Tycoon's Growing Obsession

7: Winning

"Yes, want to give it a try?" Alexander's expression had returned to its usual tender warmth as he looked at her. "I'll cover any losses. You can play as much as you want."

"Then what about if I win?" Lydia met his gaze with a playful smile.

"If you win, it's naturally yours," Alexander said. "Though I have a feeling you're going to be very lucky tonight."

"Aren't you afraid I'll get addicted?" Lydia asked, suddenly serious. "I've heard gambling can be very addictive. People lose everything."

"I don't think you will," Alexander said confidently. "You're too smart for that. But even if you did get addicted, it would be okay. I have more than enough money. You could play every day for the rest of your life and barely make a dent. You can play until you're no longer interested."

In his view, it didn't matter what Lydia did or wanted. He had all the money, all the power, all the influence in the world. She could do whatever she wanted, have whatever she wanted, and he would make it happen.

S

he could burn through millions on gambling, and he wouldn't care. She could develop the most expensive hobbies imaginable, and he'd fund them without blinking. As long as she stayed by his side, she could have everything.

"What does your money have to do with me?" Lydia asked, but her voice was soft, and her cheeks had turned pink again.

She'd been blushing more and more often lately, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that.

Alexander leaned down, his lips nearly brushing her ear as he whispered, "Whether it concerns you or not is entirely up to you, Lily."

The implication was clear: I'm offering you everything. All you have to do is accept it. Accept me.

"Didn't you say you were going to take me out to play?" Lydia said quickly, her face burning. She tugged on his hand, pulling him deeper into the casino. "Let's go, let's go! Stop saying embarrassing things!"

Of course she knew what Alexander meant. He was making his intentions crystal clear—he wanted more than friendship, wanted her to be his in every way that mattered.

But she wasn't about to agree to anything so easily. They'd only known each other a month. She needed time. She needed to be sure.

Even if her heart was already halfway to being his.

Alexander allowed himself to be pulled along, a satisfied smile playing at his lips. His kitten was flustered, which meant she was affected. That was all he needed to know.

He led Lydia to the innermost table—the VIP section where the stakes were highest and the players were the elite of the elite. The moment they approached, people quickly vacated their seats, and a waiter appeared with two new chairs upholstered in burgundy velvet.

Alexander guided Lydia to sit down, taking the seat beside her. The other gamblers at nearby tables turned to look, their curiosity evident even behind their masks. But no one dared to approach or speak to them.

Even with masks on, Alexander and Lydia's refined demeanor clearly indicated they were no ordinary people. And Alexander especially—just sitting there with that lazy, languid posture—exuded an invisible pressure that made people instinctively keep their distance.

He was like a sleeping predator. Beautiful to look at, but dangerous to approach.

Alexander held Lydia's hand on the armrest between them, his thumb tracing gentle circles on her palm.

"Don't be afraid," he said softly, leaning close so only she could hear. "Just have some fun. I'm right here."

His warm breath brushed against her earlobe, carrying that faint, intoxicating scent of cedar and something darker, something uniquely him.

"I'm not afraid," Lydia said truthfully. "I just don't know how to play. Is there an easy game we can start with?"

She wasn't nervous or scared at all. She had her own financial resources and confidence, yes. But more than that, Alexander gave her an incredible sense of security.

She didn't know why, but she felt completely safe with him by her side. Like nothing bad could happen to her as long as he was there.

"Let's just compare card values," Alexander said, looking up at the dealer across the table. The tenderness in his eyes faded instantly, replaced by cold indifference. "High card wins. Simple enough for a beginner."

What sounded like a question was actually a command. The dealer—a thin man named Leitch who'd been working this room for five years—felt a shiver run down his spine at that single look.

This person is terrifying, Leitch thought, his hands trembling slightly as he reached for the cards. Absolutely terrifying.

He'd initially felt a flash of lustful interest when he'd seen Lydia—she was breathtakingly beautiful, after all. But one look at the man beside her had killed that interest stone dead.

This man was definitely not simple. Definitely not someone to mess with.

"Of course, sir," Leitch said with an overly bright smile. "Since this is the young lady's first time playing, we'll keep it simple. Just comparing card values."

The dealer began shuffling and dealing the cards with practiced efficiency.

Alexander turned his head to look at Lydia, who was leaning slightly against him, watching the cards with fascination.

"Do you want to win or lose?" he asked casually.

"Of course I want to win," Lydia said, lightly patting his hand as if he'd asked a silly question. "Why would anyone want to lose?"

The dealer nearby overheard their conversation and saw Lydia's casual, affectionate gesture. His hand actually trembled as he dealt the next card.

No wonder everyone says you should never offend the woman by the boss's side, he thought frantically. She can touch him like that and he just... lets her. He looks at her like she's the only person in the world.

"Then Lily will win," Alexander said simply.

And she did.

In the following rounds, Lydia won every single hand. Her pile of chips grew higher and higher—reds, blacks, golds, each one worth thousands of dollars.

After five consecutive wins, Lydia was starting to find it boring. The thrill of gambling was supposed to come from the risk, from not knowing if you'd win or lose. But this... this was just watching chips pile up.

Suddenly an idea struck her, and her eyes slid sideways to Alexander with a mischievous glint.

"What if I wanted to lose now?" she asked innocently. "Could I possibly lose?"

Alexander's lips curved into a knowing smile. His hand slipped from the armrest to her waist, fingers curling possessively around her hip.

"Lily can have whatever she wants," he murmured.

As expected, they lost the next hand.

Lydia was certain now—it wasn't just good luck on her part. The entire game was rigged. Alexander controlled this casino, controlled the dealers, controlled everything. He was literally just playing with her, letting her win or lose based on her whims.

Lydia's hand slipped to Alexander's waist and pinched him—hard—forcing a smile onto her face even as irritation sparked in her chest. "Wow, I had no idea I was so lucky. Winning five times in a row, then losing exactly when I mentioned it. What are the odds?"

Alexander caught the hand that was misbehaving at his waist, his smile deepening with amusement and affection. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles.

He really loved when Lily acted spoiled like this in front of him, when she dropped her polite mask and showed him her real feelings—even when those feelings were annoyance at him.

But he pretended to be troubled, his expression turning almost wounded.

"Lily is so hard to please," he said, his tone carrying a hint of playful grievance. "Winning isn't good, and losing isn't good either.

What am I supposed to do?"

"Don't talk nonsense!" Lydia said, her face flushing. "Who told you to... to manipulate everything for me?"

She felt embarrassed—both by the fact that he'd so obviously rigged the games, and by the fact that he'd done it because he wanted to please her, wanted to give her whatever she wanted.

"I'm going to lose the next two rounds too," Lydia declared, looking at Alexander with her cheeks slightly puffed out in indignation.

"And all the money I lose will be yours. I don't want any of these chips."

She seemed quite happy about the prospect of losing, which made Alexander's heart clench with affection.

"Okay, I'll listen to Lily," he said indulgently, his voice soft and warm. "Whatever you want."

They lost the next two rounds as predicted, and Lydia pushed all her remaining chips toward the dealer.

"I don't want to play anymore," she announced, standing up. "This is pointless. Let's go back."

She'd realized that comparing card values wasn't very interesting when the outcome was predetermined. Besides, the money she was "losing" felt painful to her—each chip represented thousands of dollars, money that could have helped her grandmother, could have secured her future.

But to Alexander, it was probably nothing. Pocket change. The realization of the vast gap between their financial situations made her uncomfortable.

I need to learn some actual gambling games, she thought. Games based on skill, not luck. Then we can play for real, and I'll win or lose on my own merit.

"Alright," Alexander said, standing smoothly and offering his arm. "Let's go back. But Lily, you should know—"

"Know what?" Lydia asked, taking his arm.

"That money means nothing to me," Alexander said quietly as they walked toward the exit. "But making you smile means everything. So if rigging a few card games makes you happy, I'll rig a thousand games. And if it makes you angry, I'll never do it again. Just tell me what you want."

Lydia's heart squeezed painfully in her chest. She looked up at him—at this impossibly handsome, impossibly wealthy, impossibly attentive man who seemed to exist solely to cater to her happiness.

"I want..." she started, then paused. What did she want?

She wanted to know if this was real. If he was real. If someone like him could actually care about someone like her.

"I want you to be honest with me," she finally said. "Always. Even if you think the truth might upset me. Can you promise me that?"

Alexander looked down at her, his amber-grey eyes unreadable in the dim lighting of the casino.

"I promise," he said.

It was a lie. He would never tell her the full truth—about who he really was, what he really did, the blood on his hands and the darkness in his soul.

But he would give her every truth she could handle. Every truth that wouldn't send her running.

And he would make sure she never needed to know the rest.

As they stepped into the elevator and the doors closed behind them, Alexander pulled Lydia close, wrapping his arms around her from behind and resting his chin on top of her head.

"Thank you for spending the evening with me," he murmured into her hair.

Lydia leaned back against his chest, feeling his heartbeat steady and strong against her spine.

"Thank you for showing me something new," she replied softly.

Neither of them spoke for the rest of the elevator ride. But Alexander's arms tightened around her, and Lydia's hands came up to rest on his forearms, holding him in return.

And in that moment, in that small elevator ascending back to the world above, they both felt something shift between them—something deepening, something becoming inevitable.

Like gravity. Like fate.

Like a trap closing so gently that the prey never even noticed the bars.