SCENE 1: The Dark VIP Room

(The air is heavy. KENJIRO is shaking, his whiskey glass rattling against the table. REN sits across from him, calm and terrifying.)

(The sound of shuffling cards fills the silence. REN taps a gold lighter on the table. KENJIRO is sweating, his tie loosened and his eyes bloodshot.)

​Ren: You’re playing like a man who has already lost, Kenjiro.

​Kenjiro: (Desperate) Shut up! I just need one good streak. The luck is coming... I can feel it!

​Ren: Luck is for fools. I prefer certainty. You’ve lost five million in an hour. Your casinos are gone. Your pride is gone. What’s left?

​Kenjiro: I… I lost it all. Everything.

​Ren: Not everything, Kenjiro. You still have my family’s stolen ring. And you have a daughter.

​Kenjiro: (Eyes widening) You want Hana? She’s useless. A burden.

​Ren: She is your collateral. One last game. If I win, I take the ring—and her.

​SCENE 2: The Hallway

(HANA is hiding behind the door, holding her little sister, SORA. Her stepmother pushes past them with a sneer.)

​Stepmom: Still hiding? Your father is selling you off, you little brat. About time you paid your way.

​Sora: (Crying) Hana, I’m scared. Are we going with the scary man?

​Hana: (Whispering) Shh. Stay behind me, Sora. I won’t let him touch you.

​SCENE 3: The Confrontation

(Hana throws the doors open. She looks at Ren—he looks like a king, but his eyes look like they’ve seen a thousand funerals.)

​Hana: Stop! I am not a toy for you to win in a card game!

​Ren: (Standing up slowly) You’re right. You’re a way out. If you stay here, your father kills you with debt. If you come with me, you and your sister never go hungry again.

​Hana: And what do you get?

​Ren: (Leaning in close) I get the only thing in this room worth more than money.

Kenjiro: (Slapping the table) Enough talk! Sit down, Ren. If I win, my debts are wiped and I keep the ring. If you win... she's yours.

​Hana: (Voice trembling) Father, please... don't do this. Not like this.

​Ren: (Ignoring the plea, his eyes locked on the deck) Deal the cards, Kenjiro. Let’s see if your "luck" can beat my "certaintyRoom]]The deck is a blur of black and red as the cards hit the wood. The only sound is the heavy breathing of a desperate man and the rhythmic tap of the CEO's fingers. One card for the ring. One card for a life. The final play is made.

​SCENE 4: The Decision

(Ren flips the final card. An Ace. Kenjiro screams and falls to the floor. Ren walks past him and stops in front of Hana. He holds out a black gloved hand.)

​Ren: The game is over. You’re mine now.

​Hana: (Looking at his hand, then at Sora) I’m doing this for her. Not for you.

​Ren: (A cold smirk) Good. I like a prize with a spine. Let’s go.

​[Fade to black as the heavy doors of the mansion slam shut]