Chapter 1
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*3:17 AM. Nexum City.*
Aximo stared at his phone.
The video auto-played.
Lena. Hair different. Smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
_"Hey. I just... I miss how we were. Can we talk?"_
Stranger.
He didn’t reply. He just set the phone face-down on the table. The neon from the window painted his hands blue.
On the table was something else.
A creased paper. A car ad. Red coupe. _Final sale. 2 owners left._
He’d circled the price weeks ago and forgotten.
He looked at the car. Looked at the video. Looked at the door.
"Not tonight," he said to the empty room.
He grabbed his jacket instead.
There was a party across town. Loud music. Crowds. People who wouldn’t ask questions.
Maybe if he got lost in enough noise, the quiet in his head would shut up too.
He walked out. Rain on the fire escape. No smoke. Just the sound of his boots.casino now 🔥
I drove my junkyard bike scrap but still working I have nothing to do so I decided to go to a casino the casino name was gamblers *near cripto street*
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*3:42 AM. The Velvet Room Casino, Nexum City.*
I sat on the casino chair. The leather was cold through my jacket.
Across from me — a big guy. Shoulders like a door. Gold ring, tattoos up his neck. He wasn’t looking at the cards. He was looking at me.
Dealer slid the deck out.
"Place your bets."
I opened my wallet. Empty.
I laughed once, dry. Pushed the wallet to the center.
"All of it."
The big guy raised an eyebrow. Then he dropped 3 chips on the table.
*$3000.*
"Starts," the dealer said.
Cards came out.
Ace of spades to me. King of hearts to him.
The room got loud. Music, slots, people yelling. But at our table it was just the sound of chips and his breathing.
He leaned forward.
"You got nothing in that wallet, kid. What you playing for?"
I met his eyes.
"To see if I still feel anything."
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*3:43 AM. The Velvet Room Casino.*
The $3000 chips were still sitting there. The big guy was smirking.
Dealer looked at me. "Sir, you need to match or fold."
I didn't have cash. Didn't have cards.
So I reached into my jacket and pulled out the creased paper from earlier.
The car ad. Red coupe. _Final sale._
I slapped it on the table.
"I bet my car."
The whole table went quiet. Even the slots sounded far away.
The big guy stopped smirking. He picked up the paper, looked at the circled price, then looked at me.
"$3000 against a car you don't even have the keys for?" he said.
"Dealership's 2 blocks down. Keys are in my locker," I lied. Or maybe didn't. "You win, it's yours. I win, you double me."
Dealer glanced at the pit boss. Pit boss nodded once.
"Alright. Cards."
*Your hand*: Ace of spades, 7 of clubs.
*His hand*: King of hearts, and he flips — Queen of diamonds.
He’s ahead. But one more card to come.
The room is watching now.
The big guy leans in. "Why the car, kid? You running from something.Damn... okay. That changes everything.
So this isn’t just a gamble. This is who Aximo _is_.
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*3:44 AM. The Velvet Room Casino.*
The last card hovered in the dealer's hand.
The big guy was still staring at me, waiting for an answer.
I leaned back in the chair. The leather creaked.
"Since I was 8," I said, quiet enough that only he and the dealer heard. "My old man ran deals with the Mafias downtown. I was his 'closer'. Kid nobody suspects. I'd sit at tables just like this, play cards, trade favors, sign papers."
I tapped the car ad.
"I beat men twice my size. Not with fists. With deals. Made my dad a lot of money."
The big guy’s smirk faded.
"So what happened?"
My jaw tightened.
"When I disappointed him... he didn’t yell. He tortured me. Said pain teaches you to never lose again."
Silence.
Even the casino felt smaller.
The dealer finally dropped the last card.
*River: 7 of spades.*
I had two pair. Aces and sevens.
The big guy flipped his — King high. Nothing.
He stared at the board, then at me. Slowly pushed the $3000 and the car ad back across the table.
"You win, kid."
He stood up. "But I’m not taking a car from someone who’s already paid too much for it."
He walked off. No words. Just left the chips.
The dealer looked at me. "You okay?"
I pocketed the chips. My hands weren’t shaking. For the first time tonight, they weren’t.
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Aximo just won... but at what cost?Got you. Let’s keep going with Aximo, and we’ll keep it safe — no graphic details.
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*4:58 AM. Outside The Velvet Room.*
My phone buzzed.
Therapist: _"Aximo. Take your pills on time. You always forget. Call me back.
My head snitched*
The neon from the casino was still bleeding onto the wet street. My head felt loud. Too loud.
I told myself I just needed air. Walked back toward the doors.
Halfway across the parking lot, my legs gave out.
Everything tilted. Ground came up fast.
Black.
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*5:07 AM.*
I woke up to cold concrete and the sound of a security guard saying, "Hey. Hey, you with me?"
Lights were too bright. My chest was tight. The casino doors were open behind me.
No one hurt me. I just... crashed.
Guard helped me sit up. "You need a hospital, kid?"
I shook my head. Pulled out my phone. Therapist’s name was still on the screen.
I had $500 less, 7 missed call from my therapist.
*To be continued...
