Prologue

The city never sleeps, but not because of its bright lights or restless dreamers. Here, in the shadows, power is shuffled like a deck of cards, dealt only to those who know how to play the game. And in this game, there are no second chances.

Four symbols control everything—Heart, Spade, Clover, and Diamond. Four mafia families, each ruling their own corner of the state, each following the same brutal hierarchy. The Kings reign at the top, their word law. The Queens stand beside them, powerful in their own right. The Jacks act as enforcers, their blades sharp, their loyalty sharper. Beneath them, ranks one through ten fight for position, climbing the ladder of power. And then, there is the Ace—the most valuable, yet the most unpredictable, the one who answers to no one yet is feared by all.

To outsiders, it may seem like an elaborate system, an empire of order. But beneath the surface, it is anything but. Loyalty shifts like the wind. Betrayal is currency. Power is never permanent. The game continues, and no one ever holds the winning hand for long.

I never asked to be a part of it. But fate doesn't ask—it forces. One wrong move, one unlucky night, and I was pulled into the Clover group's world, a world where survival meant more than just staying alive.

I should have run. I should have fought back. But I didn't. Because for the first time, I saw something others didn't—a way to win without playing by their rules.

This is the story of how I rose through the ranks, not by bloodshed, but by something far more dangerous.

And when the cards finally fell, I wasn't just another player.

I was the King.