To the end

04

The Fall of Vegas

Ten years ago, Vegas found himself standing at the edge of a deal that would change the course of his life. His decision to sell off his father's illegal drugs for 100 million baht put him in the crosshairs of many powerful groups. Initially, everything seemed fine. Some groups wanted a cut of the money, but Vegas stood firm, refusing to hand it over.

One particular group, Thargen, had been persistent. They offered him more money than anyone else if he would agree to their terms. The ships were ready, the drugs prepped for export, and Vegas, thinking this was just another high-stakes business move, met them at an isolated dock. Everything was in place.

But things weren’t that simple. Thargen made a different offer once Vegas was there, a far more sinister one. They wanted him to join their human trafficking operations, specifically targeting children. They knew his father had been involved in similar dark trades, but Vegas was adamant. This was where he drew the line.

“No,” Vegas said, staring them down. “I’ll take the drug deal, but children? I’m not touching that.”

The men from Thargen exchanged glances, their smiles fading into grim expressions. One of them stepped forward, his voice dripping with menace, “You’ll regret this, Vegas. You’ll wish you’d taken the deal.”

Vegas didn’t flinch. He turned his back and walked away from the docks, but his gut told him something wasn’t right.

Hours later, the lights of his car were cut off by a van that rammed into him, forcing him off the road. Before Vegas could react, he was yanked from the driver's seat, his body beaten by masked men. They dragged him into the van, tying him up as he groaned in pain.

When he finally woke up, he found himself in Korn’s basement. His wrists were chained, his body a mess of bruises and cuts. Korn stood in front of him, smiling like a predator.

“You should’ve listened, Vegas,” Korn said calmly, walking closer. “All you had to do was accept the deal.”

“Fuck you,” Vegas spat, his head throbbing from the blows. “I won’t do it.”

Korn’s expression darkened. “You think you have a choice? This isn’t about what you want anymore.”

Without warning, one of the men beside Korn took a steel rod and smashed it across Vegas’ head. Pain exploded through his skull, and he lost consciousness almost immediately, blood pooling around him.

The next thing Vegas remembered was the sensation of drowning. Water. It surrounded him, choking him. The waves were rough, tossing his body like a ragdoll. He gasped for air, his lungs screaming, but there was nothing he could do.

Hours later, Vegas woke up in a hospital bed, barely alive. His body was hooked up to machines, and police officers surrounded his bed.

He groaned, trying to move, but his entire body felt like it had been crushed. One officer leaned in, glaring at him.

“You’re not going anywhere, Vegas. We know everything,” the officer said coldly.

Vegas’ mind raced. Someone had leaked the details of his deals to the cops. But who?

Thargen.

It had to be them. This was their revenge for refusing their sick offer.

“You’re going to prison for a long time,” the officer added. “Eight years, maybe more.”

Vegas was sentenced to eight years in prison, but it wasn’t an ordinary sentence. Even behind bars, Thargen made sure he suffered. The guards turned a blind eye while the inmates beat him, day after day. His body was a canvas of bruises, but he never broke.

What truly shattered Vegas wasn’t the beatings—it was the torment Thargen inflicted on his family. They showed him videos of Kim, lost in grief, standing over what he thought was Vegas’ grave. Thargen had staged a fake death, convincing everyone that Vegas had found died in beach.

“It was easy,” one of the guards had laughed. “We just gave them your clothes, put them on a dead body, and the rest was history.”

Vegas’ heart broke every time he saw his family’s tears, knowing they believed he was gone. His empire had crumbled, and all the while, Thargen watched and laughed, savoring his suffering.

The years passed, and Vegas knew he was trapped in a game he couldn’t win. Every attempt to escape was met with more brutality, and all the while, the shadows of Thargen lingered over his family, threatening their lives if Vegas made one wrong move.

He was a ghost, a man who no longer existed, chained in the dark, his body a shadow of its former self. But his spirit remained, determined to find a way out, to protect the
ones he loved—even if it cost him everything.