Chapter 345

Valin approached the newsstand, grabbing a bottle of water from the shelf.

“Hey, boss, give me a pack of cigarettes.”

“Help yourself,” the owner replied without even glancing up from his card game.

Valin took a pack of cigarettes and asked, “How much for all this?”

The owner gave him a quick look and said, “Two dollars.”

Valin handed over a hundred–dollar bill.

The owner frowned, “Got anything smaller?”

“Let me check,” Valin said, pulling out a wad of cash totaling ten thousand dollars from his pocket.

The owner’s eyes widened in shock. He nudged one of his companions with his foot and subtly gestured toward Valin.

The men around the newsstand noticed the cash, and their eyes lit up.

One of them chimed in, “Hey man, no problem. I can break that hundred for you.”

Valin gave an embarrassed smile.

“Thanks a lot, buddy. I just got my annual bonus. I don’t have any small bills yet.”

The newsstand owner asked curiously, “Where do you work, buddy? That’s a nice chunk of bonus.”

“Ah, just hauling cement and bricks on a construction site. It’s hard–earned money, barely enough to get by.” Valin replied with a weary smile, perfectly playing the role of a weathered laborer.

The man who had offered change exchanged a hundred–dollar bill for smaller denominations, and Valin

handed five dollars to the newsstand owner.

The owner gave him back three dollars in change and chuckled.

“That’s tough work. Now that you’ve got some extra cash, why not play a few hands with us?”

Valin glanced at the card game and the money on the table, swallowing hard before shaking his head.

“Nah, I’m terrible at cards. I never win when I play with my coworkers.”

Sensing Valin’s desire to gamble, the newsstand owner smirked and offered his seat.

“Come on, sit here. This spot’s lucky today. I’ve already won 200 dollars. We play small stakes, just three to five hundred at most.”

Valin hesitated, wearing a conflicted expression.

“I don’t know…”

“Scared of your wife, huh?” a bald guy taunted, using reverse psychology.

Valin’s face turned red with indignation.

“Bullshit! I run my house, not her. I’m not afraid of anyone!”

The men exchanged knowing glances and smirks.

The bald guy continued provoking, “If you’re not scared, sit down and play a few hands with us!”

Valin took a deep breath and plopped into the newsstand owner’s chair.

“Alright. But if you guys lose money, don’t try to keep me from leaving!”

The bald guy lit a cigarette, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

“Don’t worry. We don’t have any rules like that. You can leave whenever you want.”

Valin placed his stack of cash on the table, catching the men’s undivided attention.

The bald guy looked at the newsstand owner.

“Get a new deck of cards!”

Meanwhile, Sirius had a much easier time. He didn’t even bother buying anything. He simply asked to join

their game.

While Valin was still getting settled, Sirius had already won two hands, pocketing enough for a quick meal.

Benjamin sat in the car, smoking a cigarette.

Suddenly, the convenience store owner emerged and knocked on his window.

“Hey, where are you from, and why are you parked in front of my store?”

The man bore a scar at the corner of his mouth–a detail that confirmed his identity to Benjamin. This was Lothar Roberts, one of Jalen’s enforcers, known for maintaining a tight grip over this territory.

Benjamin responded with a friendly smile.

“Do you have any slot machines here?”

“You haven’t answered my question. Where are you from, and what are you doing here?”

Lothar’s expression hardened, suspicion growing in his voice.

Forcing a laugh, Benjamin tried to steady his nerves.

“I’m here to pick up my cousin’s kid from school.”

“Your cousin’s kid? Which class? What’s their name?” Lothar continued to probe.