his card through the game, it was likely that James would have to adjust his play in bigger hands and may not have been as successful. Furthermore, by inducing Victor to use it on a random hand, James had denied any additional information on his style of play.

Truly a delightful move.

The first few orbits were also unusual. Phil replayed them in his mind, and noticed that James had folded every single hand. Given his later play, it was highly unlikely that James had ended up with unplayable cards every hand. Hence, that period of play must have been purposeful. Phil guessed that James had taken that opportunity to study his opponents at the table, and then used that information later on in the game.

Not a bad idea at all, Phil thought to himself, if James could somehow manage to do the same thing while playing a few hands, it would be almost undetectable.

Phil paused for a little. The blind hand had served another purpose. It had distracted the rest of the table from his earlier actions. If Phil didn't spend the time to carefully review the game, it was likely that he would not have noticed the first few orbits.

Phil upgraded his appreciation for the blind hand. It was not just simply a delightful move, it was utterly masterful.

The sound of his phone buzzing interrupted his thoughts.

"Hello?" Phil picked up, fully expecting it to be his companion for the night.

"Phil." A quiet voice came from the phone.

"Yes sir?" Phil went to full attention, this was not a call he could afford to be distracted on.

"I understand there was a game tonight. How did James Jones do?"

"He did very well sir. He dominated the game, despite having a slight handicap against our guest player, and won ten thousand in a five-ten game." Phil answered carefully.

"Good. Do you think he will do well at the end of the month?"

"Yes sir. I am confident he will have a good showing." Phil said.

"That is very good. If he does, you will have bought yourself a new lease of life. Based on his performance, you will evaluate whether or not to bring him in fully. That evaluation will be due to me no later than twenty four hours after the game."

"Yes sir. I understand." Phil said.

"One more thing."

"Yes sir?" Phil said attentively.

"After your showing in Monte Carlo, some of our rivals are starting to make a few moves against us. It is unseeming that we should take this lying down. Find an appropriate way to respond."

"Yes sir. We will go to their properties and strike back." Phil said.

"Good."

The phone cut off abruptly.

Phil let off a sigh of relief. There weren't many people in the organization that he had to be respectful towards, but someone like his caller, who was in the top ranks, was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Phil thought to himself. It looked like he would have to cancel the next two practice games in favor of his new mission. Maybe he could take James and see how James performed in games outside of poker. In the worst scenario, James would owe him more money.

A knock came at the door of the villa, and Phil put his thoughts away. It was time for him to relieve some stress.

Shortly after, the sounds of flesh hitting flesh, interspersed with brief yelps and high pitched moans, permeated throughout the villa.

---

Boston, Massachusetts.

Gina looked down at the balance on the ATM. The sale of her house had gone through and the cash had cleared the escrow account into her account.

After everything she had gone through, she was now a multi-millionaire. Phil had paid many times above the market value for the house.

"I wonder if he's trying to send me a message here, or leave me indebted to him." Gina mused to herself, as she exited the transaction and left the ATM.

She looked across the street at the beginnings of the storied campus.

"If only James could be here with me. This would be the beginning of our brand new life together." Gina said to herself once more.

She looked down at her stomach. It was still early days yet, and had not started to show. This was her little secret that she had kept to herself.

Phil didn't know.

James didn't know.

"I have to think of you now." Gina whispered, "If it was just me, I would actually take up the offer and finish my graduate studies here. Now, what's important is keeping you safe. You're all I have left of James."

"I'm sorry you'll grow up without a father. I just hope that one day all three of us can be reunited." Gina murmured, her voice cracking slightly as the emotion of the statement hit her.

Her eyes focused on the simple silver ring on the her right hand that was still adorning her finger. With steely determination, she moved it to her left hand. A couple of lonely tears escaped her eyes and rolled smoothly down her cheeks.

There would be no one else in her life.

Gina looked up once more at the majestic buildings in front of her. Across the street and around her, students bustled with frantic activity. She stood alone amongst them, an isle of calm in a rushing river of academic pursuit.

With one last sigh, she turned around and pushed the doors open to the office of the bank.

Gina had made her decision. She would close all her accounts, withdraw the money and then give herself a new identity. Once that was done, she could find a quiet place to spend the rest of her days and raise her unborn child.

It would be the final and only gift she could give to James now.