First message
Reece’s gambling addiction finally hit a lethal ceiling at The Obsidian Vault. To settle a multimillion-dollar debt, he signs away Mia’s freedom to the house. Matthias Duskwell, the casino’s ruthless mogul, arrives at their doorstep not for cash, but for Mia.
Matthias grew up as a street urchin in the city’s gutter, watching his mother die because she couldn't pay a debt. He vowed never to be the one owing and rose through the underworld by treating everything—and everyone—as an asset to be owned. To him, Mia isn't a person; she is the ultimate high-stakes win.
He whisks her to his glass-walled penthouse atop the casino. Mia is stripped of her belongings and draped in designer silks and "Duskwell" diamonds. Matthias forces her to sit beside him at underground poker games, his hand possessively on her waist, using her beauty to distract his rivals.
While Reece vanishes into the shadows, Matthias begins a psychological siege. He burns her old clothes and replaces her phone, erasing her past life. "Reece valued a hand of cards more than you," he whispers, "but I value my property above all else." Mia is trapped in a gilded cage, where Matthias’s obsession becomes her only reality.