Dad, Since You’re So Lucky, Win To Death

My dad was a hardcore gambler. He always said he had the touch—that one day, he’d win us a mansion.

Instead, he stole my college savings, blew every cent at the table, and turned around to slap me across the face, blaming me for not hiding the money better.

When the loan sharks came to collect, he wanted one last buyin. He stole the only thing my grandma left me: her vintage gold heirloom bracelet.

He pawned it and lost everything in a single night. When the thugs kicked our front door open, he pointed at my mom and me to save his own skin. "Take my wife! Take my daughter!

Do whatever you want with them! Just don’t touch me!" In the chaotic struggle that followed, I was stabbed to death.

As I lay dying in a pool of blood, my mom was kneeling, hugging his legs, and crying, "Frank, you’re so lucky. You’ll win it back next time!

Please don't give up on us!" When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the very first day he dragged me into that underground casino. Fine, Dad. You think you’re lucky?

In this life, I’m going to help you push your luck to the absolute limit. The air was thick with the stench of cheap cigarettes, stale beer, and sweat.

Around us, the clattering of poker chips and the crude shouting of desperate men filled the room.

My dad, Frank Miller, dragged me by the shoulder and shoved a greasy, lowvalue chip into my hand. "Elena, you’re my lucky charm. Go on.

Put it down and win Dad's money back!" The warm plastic in my hand and the flashing neon lights of the dingy basement made me gasp. I had traveled back in time. I was sixteen again.

It was the exact day my dad first dragged me into this illegal underground casino. In my past life, I was terrified. I cried and begged him to go home.

He claimed I brought him bad vibes, kicked me away in disgust, and went on to lose every single dollar.

On the way home, he took out all his frustration on me, beating me so badly I couldn't get out of bed for two weeks. From that day on, I wasn't his "lucky charm" anymore.

I became his jinx, his personal punching bag whenever he lost. This time, looking at his bloodshot eyes and greedy, expectant face, I didn't cry. I didn't scream.

I took the chip and gave him a sweet, obedient smile. "Okay, Dad.

I believe in your luck." He blinked, caught off guard, and then grinned wildly, clapping me hard on the shoulder. "That’s my girl!

That's what I'm talking about!" He shoved me toward the rowdiest table—the High/Low dice game. He pointed at the "High" section and mouthed at me: "Put it on High!

It’s been Low seven times in a row. High is due!" I squeezed the chip, my palm slick with sweat. I remembered this moment.

This was the bet where Frank wagered all the money meant for my mom’s urgent surgery. He put it on High, it came up Low, and he completely destroyed any hope of saving her.

The dealer's cold voice cut through the noise: "Last bets!" Under everyone's watchful eyes, I stood on my tiptoes and gently placed the chip—which represented my dad’s entire hope—right onto the "Low" section.

Frank’s face turned instantly pale. He lunged forward to grab it, but it was too late. "Dice are up! Two, three, one. Low!" Groans and curses erupted around the table.

Frank’s knees buckled. He almost fell to the floor.

He glared at me, his eyes looking like he wanted to tear me apart. "Why didn't you listen to me?!" I lowered my head, pretending to be terrified, and whispered, "Dad, I heard the guy next to me say we have to bet against your instinct to win...

He said your luck is so strong today that the table is trying to counter you..." Before I could even finish my lie, a broke gambler next to us slammed his fist on the table. "Holy shit, the kid is right!

That’s how the house works!" A flicker of confusion crossed Frank’s bloodshot eyes, followed by a sick, manic light. He gripped the table to steady himself and stared at me. "Yes...

Yes!

Why didn't I think of that?!" He dragged me into a dark corner, pulled out his last few crumpled twentydollar bills from his pocket, and shoved them into my hands. "Elena, my luck depends on you now!

Go back there. Whatever they think is going to win, you bet the exact opposite!" I clutched the crumpled cash, looking at his fanatic expression. My heart was cold as ice.

Your "good luck" starts now, Dad.

I went back to the table with the cash. For this round, almost everyone at the table was betting on High, believing the Low streak had to end.

Behind me, Frank was desperately winking at me, gesturing for me to bet Low. I ignored him.

At the very last second, I pushed all the money onto the High section. "What are you doing?!" Frank’s voice cracked. The dealer shook the cup and lifted it. "Two, two, three. Seven.

Low!" The table groaned in disappointment again. Frank’s face flushed purple. He raised his hand, about to slap me right there. I quickly gasped, "Dad! I got confused!

Another guy said we have to follow our hearts for the luck to flow!" "He said you can't trust anyone else in gambling, only your own gut!

Your original instinct was right!" I fed him the exact same garbage logic he had brainwashed me with a thousand times in my previous life. His raised hand froze in midair.

A guy who had just won a small pile of chips laughed and chimed in, "Hey Frank, your kid is right! Gambling is all about mindset!

Trust your gut, man!" Frank’s expression shifted from rage to contemplation.

He had lost all his money and should have been furious, but my words gave his bloated ego a brandnew excuse. It wasn't that he was bad at gambling.

It was just that I hadn't properly channeled his supreme luck. He lowered his hand, let out a heavy sigh, and patted my head. "I was foolish. Let's go home, Elena.

I understand how it works now." On the walk back, he didn't say a word. But I knew that a seed of pure madness had been planted deep in his mind.

When we got home, my mom, Sarah, and my older brother, Leo, were sitting in the living room.

Seeing us walk in emptyhanded, Leo leaned back on the couch, barely looking up from his phone. "Lost everything again?" Frank ignored him and walked straight to Sarah.

Sarah was coughing heavily.

Her lung condition required constant, expensive medication, and we were already running out of food. "Frank... the money..." "Gone," Frank cut her off, though his eyes were strangely bright. "But I found a way to win us a mansion!" He pointed at me, practically vibrating with excitement. "Elena!

She’s our lucky charm! Her mind is pure, unlike mine, which is cluttered with stress.

From now on, I'll use her luck to place the bets!" Sarah blinked, and then a weak, hopeful smile crossed her face. "Really?

I always knew Elena was a special girl." Leo let out a loud, mocking scoff and stood up. "Dad, are you out of your mind? Letting her gamble? She’s a stupid kid.

What does she know?" Frank shoved him back. "Shut the hell up! This is about energy!

If you don't believe it, fine, but don't stand in the way of our family getting rich!" He marched over to Sarah’s nightstand, pulled open the drawer, and took out this month's grocery and medicine money.

He shoved the cash into my hands, his eyes gleaming. "Elena, tomorrow, go buy some lottery tickets. Buy the very first numbers that catch your eye.

Don't hesitate!" Sarah looked at me with desperate, pleading eyes. "Elena, listen to your father. Our family is counting on you." I looked at the three of them.

One madman, one enabler, and one selfish parasite. I nodded, taking the medicinescented cash. "Okay. I'll go tomorrow."

The next morning, I took the money and went out, but I didn't go to any convenience store for lottery tickets.

Instead, I went straight to my school and paid off my overdue fees for the college prep tutoring program. In my last life, because we had no money, I missed the final prep classes.

My grades plummeted, and I ended up at a bottomtier community college. Meanwhile, Leo, funded by the rare times our dad actually won money, got to go to a decent university.

He used to brag about his college life constantly, mocking me for being a failure. "What's the point of a girl studying so much anyway?

You’re just going to end up marrying some guy." "Elena, your life is a dead end." In this life, I wasn't going to let him have his happy ending.

When I got home that evening, Frank and Sarah were sitting stiffly on the couch, waiting for me. "Elena! The tickets?

Did you buy them?" I pulled out a few scratchedoff, losing tickets I had picked up from the trash can earlier and handed them over. "I bought them.

We didn't win." Frank’s face fell instantly. Sarah quickly tried to soothe him. "It’s okay, honey. Luck comes and goes.

Next time for sure!" Frank ran a frustrated hand through his hair, his eyes shifting to me, searching for someone to blame. "Did you doubt yourself when you bought them?

I told you to buy the first ones you saw! Did you hesitate?!" Before I could answer, Leo walked out of his room, smirking. "Dad, you actually believed her?

I bet she spent the money on herself." He snatched my backpack, turned it upside down, and dumped everything onto the floor.

The bright pink receipt for the college prep program fluttered down, landing right at Frank’s feet.

Frank’s eyes turned bloodshot in a second. "You stole my money for some stupid tutoring?!" He lunged at me, grabbing my hair and slamming my head against the wall. "I gave you that money to change our luck, and you ruined it!

I'm going to teach you a lesson you'll never forget!" My head hit the drywall with a sickening thud, making my vision blur and my ears ring.

Sarah screamed, trying to pull him back. "Frank, stop! She’s just a kid!" Leo stood back, folding his arms, enjoying the show. "She deserves it.

I’m sick of her acting like she's so smart. She’s studying herself into stupidity." Frank kicked me hard in the stomach.

I curled into a ball on the floor, gasping for air, cold sweat pouring down my face. In my past life, this scene had played out a hundred times.

Every single time, I would beg for mercy, hoping they would feel some shred of pity. But not this time.

I swallowed the metallic taste of blood and forced out a weak whisper through the pain. "Dad... today... at the store...

I saw a guy... win fifty thousand dollars..." Frank froze. "He said... he calculates the exact time... and sends the family member with the best energy to buy it...

That’s how he won..." I gasped for air, spinning my lie piece by piece. "He also said... luck is a continuous chain...

If you break it today... you have to wait a very long time to restart it..." Frank let go of my hair, his expression shifting from rage to sheer panic. "What did you say?

The chain of luck is broken?" Sarah rushed over, shaking. "Then... what do we do?" I looked at them, letting out a weak, fragile smile. "The man said... unless... we find an even bigger wave of luck to override the break..." Leo rolled his eyes. "What kind of garbage is this?

Dad, don't listen to her crazy stories." But Frank, grasping at straws, grabbed my arm tightly. "What bigger wave of luck?!

Tell me!" I stared directly at Leo and said, word for word: "Leo's college is hosting the annual Tech & Startup Pitch Competition, right?

I heard the grand prize is a hundred thousand dollars." Every eye in the room instantly locked onto Leo.

Leo’s face went pale. "Why are you looking at me? That’s a team competition. Only the toptier geeks win that. There's no way I can win." But Frank didn't care about logic.

He was possessed by greed. "A hundred thousand! A hundred thousand dollars! Leo, you have to enter!" Leo shook him off, annoyed. "I told you, I can't!

My major isn't even related to that tech stuff. I'll just embarrass myself!" "Who cares about embarrassment!

Your sister said this is to reset our family's luck!" Sarah urged. "Do you want to watch your father's luck rot forever?" "I’d rather not look like an idiot on stage!" Leo snapped. "You ungrateful piece of—" Frank raised his fist.

I let out a loud, painful cough, whispering weakly, "Dad, don't force him. That competition is too hard anyway. Leo's groupmates...

I heard they think he's dead weight and don't want to work with him..." I made sure to say it loud and clear, letting every word stab right into Leo’s fragile ego.

He was incredibly insecure and hated being called useless more than anything. Sure enough, his head snapped up, and he glared at me with pure hatred. "Who said I'm dead weight?!

Who said nobody wants to work with me?!" He turned to Frank, gritting his teeth. "Fine! I'll enter!

Not only will I enter, but I’ll also bring home that hundredthousanddollar prize to show you!" Frank cheered. "Yes! That's my boy! I knew you had it in you!

My luck is riding on you now!" To make sure Leo had everything he needed to win, Frank went to his shady gambling buddies and took out a massive highinterest loan, calling it "startup capital." He bought Leo the newest, most expensive MacBook, funded lavish dinners for Leo’s team, and acted like a wealthy tech investor.

Leo was completely intoxicated by the attention. He genuinely started believing he was a tech prodigy, daydreaming about his inevitable fame. I watched it all with cold detachment.

I knew that in Leo's team, there was a quiet, brilliant programmer named Julian Ward.

In my past life, Julian was the one who did all the work, won the grand prize, and got recruited by a tech giant right off the stage.

Leo was nothing but a lazy tagalong who barely contributed a single slide to the PowerPoint.

The night before the competition, I casually said to my dad: "Dad, I heard Julian’s mom is really sick. She needs urgent surgery.

Apparently, he's thinking about selling their entire project to some company early just to get the cash for her medical bills." Frank’s eyes went wide. "Selling the project?!

No way! That project belongs to our family's luck!" He immediately found Leo and threw a massive fit. "Leo, that Julian kid is trying to pull the rug from under us!

He wants to steal our family’s luck! You can't let him!" Leo panicked too. "What can I do? He wrote most of the code.

If he wants to sell, I can't stop him!" Frank paced around the room.

Suddenly, he slapped his thigh. "I’ve got it!" He leaned in close to Leo, whispering, "Go tell Julian that our family will pay for his mom’s surgery.

But in exchange, the sole ownership of the project must be registered under your name!" Leo was stunned. "Dad, are you crazy?

Where are we getting that kind of cash?" "Don't worry about the money! I'll handle the loan sharks! My gut is telling me this is a guaranteed win!

Heaven is helping us!" I hid behind the kitchen door, listening to their frantic plotting. I smiled. Make sure you hold onto that "good luck" tightly, Dad.