#hutao04 Beneath the Red Light

Isabella Moore stepped out of a taxi, the blazing red n//eon lights of Las Vegas casting a glow on her wavy brown hair, highlighting her emerald green eyes and a confident smile tinged with pride. At 25, Isabella, a poker dealer from Reno, had come to Vegas to work at Crimson Palace, the most prestigious casino on the Strip, where billionaire dreams were made and shattered. After a failed romance with a gambler in Reno, she was determined to build her name, and Las Vegas, with its lavish pulse and dazzling casino world, was the perfect place to start.

She pulled her suitcase down the Strip, n//eon signs from casinos and hotels illuminating her face. “Isabella Moore, this is your shot,” she muttered, inhaling the night’s mix of c//ocktails and c//igarette sm//oke. “Don’t let some jerk hold you back!” She paused before a hot dog stand, the scent of m//ustard making her grin. She snapped a photo of the street, texting her best friend in Reno: “Vegas is insanely gorgeous, but I’m kinda nervous… Crimson Palace isn’t a small game.”

At her rented apartment on the outskirts, Isabella opened her laptop, heart p//ounding as she read an email from Crimson Palace’s manager. She was invited to a private interview with Alexander Kane, the 35-year-old billionaire casino mogul, renowned for his cold demeanor and ability to read opponents like a seasoned poker pro. But articles dubbed him the “king of shadows” for crushing the careers of many rivals. Isabella googled him, and images appeared: sleek black hair, icy blue eyes, a smug half-smile exuding arrogance. “Alexander Kane, huh? Looks like he’d eat me al//ive,” she muttered, but her heart raced, a strange sensation stirring.

The next evening, at the top floor of Crimson Palace, the space dazzled with floor-to-ceiling glass and red n//eon lights. In a fitted black dress, Isabella strode in confidently, eyes scanning the crowd of dealers, managers, and casino staff. Then she saw him—Alexander Kane, standing near a poker table, black suit hugging his muscular frame, aura both commanding and enigmatic. As she approached, he turned, his blue eyes pi//ercing, making her heart skip.